November:

13th
[x] Plant Details - Green Tea/Camellia sinensis - yellowish when brewed
[x] Common Uses - As beverage, skin products, extract used in health supplements
[x] Personal Use - A nice brewed cup of tea in the afternoon
[x] While still containing caffeine like other preparations of tea, green tea offers a less stimulizing beverage with the rest of the comforts of tea and with added health benefits such as antioxidants.

28th
[x] Plant Details - Ginger- think, light brownish/beige knobby root
[x] Common Uses - As a cooking spice, a digestive aid, assorted other medicinal uses; the root is the most common part that holds any use.
[x] Personal Use - A stick added to a cup of cider, adding a nice burst of flavor
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs

December:

9th
[x] Plant Details - European Mistletoe- leaves are leathery, yellow-green, and normally obovate.
[x] Common Uses - Used as diuretic, medicinal uses for cardiac and digestive ailments
[x] Personal Use - Um...kissed Selina when we happened to be under some
[x] Its interesting while the leaves and young stems can be helpful to certain illnesses but the berries can in turn be quite dangerous. Also curious how the kissing tradition started.



25th
[x] Plant Details - Wormwood/Artemisia absinthium - perennial shrub like herb
[x] Common Uses - Used within the Draught of Living Death, made with a mash to deal with insects,can be used to make liquor
[x] Personal Use - drank some white wine made with it with birthday dinner
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -

1st
[x] Plant Details - Peppermint/Mentha - small, green ovoid leaves, wider at the edge joined to the stem
[x] Common Uses - Fragrance and food flavor in oil form, help on several stomach or digestive ailments in several types of forms, ingredient in certain potions
[x] Personal Use - Given to me in liquid form mixed with water by my mum to help with an upset stomach
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs - Mints of various types such as peppermint and spearmint are often quite nice smelling and tasting

15th
[x] Plant Details - Lovage - hollow-stalked perennial plant that tastes like celery
[x] Common Uses - Medicinal/Culinary in salads and soups, even used as substitute instead of celery due to taste/Used within certain potions
[x] Personal Use - brewed a batch of Befuddlement Draught to study for NEWTS
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs - Lovage is certainly an herb with a wide variety of uses which is interesting given how unassuming the plant seems.

[x] Plant Details -
[x] Common Uses -
[x] Personal Use -
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -

21st
[x] Plant Details - Catnip- small, jagged, silverish-green leaves
[x] Common Uses - Leaves and roots can be used to flavor tea, sometimes even in salads. companion plant for other vegetables
[x] Personal Use - Teased Walnut with it.
[x] It is quite amusing to watch those of the feline persuasion react to it, like they are high on it as a drug. However it would be interesting to find out how people found out why cats like it.

4th
[x] Plant Details - Nettles
[x] Common Uses - Can be brewed to make nettle tea, used with potions such as the boil-cure potion, medicinal purposes within muggle world
[x] Personal Use - tested work on brewing a possible potion of my own creation
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs - Herbs are always a great ingredient within potions including a way to make digestible potions less disgusting.

18th
[x] Plant Details -
[x] Common Uses -
[x] Personal Use -
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -

11th
[x] Plant Details - Aconite/Aconitum napellus -
[x] Common Uses - medicinal uses mostly topical, including help for fever and rheumatism, also used as an analgesic, used for potions within the wizarding world, the occasional antidote for poisons used since ancient times
[x] Personal Use - Used it within a paste to help on a bruise earned during a quidditch match on advice of the healer
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs - One of the assorted poisonous plants that hold helpful uses as long as one is careful

30th
[x] Plant Details - Hellebore -sometimes poisonous flowering plant
[x] Common Uses - used within potions, one of the ingredients in the Draught of peace, decorative herb, medicinal uses such as to reduce high blood pressure and hypertension
[x] Personal Use - brewed a batch of the Draught to test knowledge for NEWTS
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -

6th
[x] Plant Details - Uva Ursi/Bearberry- short woody evergreen shrub
[x] Common Uses - Berries used in jams and jellies, leaves can be used as an astringent
[x] Personal Use - Enjoyed some nice jam on a muffin for my breakfast
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -

29th
[x] Plant Details - Lantana/White Sage
[x] Common Uses - Insect repellant, used to help rashes and ease reactions to insect bites, leaves used in tea to help rheumatism, indigestion, flu, colds
[x] Personal Use - Burned some dry leaves in a jar to try and protect against insects while I studied outside.
[x] Include reflections on the usefulness and significance of herbs -