Herbs can be found in underground areas, growing according to Conway's Life
(Any square with exactly 3 herbs adjacent to it will support an herb in the
next round of growth, any square with 2 adjacent herbs will remain the
same). If you want to farm herbs over the entire game, I advise picking
stray plants until they wither and die, leaving 2x2 squares of the herbs
you want over the long term. These 2x2 squares will remain, and will fill
in any one corner that you over-harvest. This way you can pick herbs from
any cluster until one corner withers, then leave it for a while (until the
corner fills in). Then harvest again.

If you don't have the herbalism skill, you won't be very efficient at
removing herbs without damaging the plant, so they'll wither fairly
quickly. Also, all of the herbs you pick will be cursed. The herbalism
skill allows more samples to be picked before the plant dies, and fewer of
the picked herbs are cursed (100 skill results in most herbs being
blessed). The herbalism skill will give you a chance of identifying
plants/herbs each time the plant is examined. Without this, other methods
of identification must be used.

So, what are the herbs?
Some herbs occur in pairs that are taken from the same plants; these pairs
counter each other's effects. The herbs are:
     stomafillia/stomacemptia
     curaria mancox/devil's rose
     alraunia antidote/demon daisies
     pepper petal/burb root
     morgia root
     spenseweed
     moss of mareilon
Herb bushes have a hierarchy of strengths, so, once identified, you know
how close a bush is to disappearing. The bushes regenerate every turn
(growth cycle) you leave them alone.
Hierarchy:
     full of blooms
     strong
     withered
     *poof* gone
This means you are going to get a better harvest from the healthier plants,
so when collecting, you can safely get every last possible herb from a set
of plants, and better govern the growth of the larger shapes that always
seem to get away from me (which is why I stick with the simple squares).
Plants grow well if water is poured on them, as do any new seedlings you
might plant if you have the Gardening skill.

   herb name     method   cursed effect     uncursed      blessed effect
                 of use                      effect
 stomafillia       eat    makes hungry      satiates          bloats

 stomacemptia      eat       kills by    makes hungry!     makes almost
                              hunger                          hungry

 curaria mancox    eat          ?            fights       cures sickness
                                            sickness
                                                            causes mild
 devil's rose      eat    causes severe      causes        sickness (can
                             sickness       sickness      still kill the
                                                               weak)
 alraunia                                    dilutes        cures most
 antidote          eat          ?           poisoning        poisoning

 demon daisies     eat       severely       poisons       mildly poisons
                             poisons

 pepper petal      eat          ?        heals a little   heals more (~27
                                                              points)
                                          causes damage
 burb root         eat          ?            (burns     causes less damage
                                            stomach)
 Some have said that burb root develops Willpower, but it's never worked
 for me. It has no effect on those who are acid resistant.
                              abuses
 morgia root       eat     Willpower &   exercises Wi &  really exercises
                            Toughness          To             Wi & To
 Morgia seems to credit the Toughness category first, and after a certain
 overflow, begins to credit Willpower as well. So only eating a few at a
 time exercises Toughness, but large quantities in a short period of time
 exercise both Willpower and Toughness.

 spenseweed        use          ?        heals a little   heals more (~30
                                                              points)
 moss of                                                 really exercises
 mareilon          use     abuses Dex    exercises Dex          Dex

   herb name     method   cursed effect     uncursed      blessed effect
                 of use                      effect

     Stomafillia can be a lifesaver when hunger is an issue. Stomacemptia
is great when you've got lots of intrinsic-granting corpses and want to eat
them all for the nutritional benefits.

     Pepper petals and spenseweeds are great (if blessed) in those
dangerous situations where healing is required.

     Long term character development is greatly aided by the use of morgia
roots and moss of mareilon. These are great for development beyond 20,
where training becomes too expensive. These herbs, along with potions of
exchange and balance, are one way to develop extremely powerful
well-rounded characters.
