The Medicinal Properties of a Bousi's Horn

Bousi, a common herd animal, have been a staple in the diet of the Eastern Mortal Lands for centuries untold. Their large bulk and easy-to-cook meat make these gentle creatures valuable in an area where growing traditional crops is difficult, but it is the Bousi's horns that are the most valuable part of the creature.   The Medicine men and women who populate the villages of the hightops use powdered Bousi horns in many of their concoctions. These men and women are very protective of their recipes, and with good reason; One such fellow told me of an 'Entrepeneur' who came to the Hightops looking to learn the secrets of the Bousi horn.    

"He was reserved, at first, but a few mugs of the Hightop's finest had him spilling his secrets like a waterfall. He wanted to turn Bousi Horns into an enterprise, he said. Market them all throughout the Mortal Lands like cheap snake oil. He'd be the sole provider, of course, but we'd be 'handsomely compensated' for selling him every horn we gathered.   He was chased out of town on a splintered rail before the sun rose."

    Unlike our Entrepeneur friend, I shall respect the Medicine men and women of the Hightops and not pry too deeply into their secrets. However, I think I can make some extrapolations based on the concoctions they brew.   I suspect that the Bousi Horn itself does not have any medicinal properties; rather it's used as a binder for other ingredients. I say this due to the sheer variety of concoctions brewed by the medicinal experts. A single ingredient cannot be used to cure everything from a sore tooth to severe blood loss. However, although plants are not my specialty, I know there are a wide variety of herbs and wild plants that are used in medicine that also grow freely in the Hightops. Our Entrepeneur's dreams would have been shattered even if he had managed to get his hands on a Bousi Horn.   That is not the only use for the Bousi's horn, however. They are carved hollow and used as signal horns between villages, or used to hold water or other small items like gunpowder. A local myth states that a Bousi's horn hung upside-down over a doorframe can ward off evil spirits. Armor and weaponry is strengthened and enhanced using fragments of horns.   The creatures themselves are unremarkable- large, hairy, eat plants, not unlike the common cattle of Shimshar. Still, it is the Bousi's Horns that hold the greatest cultural significance.