The medicinal drug industry:
Plants
Certain rare or magical plants are sought after by alchemists for their healing properties, vital in creating remedies for ailments that otherwise would claim lives.
Leechwort: This plant, famed for its ability to treat blood poisoning, is a staple for healers in need of powerful remedies against infection. Its sap, when properly distilled, can purify the blood and prevent sepsis from spreading.
Dream Lichen: Found only in the deepest of ancient forests, Dream Lichen holds great power in alchemy. It serves as a base for potions that influence the body’s natural defenses, and its rarity makes it a highly valued ingredient.
Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade): Though deadly in its natural form, Belladonna, when handled with care by skilled alchemists, can be distilled into a life-saving antidote for infections. Only a master would dare risk this plant, as improper use can lead to death.
Silverleaf: Growing only in sacred groves, Silverleaf is renowned for its ability to cleanse infections. Its leaves, once crushed and boiled, create a salve that accelerates healing in festering wounds.
Minerals
Alchemists often require minerals to stabilize their potions and unlock the full potential of their ingredients.
Phosphorus: A common but essential mineral, phosphorus purifies other components and is often used in alchemical processes to intensify the healing power of plants.
Starmetal or Mithral dust: Fallen from the stars or found deep in ancient elven and dwarven lands, these rare metal is crushed into powder and added to potions to enhance their potency. Its magical nature ensures that remedies are stronger and more stable, reducing harmful side effects.
Quicksilver (Mercury): Though dangerous, mercury can serve as a catalyst in certain mixtures. Only the most skilled alchemists dare use it, for its toxicity can poison both the healer and the patient if improperly prepared.
Magical Creatures
From the beasts of the wild come extraordinary reagents that give potions their miraculous powers.
Wyvern Blood: Extracted from these deadly creatures, wyvern blood is both poison and cure. When refined, it acts as a counteragent to toxins and infections, balancing the thin line between life and death.
Unicorn Horn: This legendary substance, ground into powder, is said to purify any potion it touches. Unicorn horn elevates the curative powers of any remedy, ensuring it cleanses not only the body but the soul.
Troll Regenerative Glands: Trolls are known for their ability to heal from any wound, and alchemists covet their glands. A potion made with these glands can accelerate recovery, allowing the patient to mend from grievous injuries in a fraction of the time.
Phoenix Feather: A symbol of rebirth, the phoenix’s feather, when used in a potion, grants regenerative properties, ensuring that wounds heal swiftly and without infection.
Alchemy and Magical Processing
Processing these ingredients is a delicate art. The materials must be boiled, distilled, and purified using a combination of high alchemical skill and magical energy. Only through careful preparation—sometimes requiring spells like transmutation—can the ingredients’ full potential be unlocked. Stabilizing the resulting compounds is essential, lest the potion turn from cure to poison.
Cost and Rarity
Due to the dangerous expeditions required to gather these materials and the expertise necessary for their preparation, potions derived from such ingredients are rare and expensive. A single dose could cost anywhere between 100 to 200 gold pieces, depending on the rarity of the components and the difficulty of the process.
Sulfa (antibiotics)
Sulfa drugs, or sulfonamides, are typically administered in several ways, depending on the condition being treated:
Cures most kinds of infections and blood poisoning.
Sulfa’s preparation is no easy feat. The needed ingredients—be they rare herbs, mysterious stones, or the essence of a creature touched by magic—must be sought in far-flung, perilous places. Once in hand, these materials must be brought to a master of alchemy, for the refining and distilling of such components demands precision beyond that of an ordinary apothecary. The process is dangerous, with even the slightest misstep turning a cure into a deadly poison. Thus, sulfa is used only when all other remedies fail. Its rarity and the expertise needed to create it mean that it fetches a high price, often surpassing even costly antitoxins.
Oral administration (pills/tablets): This is the most common method for treating infections. Patients take sulfa drugs in pill form to combat internal bacterial infections, like urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and other systemic conditions.
Topical application (creams or ointments): Sulfa drugs were also used in topical forms to treat skin infections, burns, and wounds. The cream or ointment would be applied directly to the affected area to prevent or treat bacterial infections on the skin.
Intravenous (IV) injection: For more severe infections, sulfa drugs could be administered through IV to ensure they reached the bloodstream quickly and effectively.
These drugs works by inhibiting bacterial growth, which gives the body’s immune system a better chance to fight off infections. However, they are not without side effects, such as allergic reactions and kidney issues, which eventually lead to the development and preference for other antibiotics made from plants or mushrooms.
Side-effects:
The side effects of sulfa drugs (sulfonamides) could be quite serious, though they were revolutionary for their time in treating bacterial infections. While they saved many lives, they also posed significant risks, which made careful use and monitoring essential. Some of the key side effects include:
1. Allergic Reactions
Sulfa Allergy: A common issue, many people developed an allergy to sulfa drugs. This could range from mild symptoms like rashes, itching, and fever to more severe conditions.
The Burning Rot: A potentially life-threatening skin condition characterized by painful blisters and the shedding of the outer layer of the skin. This was a rare but serious complication that could result from an allergic reaction to sulfa drugs.
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN): A more severe form of The Burning Rot, involving widespread skin death and sloughing. This was extremely dangerous and could be fatal.
