While Shepherds Watched their Flocks

Lilliana had questions, and Harmony nodded to her. She was glad the girl was comfortable asking questions rather than holding back thinking that asking questions would be taken as a sign of stupidity. Lack of knowledge was not stupidity, after all, and wolves often ran into trouble by assuming they knew enough instead of questioning the why's. "Yes, the rubbing motion itself helps to loosen any congestion in the lungs so it can be expelled, in addition to the poultice itself. The wet environment that congestion of the lungs causes encourages sickness to grow, so encouraging the body to expel it through coughing is very important. Remember that coughing by itself is not a bad thing, though it may be uncomfortable for the patient. We can ease the discomfort and sooth a non-productive cough, but a productive cough - that is, one that removes phlegm from the lungs - is going to speed healing. As for the poultice on the paw pads, the paw pads will actually absorb the garlic, providing the benefits with more efficiency than digesting it."

The reserved Yfir healer added a thoughtful suggestion about obtaining hot water. Harmony nodded in agreement with him. "The dissolved minerals in hot spring waters are good for you and I imagine they would enhance the broth nicely. Unfortunately there are not many to be found. The closest to us is quite a ways south near Fiori's southern-most territory. By the time it got here it would be quite cold if not frozen completely. I have been considering somehow containing a fire, but we would need to feed it constantly for it to survive and that isn't very feasible for a rare need, and fire is it's own danger." She shrugged - she would need to put more thought into it. But that was why she so enjoyed meeting with other healers; they all brought new ideas to the table, and discussing them often opened possibilities that had never been considered before. But before they got too sidetracked...

She freed another herb from her stores, setting the fuzzy, dried leaves before her, and adding a few clusters of dried yellow flowers. "This is mullein. Some wolves call it bunny's ear, or hag taper as well. It is used to sooth irritation from coughing and to make a cough more productive. It is an anti-inflammatory, and the flowers are anti-viral. A very good plant to keep on hand for pneumonia, or any sort of respiratory issue really." She passed the bundle gently to Lilliana this time to examine and pass around. "All parts of the plant can be used, though you should be careful when using the leaves as some wolves react badly to the soft hairs on them. The flowers are sweeter than the rest of the plant, but they only flower in their second year so the leaves are more widely available. The roots can also be used, but digging them up will kill the plant of course so I still suggest using the leaves. You should make the effort to check the effects of the leaves on all of your patients before using it, though. In a pack setting this will be easier since you will more than likely know most if not all of your patients - which means that yes, as a healer you should make the effort to meet all of your pack mates and learn all you can about them." Something she herself needed to take into account - after so long on her own it was easy to forget to do something so basic as that. She cleared her throat and continued. "As for how to administer mullein, the best way is to crush the leaves, flowers, or roots and soak them in water for the patient to drink. Again it would be better with warm water, such as setting it out in the sun in the summer to warm while the plant soaks, but any water will do as long as it sits long enough for the essence of the herb to infuse the water. In a pinch the herb can also simply be finely chewed and swallowed."