Most of the Pernses injuries are caused by their environment, like Thread and animal attacks, because by the time the first colonists came to Pern, most illnesses had been bred out of the human population, and the Pernese do not smoke, as tobacco and other such crops were not considered important enough to grow.
Medicinal Herbs and Their Uses
Numbweed
Very early on, it was noticed that injured firelizards bruised the leaves of a twiggy, sagelike shurb with their snouts or claws and rubbed their wounds against the sap that oozed out of the plump, sagittate leaves. Touching the sap caused total numbness at the contact point. The colonists quickly learned to imitate their fire lizards and use the sap to deaden the pain of Threadscore. The gray-green plants sprout tofts of blossoms like statice, and grow in jungle areas.
Fellis
Fellis trees are branchy and small and have easily recognizable yellow blossoms with pointed petals. The juice boiled from leaves and stems is a narcotic painkiller. An herb that commonly grows nearby is used as a cure for the addiction that results from the constant use of fellis, but the healers are aware of the tendency and keep an eye open for overdosing.
Redwort
Redwort grows in clumps low to the ground. THe thick stem hes reddish veins running through it and produces flat-topped purple and rose flowers.
This clean-smelling herb is used as an antiseptic wash and protects the skin from being affected by numbweed salve. Red wort wash leaves a characteristic red stain on the skin.
Needlethorn
This succulent bush will shoot its hoolow, toxic spines at anything that disturbs it during its growing season. When the flowers of the ging tree open (needlthorn and ging are always found together), the plant has fallen into its dormant stage, and the needles can be gathered without danger. The barbless needles are strong enough to be used as a syringe for giving intravenous and subcutaneous injections or for drawing blood.
Mosstea
An herb used to pack wounds against infection. It can also be used to make a soothing tea.
Citron
A citrus fruit that contains Vitamin C.
Barley
This cereal grain can also be brewed as a tea to combat the symptoms of cystitis, which is a common complaint of female dragonriders.
Other Herbs and Their Uses
Analgesic: Red Willow Salic, Meadowsweet
Anodyne: Aconite, Whitethorn, Adonis, Glovecap, Hops
Antispasmoci: Parsley, Basil
Burns: Aloe, Dragon's Tongue (Pern's Aloe), Comfrey, Cucumber, Witch Hazel
Cough Medicine: Tussilago, Comfrey, Hyssop, Thymus, Borrago
Diaphoretic: Box, Ezob
Diuretic: Ash Bark
Febrifuge: Sweatroot, Spearleek, Whitebulb
Tonic: Featherfern, Nettleweed, Tansy