Mithos nodded at the Professor, stood up and walked to the left side of the room to get a plant. Get got a pot with a plant and carefully took it back to his seat. Professor Virohsa's plants were always interesting. They were odd but interesting he was excited to see what this one did. He sat down and waited for further instructions.

Hearing Professor Virohsa's instructions to grab a plant, Kay put on her dragonhide gloves before marching over to collect the plant. There were many of the same kind of plant to choose from and she looked over each one with a critical eye. After a few minutes of examination, Kay selected a plant and returned to her seat. She had a feeling that this was one of the medicinal plants that she had been reading about in the Chinese Herbology book.

Her eyes followed the students moving. After they had all sat down, a smirk appeared on Professor Virohsa's face. "Now.. who can tell me what the name of this plant is?", she asked the class as she waved her wand. Suddenly, two blackboards appeared in mid air. The two blackboards had two very distinct pictures. One of the pictures was clearly a picture of the plant itself. The other picture was clearly a picture from your textbook! (OOC- Look into the thread "required texts and readings".

"It's the Chinese Rhubarb" Christy answered raising her hand.

pauline raised her hand

"what group of plant is this classified as?" pauline asked to make the research easier

Professor Virohsa nodded pleased. "Well done! 5 pts", she added. "Now, lets focus on the plant itself. Can anyone tell me for what medicinal uses this plant may be used?", she asked the class.

"Rhubarb is one of the more powerful herbs used in Chinese medicine. It is excellent for draining damp heat, especially when there is accompanying constipation. It moves the blood and is good for blood stagnation associated with acute stabbing pain and bruises, for which it can be taken both internally as well as externally in a liniment. But we shouldn't eat the leaves because they're poisonous" Christy said with her hand raised.

Professor...
Rhubarb and its Dietetic Action: It is recognized that rhubarb not only exercises a digestive action but it operates directly as a conveyer of bile salts. It can therefore be classed as a hepatic stimulant. Rhubarb performs its first digestive operation in the mouth by stimulating the taste buds with its pleasantly bitter flavor which gives a sense of cleansing out the oral cavity, preparing it to taste the coming food. When it reaches the stomach its digestive effects come into full play, causing an increase of the flow of gastric juice and inducing their movement, thus favoring the processing of the contents of the stomach. Besides stimulating the secretions from the liver which convey the bile salts, it assists the intestine in regulating the absorption of fats.

Biwiggy flicked through the pages of her book. 'It seems to be used for stomach troubles and such...also for loosening of the bowels, and as a laxative.' She said, trying not to laugh. She didn't want to seem immature.

pauline raised her hand

"the dried roots were uses for purgative and stomachic" pauline replied

Professor Virohsa nodded. "Very well! 3 pts shall be awarded to Hufflepuff", she nodded.

Professor Virohsa nodded. Much of what was said was repeated. Yet, not all. "Very well, child. 3 pts shall be awarded to Slytherin. However, 5 pts shall be taken from Slytherin for not raising your hand and speaking out of turn", she said severely.

"Now, does anyone know why the leaves are poisoneous?", she asked the class.

Aaliyah looked around at the students answering she would answer but didnt feel like it so she took down notesinstead...

Bella raised her hand politely: Professor...

Rhubarb leaves contain poisonous substances. Rhubarb leaf poisoning is most often caused by oxalic acid, a corrosive and nephrotoxic acid that is abundantly present in a lot of plants. The LD50 for pure oxalic acid is predicted to be about 375 mg/kg body weight, or about 25 g for a 65 kg human.

Kalaya titled this section of notes as: The Chinese Rhubarb
She then quickly jotted down notes that Christy and..the other girl had said.
Why are the leaves poisonous? Kalaya thought to herself. She then proceeded to flip through the pages of her book in hopes to find the answer, apparently the information hadn't soaked into her brain very good.

Professor Virohsa nodded. "Yes, it is because of the oxalic acid. 3 pts for Slytherin. So, I hope you all remember that when you are handling these plants", she said slowly. "Given what we have learned.. what type of magical properties do you suppose this plant has?", she asked the class once more.

Christy raised her hand and answered "Rhubarb contains oxalate, which have been reported to cause poisoning when large quantities of raw or cooked leaves are ingested. Oxalates are contained in all parts of rhubarb plants, especially in the green leaves. There is some evidence that anthraquinone glycosides are also present and may be partly responsible. It is not clear as to the exact source of poisoning from rhubarb, possibly a result of both compounds."

pauline took down notes and waited for the next qeustion to be answered.

Professor Virohsa nodded as Christy spoke. "Thank you for that assessment, dear. However, we have moved on", she said as she waited for students to answer her new question about the magic properties of the plant.

OOC- Umm... I hope you guys know that there is no "right" or "wrong" answer.. Basically.. just be creative *pokes you all*

g_g raised her hand "the main properties are Laxative, constipating, astringent, eases stomach pain, antibacterial." she said still confident

Bella raised her hand, "Professor, the plant can be given as a healing potion to people who have stomach problems, and it could be applied as an ointment on an injury."

Professor Virohsa nodded as she heard the student's answer. "Yes, that is quite possible for muggles.. and we could technically use the herb for those same maladies. For that, I shall award 3 pts", she replied. "However, in a magical world, say.. other types of maladies or spells gone wrong may appear. In those cases, we would use this herb then. It has been common knowledge that muggle plants have indeed magical properties often hidden from muggles", she explained.

"Now, does anyone have a creative answer? In which case would you use it? Give me an example", she said as she addressed the class as a whole.

pauline raised her hand

"it could be given to ease pain of a bite from an animal " pauline said unsure

Zelot raised her hand..
"Professor could it be used to cure a wart jinx?" Zelot asked

g_g raised her hand once more"the magical propertyof the rhubarb is for protection and fidelity, i could use it before duelling so as not to get hurt too much...." she said a little sure of herself.

Christy said raised her hand and answered "Wizards might have used Rhubarb properties and even it's poison for healing potions" she was a little unsure.