Ambrosia

Ambrosia is a rare flower from the tree Viambre used by the Durmok people in their medicines and therapies. Sometimes, it is consumed as part of food or beverages. 
It's said to cure many illnesses and mistakenly thought by species with shorter lifespans to be the source of both Durmok and fae immortality. 
Ambrose is consumed orally by a potential patient, but has little to no side effects if taken my someone who is healthy. Those who try Ambrose tea in particular report a far calmer and happier mood. The taste is sweet yet sharp, a strong earthy punch as well for good measure. What part of the flower ends up used in an ambrose dish varies the taste and mouthfeel substantially. 
As one would expect, its most common use is in tea and therefore as a palatable medicine. No one is quite sure what chemicals it contains to allow this, but it offers calm, comfort and the soothing of the body. Some weary adventurers who sample ambrosia in dishes and teas claim it has healed wounds they never thought possible to recover from, though the integrity of these reports varies. Outsiders have little contact with ambrosia since the durmok regard the flowers of Viambre as sacred and therefore not open for foreigners to up and take as they please, though many do so to sell illegally. 
It helps with stress related conditions, indigestion, constipation and general aches and pains. These include headaches and migraines. Though seen as a miracle ingredient elsewhere, it's safe to say that the durmok themselves view it more as a sedative and use the actual flower sparingly. For a usual cup of ambrosia tea, for example, a brewer need only use a petal to access its full effects.
The flower has ten petals closest to its centre, then around 25 on its outer layer. It has five green sepals that usually stay on the flower when it descends from the tree's canopy. These are used for entirely different purposes than the petals, and the pollen differently as well. The flowers, when they drop from Viambre, usually have no stem attached. However, should one come down with a stem attached, the one who catches it is said to gain good luck for as many years as the flower has remaining petals. 
Ambrosia typically have very pink petals, though some examples have been more orange, a darker pink or even red in previous centuries. It's thought that petal colour has some correlation to the condition of the climate or some relevance in divination ceremonies. Using ambrosia for divination purposes is highly regulated by the followers of Kemdal, illegal for most citizens. 
A dark colour is seen as a good omen and implies rich soil and harvests, whilst a pale colour symbolises the opposite. It's said that if the ambrosia flower turns completely white, then the Viambre, and therefore the whole of Poraile, will finally die. This fortunately has never happened. 
Though it hardly needs processing for it to be adequately used as ambrose tea, ambrosia can be traditionally baked into loaves to confer a blessing. This technique is usually saved for a life milestone, such as getting married, having your first child or leaving home for the first time. If someone is on their death bead, they're traditionally given ambrose tea or bread to aleviate some of the suffering, even if their condition has no known cure. 
Some theologians posited that ambrosia could be the solution to beast consumption, but attempts made this prospect laughable. The Durmok long suspected it would prove no definitive cure but only as a calming influence if the patient exhibited symptoms of aggression or panic. They believe that this is because beasts were the cause of the death of the body of Kemdal in the first place, and thus something made from his aging flesh would be of no help against such an affliction. 
If put into bread, the petals need to be made into a powder. Only the rich or the religiously powerful can afford or would even consider adding even petals whole into the loaf. Understandably, even the powder is quite expensive but keeps well and is far more realistic than trying to find a flower fresh. 
Ambrosia pollen is used more as a spice, giving vigour to the bones as much as it does the tastebuds. Foreigners, especially humans, comment that it's very spicy when eaten whereas the durmok see it as punchy but mild. Also, obviously, it has a flowery taste. It's used often in stews, soups and other warm products (in baking more so than ambrosia petals) to give it more of a kick. Though the stamen and pollen don't have the calming, sedative-like effects of the petals, those who taste it report a surge in optimism, focus and energy. 
The sepals taste quite different and bitter. Those who have accidentally eaten inkana report a similar zing to the tastebuds and those who haven't spit it out immediately. A poor vendor is easily found out if they keep this part of the flower in a dish. This infamously terrible flavour is owed to the sap of the Viambre, which is apparently made up of aether. 
Though they do not make a person immortal, the humans and dwarves believe that Ambrosia carries these properties inherently, since orcs and dark elves are able to live well beyond their own lifespans. Light elves tend not to consume Ambrose, since they live so far away from Viambre. They have their own foods made specifically to prolong their happiness and thus extend their lives. A light elf would probably not take kindly to the taste of ambrose and perhaps think it a rugged medicine. Nevertheless, other races generalise and assume that light elves, faeries and other long-lived beings must also drink ambrose, especially those native to Noravägen and the Camelan, who though mesmerised by their magical neighbours, have little understanding of their ways.

Type

Organic

Common State

Solid