The Ene Leaf
The Ene bush provides a spice, mainly for drinks, that gives a mild buzz. Some cultures, mainly elves, chew the leaves themselves and stretch out their 'high' as long as possible. Humans use ene leaves to steep tea for breakfast, as a coffee substitute, or as a pipe leaf, which they dry out and smoke. Largely, use of ene in drinks is fairly constrained by cost and availability. Elves have a particularly hypocritical view on the ene leaf in that almost all elves abuse the mild hallucinogenic provided by the raw leaf, but also judge their peers harshly if they are ever caught under its influence.
Historically, some cultures used ene to brew stronger beers, and to create poultices which offer a mild local anesthetic and some anti-inflammatory properties. It is widely recognized and used due to its resilience and status as kind of a pain of a plant to get rid of. The bushes cling to life all over Alkurah, growing their long, thin leaves and keeping the people happy.
Since ene is not so much farmed as it is collected from everywhere, few people actually have to pay for their ene leaves. So, free pipe smoking, tea making, and medicine all in one tenacious little plant. A few high quality strains exist, cultivated by humans for centuries in the ideal environment, with a small nudge of magical aid no doubt. These are highly sought after, and often customers are willing to pay a great deal for the right name on their ene leaf packets.
Humans generally do not chew the leaves directly unless they have been heavily dried out because, while it sometimes offers a particularly potent high, it just as often gives the user horrific night terrors for years after. This was not a risk most people wanted to take, so the large portion are content to put it in their drinks and pipes.
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