Freckled Orchid
Properties
Material Characteristics
The Freckled Orchid is a flower with a long, slightly curved stem. Its petals are yellow, sprinkled with red dots. The dots look like freckles, giving the plant its name. The petals are also covered in tiny, oil-coated hairs. A single stem can contain multiple flower heads, each about two to three inches in diameter.
Geology & Geography
The Freckled Orchid grows in areas with medium humidity and plenty of shade. They require loose soil because they burrow their roots fairly deep into the earth. Thus, they are most commonly found in forested areas.
History & Usage
Discovery
This flower was first noticed in the Age of Discovery when nature was recovering from the wars of the previous age. While scouring the woods for some game, some hunters contracted a nasty rash. After tracing back the hunter's steps, healers found the Freckled Orchid flower. After many years of study, healers discovered that the flower, if treated properly, could be used for contraceptive means or even in day-to-day medicine.
Refinement
The flower stems are dried in an oven. The dried stems are then chopped up and ground into a very fine powder.
The hair-covered petals are put into a big pot and covered with water. The water is brought to a boil. Then the content of the pot is covered with a lid and left to simmer for at least three days to break down the rash-causing toxins in the oil. The longer the mixture is left to simmer beyond the required three days, the stronger the final product will be.
After simmering, the contents of the pot are strained through a sieve. Then they are strained again through a cloth-covered sieve to remove any remaining impurities. The remaining liquid is put back on the stove and boiled until most of the water has evaporated, leaving behind an oil-like substance that faintly smells like burned citrus fruit.
Manufacturing & Products
The ground-up powder from the stems is the main ingredient used in contraception tonics. This tonic can be taken by anyone regardless of gender and is most effective if used daily.
The oil is mixed with beeswax to create a numbing salve. Herbs like Marigold can be added for increased effectiveness. Oftentimes lavender is added to counter the smell of burnt lemons.
Hazards
The flower
Although used for medicinal purposes, it is ill-advised to touch the petals of the plant without protective gear. The petals are covered in tiny hairs, which are coated in an oil that causes a painful and itchy rash if exposed to the skin. Because the rash is caused by a toxin in the oil, trying to wash it off with just water will just spread the oil further, causing a rash in an even bigger area. In the same vein, scratching at the rash will only transfer the oil to one's hands, making it even easier to spread the oil to other body parts. The only way to get rid of the oil is to use soap or soap berries, or by magical means such as the Prestidigitation spell. TW: unintentional self-harm; CW: scratching, eye injury
Many people have scratched afflicted body parts raw and bloody, sometimes to the point they exposed the bone. In rare cases, this has even lead to blindness. A few unlucky souls managed to transfer some of the oil to their eyes.
I do not remember much about the incident, only the smell of lemons, and that it hurt and itched so much, and the only thing that seemed to make it better was to scratch at it. I was delirious, almost frenzied, trying and trying to scratch the itch away. And eventually, when I came to, the itching had stopped, and I found that I had gouged out one eyeball, and scratched so much, I had torn the other.There are other, similarly gruesome reports.
The refined products
Both the contraception tonic as well as the numbing salve pose a hazard for health if prepared incorrectly. If not refined properly, the numbing cream might have the desired numbing effect but could still cause a rash. An ill-prepared contraception tonic will not have the desired effect and might even give the user a bad case of food poisoning.Distribution
Trade & Market
Both contraception tonic and numbing cream are staples and are most commonly sold by healers and at herbalist stores. However, sometimes traveling merchants have some stock of the numbing cream because people in more remote places or small villages seldom have access to this item.
Storage
The powder won from the flower's stem can be stored for roughly six months, as long as it is completely dry. In more humid areas, it can only be shelved for half that long. The finished contraception tonic is typically prepared on demand, as it spoils after two or three days.
If stored in a cool place, the numbing salve can be stored for up to a year.
Law & Regulation
Due to the potential health hazards, only healers and herbalists with a special permit are allowed to manufacture the tonic and salve.
Type
Organic
Value
2 cp per Contraception Tonic
5 gp per tin of salve
5 gp per tin of salve
Rarity
Uncommon
Odor
Citrusy
Taste
Zesty, slightly tangy
Color
Green stem, yellow petals with red sprinkles
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