Herbonumenology—healing with magic-anchoring plants and fungi

Welcome to Imperial Soulmates! In a gigantic and futuristic fantasy empire filled with solarpunk magitechs, Hélène is hiding that she's one of the emperor's soulmates. However, to lift the legal curse on her best friend, she will have to blackmail the emperor himself... Come read about her plans, and the world in which she lives!
Introduction to the story | Hélène | Soulmates | Novel upcoming

Table of Contents

Healing is the application of magic to the human body in order to restore health, to cure diseases and disorders, to treat, alleviate or prevent their symptoms, or even to enhance its functions and push past its limitations. Healers apply magic directly to the body or via the use of artefacts. However, human body are great at fighting against foreign magic being attached to it directly through enchantments for example, which has led to the use of medications.    
Medications
Medications: An external objects with its own magic being introduces inside the body, either through eating or swallowing, through skin absorption or insertion through other orifices.   Whole plants and potions: Traditionally, medications have been whole plants so as to make the best use of their inner magic. Over the last centuries, the development of the field of potions have found way to focus on the essential parts of the plants and to combine them to transform their magics and make them more useful.   Herbonumenology: A new healing field brought by the invention of organic magitech in the last half century—a technology that anchors magic such as enchantments inside plants and fungi. Healing can now be done from inside of the body and over a length of time impossible before, allowing for targeting of slow-healing processes: when the human body naturally digest the plants, their components are disassembled and absorbed, bringing alongside them this new magic.
 
Magic food
Food supplements: Their development has been an unforeseen evolution of herbonumenology. They are magic-anchoring plants or fungi designed to be eaten every day so as to slowly reinforce the body and prevent the development of diseases that develop over the long term, such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases... Eating them can also boost people's magic and endurance.   Recipes: Magic-anchoring algae are receiving a lot of focus right now, even though the price of this new technology has limited them to a luxury food for the moment. The algae is added to bouillons or salad. Minimal cooking as to be used so as to not lose the magic   Immortality: Of course, the goal is to always push the limits of healing further. Humanity's long dream of immortality finally seems to be within grasp. However, while the direct bioengineered of humans has been a new possibility brought by organic magitech, this has been outlawed because of the risk of destroying the entire human species. Therefore, herbonumenology currently looks to hold the most promises.
 
Hélène's hand came to rest one more time against the bottom of her elegant shoulder bag. The steady pulse of the magic of the algae hidden between the fabric layers did nothing to reassure her.   The necessity of being discreet had severely reduced her choices when packing, but the whole project had still seemed doable. Hélène was not about to take unduly risks for anyone after all! But now that she had flown over the expanse of the Sannian forest on her way inside the country? It was obvious she had been overly confident.   The algae would increase their endurance and reduce the amount of sleep they would need, but they would not work out miracles. Since the entire point was to free the kidnapped emperor and bring him back over the border, there would be no abandoning him behind if things became too tough...   Her attention turned to a slower magical pulse hiding beneath the algae's. Seemed like there would be no choice but to use the experimental mycelium in the end...
   
 
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Cover image: Algaes with healing magic by fudio on DepositPhotos

Comments

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Dec 22, 2023 11:43 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Yaaay! This is so fascinating. I really wonder if immortality will become possible through this technology.

Emy x
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Dec 22, 2023 16:21 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

I'm sure they'll be able to extend their lifespan a bit more (it's already at 200 years, which is not bad XD ). But since they'll have to keep eating the algae every day, I see it as us having to eat fruits and veggies every day to be healthier and live longer. We all know we should do it, but that's still hard to actually do :(   Thanks for the comment <3

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