Nathan Xavier
December 18, 2021 10:22 AM
Advanced Class: Camomile Compress by Nathan Xavier
OOC: Reference: https://herbalismroots.com/chamomile-compresses-tea/
And also https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=1169 BIC:
Professor Nathan Xavier met his advanced class at the door to Greenhouse Two. An overnight thunderstorm had soaked the Labyrinth paths and left them muddy, but the day had dawn bright and sunny as the warm front moved in, bringing pleasant temperatures and clear skies with it. Unfortunately, with a class start time of 8 AM, the sun had not had enough time to dry anything out for the trek out to the greenhouses.
And also https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=1169 BIC:
There was a welcome mat (that used to read ‘Aloe There’ with a picture of a potted aloe plant, but now it was mostly just a mud caked rug) leading into the greenhouse, but Nathan left it up to the students’ discretion whether they should attempt to scrape their feet clear of excess mud on it, or just step over it entirely to avoid the making their shoes worse. The greenhouse floor was dirt anyway.
He greeted each student as they arrived and handed back their graded unit exams on Plants That Start Fires, Explode, or Otherwise Endanger Innocent Bystanders to Reproduce, with personalized comments about their results or how they were doing in the class in general. Much better this unit; You’re on track for an O in this class, good job; This was a hard one, wasn’t it? If you want to come by office hours, we can go over it.
Once everyone was inside, he greeted the group as a whole. “Hello, everybody. Today we’re going to start our final unit of new material before we finish up the year on RATS review. We’re moving away from dangerous plants and getting into Medicinal Herbology, which is difficult and dangerous for entirely different reasons than our earlier topics. Some of this unit is basic first aid which any of you could use in an emergency, but other parts are intended only to showcase what you might be able to do with full medical training and could cause more harm than good if prepared or dosed wrong. I will clarify which is which at the beginning of each lesson, so you know what is safe to do yourself and what should only be done by medical professionals.”
“Today’s topic is Camomile, which is safe for anyone to attempt to use, either as a tea or a compress. Does anyone know what Camomile is used to treat?”
As he got answers, he wrote them out on his chalkboard.
- Anxiety/Stress (tea)
- Relaxation (tea)
- Inflammation (compress)
- Swelling (compress)
- General Cure-All (various)
- Wound Healing (compress)
- Skin Irritation (compress)
- Vomiting (ingestion)
- GI Issues
“It is more effective for some of these conditions than others and, unless brewed in a potion with additional ingredients, there will not be miraculous or magically immediate results for any of them,” he cautioned. “Also, if it is improperly administered, it may do nothing at all. The most common side effect is drowsiness when ingested, and it may interfere with other medical treatments, so use with care if the patient has other conditions.”
“Today we will be leaning how to make a camomile compress. In front of each of you is a camomile plant. You will be picking the flowers. Ideally, you would let them dry over time, but in a pinch you can use the herb drying charm, Essiccare, to dry them out quickly.” He reviewed the charm and its circular wand motion, since it had been a few months since they last had to use it.
“Once your flowers are dry, crush them up and measure two heaping spoonfuls into one of the teapots I have available over here.” He indicated the table with the collection of small teapots he had collected for their use. “Then add water and set that to boil. After fifteen minutes, you’ll have a tea, but at this point we are going to soak a cloth in the mixture. That should soak for at least five minutes, then you’ll have a hot compress. Alternatively , you can then chill it for a cool compress.”
“Go ahead and give it a try. Any questions, raise your hand and I’ll be around.”
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Nathan Xavier
Advanced Class: Camomile Compress
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