Appearance: Birthwort is a bushy climbing
vine that can grow to about three feet in
height. The leaves are rounded and heart-shaped
with a deep cleft at the top; the
leaves are set on long stems. The flowers
are thin and yellow, and tubular in shape.

Location: Birthwort grows wild along
hedges and fences, and in thickets exposed
to the sun. It flowers in mid-summer.

Uses: This herb has been used frequently
all over the world. The Greeks and Romans
valued it highly, using the leaves and roots
boiled briefly to make a poultice which they
placed on wounds that were healing poorly.
The snake charmers of India and North
Africa claim that the juice of the birthwort
will instantly kill a snake, and if the juice is
rubbed into a snake bite, it will help neutralize
the venom.

Game effect: If the leaves and stems of
this herb are crushed to make a juice, and
this juice is promptly (within 1 round)
applied to a poisonous bits or sting, the
character receives an additional +2 on his
save against the poison. This effect
only works once on any particular poison
attack. Using a poultice made from birthwort
will insure that wounds will heal properly,
without complications; the wounded
character will regain one extra hit point per
day for the first two days after application,
and then will heal normally thereafter.

Precautions: All non-human characters
have a 20% chance of suffering an adverse
reaction to this herb. If a wounded character
reacts badly to birthwort, he will become
temporarily paralyzed. This paralysis is so
severe that is indistinguishable (by sight)
from death, and it will last for 1-8 rounds
beginning 2 rounds after application of the
herb. This effect of birthwort is not common
knowledge; even characters who are
familiar with birthwort have only a 50%
chance of knowing about this side effect
before they experience it or witness it.