Sailor's Root used against drowning

Zeribians have learned to use the sailor's root plant to fight against drowning. While the herb doesn't make a human able to breath under water, it significantly lengthens the time they can spend underwater. Zeribian divers consume the herb regularly. Others usually take it when preparing to a dangerous sea travel.

Use

A traditional way to consume the drug was to eat a bunch of the leaves. The leaves are pretty tasteless, but it takes a lot of them to have any effect. Then it was discovered that the roots have the same effect in a consentrated form. However, the roots are pretty inedible for humans. Strong tea can be brewn from the ground roots, which can be consumed fast and easily, but has a very bad taste.

Side effects

The most common side effect is nausea, especially for individual who have not got used to the drug.
Overconsuming the herb while in normal breating conditions can lead to a condition resembling the hyperventilation, the symptoms include dizziness, tingling in the lips, hands or feet, headache, weakness, fainting, and seizures.

Discovery

The sailor's root grows in abundant badges was treated like a common weed for years. The stories tell that the secret of the herb was discovered, when a common Maw herder's pack was attacked. The scared animals dove into hiding, but didn't surface as fast as they should have. The puzzled herder concluded, that the plants the animal had been munching on earlier, must have had a surprising effect. This was concluded by some human trials later.

New applications

Zeribians have traditionally consumed only very moderate amounts of alcohol, but recently the consumpion of imported wine from the mainland has been rising, and so have the health problems and deaths connected to alcohol. Luckily the people have learned, that the sailors' root is also an effective way to treat alcohol poisoning. A strong tea brewn from the roots helps the patient to throw up the alcohol, while simultaneously making them more alert and aiding with breathing. Unfortunately the treatment can't be applied proactively, because it causes the patient to feel very unwell (although this will surely prevent the overconsumpition of alcohol).

by Pearson Scott Foresman

sailor's root plant