Olrelia (medicinal plant)
Olrelia is a medicinal herb found rarely in the scrublands of Valor and more commonly in Anteus. It has as many uses as it has names, and the difficulty of cultivating it in gardens or greenhouses means that it has a stable value, especially to Herbalists and temple healers.
Basic Information
Growth Rate & Stages
The plant begins with three broad leaves and a stem of small, bright orange flowers. Once it goes to seed, the stem dries up, and the leaves grow much larger. If it survives long enough, it will sprout new stems, adding a stalk nearly every time it flowers. The plant must reach full maturity before it is useful, as the medicinal portions (the taproot and primary vein of each leaf) do not fill out until after flowering. It is most effective just when it starts to form new stems for flowering.
A healthy Olrelia plant can flower twice per year, in early and late summer. Unfortunately, the medicinal aspects of the plant cannot be harvested without killing it.
Ecology and Habitats
Olrelia seeds readily and plentifully, so it is fortunately in little danger of being wiped out. The difficulty is that is prefers different conditions than any other plants one might wish to raise, and which can be difficult to replicate in most of Valor. It rots easily, can easily be choked out by other plants, and withers if it does not receive sunlight every day. It is also very sensitive to the pollutants and toxins left in much of the soil worked by the Raithar Empire.
In the wild, it is found in rough terrain where little else grows. Anteans have been able to successfully cultivate it in gardens, but few others can.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Olrelia root is used in a cures for a variety of ailments from colds to food poisoning to tooth infections, and may be either dried and powdered for greater potency or candied with salt and sugar for quicker use. In powdered form, it is usually combined with other extracts and solutions into a potion. It may also be combined into a poultice to be used on wounds for quick healing without infection.
Olrelia sugar (also called Life-Giver's tears or healer's balm) is a grainy, slightly sticky substance derived from the primary veins of the Olrelia leaf. It is remarkably effective at curing pain of any kind, tastes fresh and slightly sweet, and induces a mild euphoria. It is transported and stored most efficiently if dehydrated and compressed into blocks, but there is also a thriving market for it sold "full" with the original moisture from the extraction process, often in beautifully decorative glass bottles.
In Anteus, where the plant is more common, it is brewed into a tea-like beverage which is shared at social gatherings, and the sugar is used in a number of dishes, baked goods, and other treats.
Comments