Year 5: Herbs in Potions II

Herbs in Potions II Jul 3, Wed, 1:30 PM

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
A List of 150 Herbs Commonly Used In Potions; Part VI


Juniper: Juniperus communis. There is use for the dried form of this plant's fruit. It works well for digestion issues or can help ease colic in the little ones.

Kantakari: Solanum xanthocarpum. The roots, flower and stem of this plant all have their medicinal properties. Healers use it in potions for those who have asthma or fever and in poultices that prevent itching.

Katuka: Picrorhiza kurroa. This extremely bitter herb is used mainly as a lotion or scrub for boil hexes.

Kava: Piper methysticum. Peeled roots are boiled and used in a drinkable solution; usually a tea. Healers use this herb for helping calm patients who are frantic, nervous, or stressed.

Late afternoon shone with gentle warmth that was no longer summer, but not yet fully autumn either. Heavy drapes that hung over the windows blocked out the view of the setting sun. The only proof that it was not yet night were traces  of light that found way behind the curtains; and illuminated the specks of dust that danced throughout the entire classroom, invisible except where the sunlight touched. The classroom was not darkened, however. Candles burned brightly on the iron chandeliers that hung above old wooden desks, enchanted so the wax did not drop, and yet shining with a very natural glow. There was enough light for a human eye to see by, and much too much for a vampire’s sensitive cornea.

Sorrow lingered in the shadow behind his desk. His lips pulled into a tight line as he examined the notes he had made on the blackboard. It was not much for class summary, but it held information such as class requirements and homework material. In his mind he went over his class materials again and again, trying hard to remember if he had forgotten something. On the outside he gave off an air of calm and grace, nothing unlike the usual. On the inside raged a storm that came with every beginning of his Hogwarts years; that much had not changed even with him becoming a professor. It meant getting used to students all over again, and carefully picking apart those who showed interest in his subject from those who did not. It meant another year of late homework and unjustified absences from class. But it meant learning and teaching, and learning through teaching. Just for that, Sorrow thought he could tolerate all the rest. Just for those few individuals who would listen and express their interest through good work.

The lock on the classroom's door clicked open as minutes marked the beginning of his class. Sorrow turned his back on the blackboard and turned to face the entrance, quietly expecting the first of the fifth year students.

A small smile tugged at the edge of Sorrow's lips. His appearance had to be slightly intimidating, though he certainly hadn't meant to make it so. This too was a part of getting used to Hogwarts after a summer at his manor. What came naturally to him always drew discomfort in students, even as he tried to fix the atmosphere, to appeal to them. On occasion it worked, but it usually took some weeks and several classes until they all got used to each other again. Hardest were the first years; they never trusted him until well into the end of the first semester. Sometimes not even then.

He dared step forward to show himself in the light; to show he was not merely a part of the shadow, but made of solid flesh. Nodding to the student in the back, Sorrow recognized Emma Hawkwood. She had grown, but she still had wind in her hair. After her came the boy, Kaden, was it? He would have tempted a frown, but Sorrow had no desire to scold him. This time.

“Of course, Miss Hawkwood, it is quite all right,” he offered a pale smile in turn to her own. Sorrow never followed Quidditch, but he recognized the excitement that came with every game and learned to forgive lateness, stray brooms and muddy footprints. He wasn’t sure what position Emma or Kaden played. He never knew what it meant to be a chaser or a keeper and he knew what a snitch was only from what he read in books. One time he watched a match it made him queasy. It was a part of Hogwarts that he never truly experienced. “Mr Carr, if you would, please take a seat. We shall begin shortly.” Eleanie had already taken her seat, so Sorrow acknowledged her with a nod.

And then there was Matthew. Now there was a boy that made Sorrow’s odd habits pale in comparison! He had changed a lot over the summer, but the scent of soft earth was still sharp around him. One of those that showed interest in Herbology, too. Sorrow made no comment on his lateness as the boy quietly took his place in the back of the class. This time.

“First let me welcome you to another year of Herbology. As you know, this year we continue to make our list of herbs used in Potions, as well as further study into the useful application of water plants. Sadly, we have only two practical classes set in this year’s Study and Care; but you are always welcome to visit the Greenhouses, as long as I am there, for further study of our plants.”

Sorrow cast an eye over the classroom, giving pointed looks to all those that might think of going into the Greenhouses when he is not present. “Now, as this is your OWL year, you are welcome to ask questions and ask for materials that might help you study. I will hold consultations each Monday,” he motioned towards the blackboard, where his words stood written, “At 1:00 PM, in this very classroom.”

“Today we begin with a double-period. After Herbs in Potions II you will have a twenty-minute break to please all your needs. Then we shall continue with Introduction to Water Plants II. However this schedule is not final, and you will be alerted of the possible changes in due time.”

The loud thump made Sorrow turn his attention to the back of the class again. His eyes sharpened at Travis; his voice turning a shade colder as he spoke again.

“Ready your books, please. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.”

As the final of whispers settled and the classroom fell silent, Sorrow’s voice carried a bit louder throughout the chamber. It was purposeful, that he began quietly at first, because it meant that those students who wanted to hear would listen. In any case, it had worked last year. Sorrow could only hope that it ensured careful attention this year as well.

