ROBUST discussion

I've been re-reading my Emissary series.

I'm trying to figure out some illness that would strike quickly - and need medical attention.

The best I can come up with is a dislocated shoulder. Not exactly what I had in mind.

The victim is Aaron Davidson, 62, Clan Chief of Fort Chatten, which is 8 shipping containers welded together.

This is post Zombie Apocalypse and my Main Character's sister is a healer/nurse/herbalist.

I need something that can be cured with a relatively easy herbal compound to get.

The are tons of infectious agents, particularly viral, that present all sorts of quick-acting symptoms (toss in whatever other symptoms you feel like). This is PA. They aren't going to take a blood sample and subject it to PCR or ELISA to diagnose a specific agent. So, it's really not important the exact one.

Accordingly, don't fixate on the exact illness, just worry about the symptoms. For example, there are countless infected patients who present with febrile symptoms and mylagia. Make the fever severe enough, and you have a person at risk of death.

Accordingly, you'd want an analgesics and anti-inflammatory compounds, which are things that you can obtain from herbs. You don't have to cure it; you just have to control it with an infectious agent that is otherwise self-limiting provided the person survives the symptoms. That describes plenty of viral agents.

Note, in this case, you this is purely palliative treatment, but even with modern medicines, there are many viruses, where that's all we can manage, and often is enough to save a patient's life.

Cumfry. It works on horses, and one of my pedalpals recommends it for people. Mind you, she cooks and eats nettles, too.

Thank you! A virus would be just the right thing. They would be afraid it was infectous and fatal.

Nettles in soup are supposed one of the best cures for everything from colds to Arthritis.