Book of Advanced Herbalism, by Archmage Thompson Trent-Hawkesbie

This book deals with the arcane applications of herbs, ferns and other plants. It also advises regarding the production of nutrient mediums for cultivation.

Arcane components are often hard to come by, and certainly an efficient mage is not one who has to travel three days walk to collect a component each time he must make a casting.

This is where cultivation of herbal ingredients and selective breeding will pay off, allowing growth of spell components within the home or arcane facility. Fresh herbs always make for a stronger reagent, unless they require distilling.

Recipe for Thompson's medium: Two buckets of seaweed fronds should be boiled in water and thoroughly mashed, until a syrup remains. Add some bovine saliva (1 tspn) and mix for quarter of an hour.Reboil having added a further pint of water to destroy the bovine salivary effect. Now add a vial of dragon's blood, for enhanced growth and arcane affiliation of the product.

Pour immediately into a bottle and add a drop of fruit juice (the acid of which acts as a slight thinner to prevent solidification in the bottle). Simply reheat the medium when ready for use by placing into a basin of hot water prior to pouring, it will go from jelly to liquid in a short time.

For best results, grow the plants in a regulated atmosphere (such as a canvas shed with suitable lighting and heating, certainly climactic control stones are my own preference).

Research into what does and does not work is key, the best starting point is to replicate the conditions in which the plant is naturally found. Certainly humidity is key, though measures may be needed to prevent rot.

Happy herbalism, dear reader.

~signed Thompson in a flowery, over exaggerated script