“We continue with the following Chapter: A List of 150 Herbs Commonly Used In Potions. Part six. Miss Carr, please read the summary on Juniper.”

His gaze carried from the students in the front to those in back, the steely grey of his eyes acknowledging every individual that had their focus on the front. One or two that did not must have felt him looking, because they promptly dropped their distractions and picked up their books instead. And then there was Matthew. Squirming in his seat as if he had flobberworms in his pockets, he drew another smile from Sorrow. These past years he would barely make it through to the end of his classes, even as he showed interest in Herbology. Double-periods had to be a nightmare; not just for Matthew, but for all those who found the subject uninteresting too.

It made Sorrow happy, however, to see Emma following his words with what seemed to be a new-found interest. Perhaps it was just the way he presented the class, but Sorrow hoped that this year he could make it entertaining, as well as informative.

The request came again as it did each year; and Sorrow could not help but feel a note of pain in his mind for both Eleanie and Kaden. He never knew what it was that made the twins so far apart from one another’s mind. Sorrow, being a twin himself, could understand the pain of being separated from his twin. There was a time when the link between him and Misery had been lost, repaired, and for a time lost again. But each time their souls drifted back to one another. They could never stay apart for long. They were brother and sister, intimately connected through the time shared in their mother’s womb. For that reason, Sorrow could not begin to imagine what disorder there was in the hearts of young Carrs. He never called Eleanie as she wanted him; not only because it was inappropriate, but because he felt about it stubbornly too. Their files stated in clear ink that they were of the same mother. Never should there be such disorder between twins.

“Thank you, Miss Carr,” he tried to sound light when he spoke again, though thought of Misery still weighed heavy on him. He hadn’t seen her in a while now. She hadn’t been home this past summer, only visited once. Sorrow himself had rather busied himself at the manor than going up to Zillah’s on more than one occasion.

“Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between fifty and sixty-seven species of juniper. However, we shall focus on the basic characteristics and uses of the common juniper, as that is the one we use in potions. Firstly, it is important that you learn to recognize the juniper plant. Refer to the picture in your textbooks,” Sorrow lifted his own copy, turning it towards the students and showing the picture with a gentle tap of his finger. The common juniper was little more than a shrub. On the picture next to it, it appeared as a small coniferous evergreen tree. Its appearance often varied, but in essence it stayed a low spreading shrub. Occasionally it could reach ten meters in height, but such occurrences were rare.

“As you can see, the plant has needle-like leaves in whorls of three. They are green in colour, with a single white stomata band on the inner surface. Male and female cones stand on separate plants, which means the juniper is dioecious and wind pollinated. Male cones are yellow, two to three millimetres in length, and they fall soon after shedding their pollen. This can happen at any time in March and April.”

“The seed cones are berry-like and green as the leaves. It takes eighteen long months until they are ripe. By then they should have reached a purple, sometimes nearly black colour inside; and a waxy blue coating. The berries are spherical and rather small, ranging from four to twelve millimetres in diameter. They usually have three fused scales, each with a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds eat the cones, digesting the fleshy scales and passing the hard seeds in their droppings.”

Sorrow lowered his book, replacing it with a glass jar that had until that moment stood on his desk. The jar held nearly two dozen of the berries, blue and dried. “Mixing of various ingredients that is required in the art of potion making can sometimes be rather troublesome for our digestion system. Because of this, we add juniper berries to certain potions in order to prevent these problems. Most commonly used are those of the common juniper. However, their potency in a potion can be determined by further studying into subspecies of the juniper plant.”

“Is everything clear so far?”

“Good then,” Sorrow decided as no hand rose in question. “I hope you made notes, there will be a quiz,” there was a glint in his eye that told that he was not completely serious. “In the meantime, let us read about the next plant. Miss Hawkwood? Kantakari is all yours.”

Sorrow let the jar with the juniper berries rest on the desk as he picked up the textbook again. “And thank you Miss Hawkwood. Kantakari is indeed very useful in medicine, though it is not commonly used outside India. But should you ever find yourselves in India, well,” again Sorrow tapped with his finger to indicate a picture. “Kantakari belongs to family Solanaceae. You will find it waste places, on roadsides and in open scrublands. It is a prickly, usually spreading or diffused perennial, woody at base. The young branches are densely covered with minute star-shaped hairs. The branches zigzag, and spread close to the ground are covered with yellow, sharp, shining prickles. The flowers are purple, about two centimetres long.  The fruits are globular drooping berries, up to two centimetres in size, yellow or pale in colour with green veins.”

“Kantakari is bitter and pungent in taste, and has hot potency. It possesses light and dry attributes. It has enjoyed an important place among medicinal herbs since ancient times. Its use has been noted mostly by wizards of India. Here it is used rarely, and then only by Healers or those dealing in production of Healing potions. Caraka and Susruta, the great sages, have mentioned the plant to have multiple medicinal properties. Acarya Vagbhata has adored it as a drug of choice for cough. It can be crushed into poultices to reduce itching or mixed into potions to treat fever.”