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    Blueberry

    Common · Vaccinium cyanococcus

    Healing · Alchemical · Magical · Nutritional

    Terrain Arctic/Tundra, Forest, Hills

    Rarity and Availability

    Blueberries are a widely distributed plants and are not considered a rare species. They are found in forests, forest edges, clearings, tundra, and forest-tundra, as well as in blueberry patches throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. The berries are readily available for harvesting.

    Effects and Uses

    Blueberries are used as both a food and medicinal product. For a long time, it has been believed that blueberries improve night vision. The berries also have astringent, antiinflammatory, and tonic effects, and are used for gastrointestinal disorders, vitamin deficiencies, and as a source of vitamins and trace elements. Blueberry leaves are included in herbal remedies; they help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes.

    Harvesting & Preparation

    • Berries can be delicate. A DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check or Wisdom (herbalism kit) check ensures minimal damage while collecting them. Failure might crush berries, reducing yield.
    • Leaves are best gathered during the flowering phase in spring and require a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check, when they are rich in “neomyrtillin.”

    Items & Effects

    • Blueberry Night-Eye Elixir (Potion). Creation: Requires 1 cup of fresh blueberries, honey (or sugar), and 1 hour of simmering. A DC 13 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check produces 1-2 doses.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Keen Senses in Dim Light. For the next 8 hours, you gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made in dim light.
        • If you already have Darkvision, the range of your Darkvision increases by 10 feet for that duration.
    • Troll-Berry Offering. Legend says that trolls adore these “troll berries,” so adventurers often carry them to pacify forest beings.
      • Creation. A pouch holding at least a handful of ripe blueberries (fresh or magically preserved).
      • Effect (Ritual Gesture).
        • When encountering fey, trolls, or other nature spirits, presenting a Troll-Berry Offering grants advantage on the first Charisma (Persuasion) check or Charisma (Deception) check made to improve their attitude.
        • The offering is consumed (irrecoverable), and typically only yields this bonus once per day for a given creature or group.
    • Neomyrtillin Tonic (Medicinal Concoction). A bitter brew of blueberry leaves said to stabilize internal energies and reduce inflammation.
      • Creation. Requires leaves harvested in spring, boiled for 2 hours. A DC 14 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check yields 2-3 doses.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Soothing Effect. For 1 hour after drinking, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws to resist or shake off minor ailments such as fatigue, mild poisons, or low-level disease effects.
      • Mild Revitalization. You regain an additional 1d4 hit points the next time you spend Hit Dice during a short rest within that hour.

    Lore

    According to legend, when humans drove gnomes from their ancestral lands, the blueberry bush sheltered them beneath its branches and fed them its berries. In gratitude, the gnomes spread blueberries across the world. Today, blueberries are widespread shrubs found in forests across Europe, Asia, and North America, valued for their nutritious berries and medicinal properties.

    In dense, impenetrable forests, gnomes once lived alongside humans. But when people learned of the gnomes' immeasurable riches, they began digging and excavating everywhere, seeking treasures. The gnomes left their ancestral lands.

    The poor little folk wandered day and night through the dark, unfriendly forest in search of any shelter. No one came to their aid. Only the blueberry bush took them in, hid them beneath its branches, and fed them juicy berries. In gratitude, the gnomes spread blueberries all over the world.

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 16 · Fern Flower Press