2. Kidney Damage
Crystalluria: Sulfa drugs can sometimes cause the formation of crystals in the urine, leading to kidney stones or blockages, and potentially serious kidney damage. This could be mitigated by drinking plenty of water, but it was still a significant risk.
Renal failure: In rare cases, severe kidney damage could lead to renal failure, especially if the patient was dehydrated or had underlying kidney issues.
3. Blood Disorders
Hemolytic anemia: Some patients, particularly those with spesific types of genetic deficiency, could develop hemolytic anemia, where red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made.
Agranulocytosis: A rare condition where the body stops producing enough white blood cells, leading to a severely weakened immune system and a higher risk of infection.
Thrombocytopenia: A decrease in the number of platelets, which are essential for blood clotting, leading to increased risk of bleeding.
4. Liver Damage
Some patients experienced liver toxicity, which could cause jaundice, hepatitis, or liver failure in severe cases. This is common in prolonged use of sulfa drugs.
5. Other Side Effects
Gastrointestinal issues: Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are common side effects of oral sulfa drugs.
Headaches and dizziness: Some people experience neurological effects, including headaches, dizziness, and confusion.
Photosensitivity: Sulfa drugs could cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, leading to sunburns or rashes after minimal sun exposure.
Severity of the Side Effects
While the majority of patients can tolerate sulfa drugs without severe complications, those who developed allergies or other adverse reactions could face life-threatening conditions. These side effects make physicians cautious, and patients with known allergies or genetic conditions are advised not to take sulfa drugs.
With the development of mushrooms and other antibiotics, which are generally safer and more effective, sulfa drugs are preferably used less except in specific cases, such as for patients who are allergic to mushrooms or for certain bacterial infections.
Medicinal Plants
play a critical role in treating infections and ailments by harnessing the natural properties of certain herbs, roots, and flowers. These plants often have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, or healing properties, making them invaluable to alchemists and healers.
Various plants are essential in treating wounds, infections, and injuries. These plants, often found in different biomes, provide alchemical benefits and are used by healers and alchemists alike.
1. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Historical Use: Yarrow was widely used to stop bleeding and prevent infections, prized for its astringent and anti-inflammatory properties.
Harvest Location: Found in grasslands, meadows, and open forests in temperate regions.
Effect: Grants a +2 alchemical bonus to Heal checks when used to stabilize a dying creature or treat a wound.
Secondary Effect: Reduces the duration of the bleeding condition by 1 round.
Price: 20 gp per dose.
2. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Historical Use: Applied to promote healing and reduce inflammation, comfrey is known for stimulating cell growth and tissue repair.
Harvest Location: Found in moist areas like riverbanks and ditches.
Effect: Provides fast healing 1 for 1d4 rounds when used to treat wounds (Heal check DC 15).
Secondary Effect: Grants a +2 bonus on saving throws against diseases for 24 hours.
Price: 50 gp per dose.
3. Willow Bark (Salix spp.)
Historical Use: Containing salicin, willow bark was used to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever.
Harvest Location: Grows near water sources such as rivers and wetlands.
Effect: Grants a +2 alchemical bonus on saving throws against pain effects and reduces nonlethal damage by 1 point per attack for 1 hour.
Secondary Effect: Reduces fever symptoms and grants a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves against heat-based effects.
Price: 30 gp per dose.
4. Garlic (Allium sativum)
Historical Use: Known for its antibacterial properties, garlic was used to prevent infections and boost the immune system.
Harvest Location: Cultivated widely across The north east kingdoms, Raxxan, and Zephyria.
Effect: Grants a +1 bonus on saving throws against diseases and poisons for 24 hours when consumed.
Secondary Effect: Reduces the DC of any disease or poison by 2 when applied topically.
Price: 15 gp per dose.
5. Plantain (Plantago major)
Historical Use: Plantain was used to reduce swelling, stop bleeding, and prevent infections.
Harvest Location: Commonly found in fields and roadsides in various climates.
Effect: Grants a +4 alchemical bonus on Heal checks to treat poison, stabilize a dying creature, or cure disease.
Secondary Effect: Grants a +2 bonus on saving throws against toxins and diseases for 1 hour.
Price: 25 gp per dose.
6. Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Historical Use: With antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, calendula was often used for healing open sores and wounds.
Harvest Location: Native to Eledar but cultivated worldwide.
Effect: Grants a +2 bonus on saving throws against infection or disease from injury. Reduces healing time by 10%.
Secondary Effect: Provides a +2 bonus on Heal checks when used with medical treatment.
Price: 35 gp per dose.
7. Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
Historical Use: Known for its cooling and healing properties, Aloe Vera was primarily applied to burns and skin wounds.
Harvest Location: Native to the Malni Empire but widely cultivated in tropical and arid regions.
Effect: Grants a +2 alchemical bonus on saving throws against fire or heat-based effects for 1 hour.
Secondary Effect: Provides fast healing 1 for 1 minute when treating burns and offers a +2 bonus on Heal checks for skin-related injuries.
Price: 30 gp per dose.
Summary of Locations:
These medicinal plants can be found in temperate forests, meadows, wetlands, and arid regions. Their accessibility depends on the climate, but their benefits have made them critical in battlefield and healing settings. These plants are often harvested by herbalists or alchemists, with prices reflecting their rarity and effectiveness.
These natural remedies are valuable both in treating injuries and providing combat utility for patients, making them sought-after items in alchemists’ shops and temples alike.
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