Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi. It is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first five years of a student’s education.
Herbology
Throughout each term, students learn to care for plants as well as learn about their magical properties and how they may be used medicinally. The further into a student’s education the more difficult and dangerous the plants become.
“Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.” ~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
All first year students are required to familiarize themselves with the herbs listed below.
- Chamomile
- Tarragon
- Yarrow
- Caraway
- Horseradish
- Dill
- Aloe Vera
- Silver Birch
- Garlic
- Tumeric
As students work through their self-guided journey, they are required to keep a field notebook in which a two-page spread is created for each plant or fungi studied. Each spread is required to include the following information:
- Give common name as well as Latin names (genus and species) and family
- Press a specimen of the plant (if possible)
- Make a sketch of the plant, colored appropriately
- Label key parts of the plant, pointing out important features
- Explain its cultivation and care
- Give a brief natural history of the plant (describe growth cycle, natural range, etc.)
- List its household and medicinal uses both presently and historically
- Describe its magical properties (if any)
Take it Further
Enjoy a cup of Chamomile tea before bedtime or a glass of birch beer with your noonday meal.
Explore the many wildcrafting and herbal remedies described at Learning Herbs.
Enjoy the fun board game, Wildcraft: An Herbal Adventure.
Research the native plants in your local area and learn how native peoples used them for food and medicine.
Visit a native elder, if possible, and learn to how to harvest and prepare these plants for personal use.
As you advance in your studies, be sure to add each new plant to your journal.
This post is part of a five-day hopscotch. Join me each day this week as we dive into each course.
Herbology (Botany) – this post
Care of Magical Creatures (Zoology)