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This article is about the technology in Age of Empires II. For other uses, see Herbal Medicine.

Herbal Medicine is a technology in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors that can be researched at the Monastery. Once researched, it increases the healing speed of garrisoned units by 500%, so they heal six times as fast. With Herbal Medicine, towers and Town Centers heal 36 hit points per minute, Castles and Kreposts heal 72 hit points per minute, and Fortified Churches heal 144 hit points per minute. If allied units are garrisoned inside a building, the owner of the building must research Herbal Medicine for it to take effect, not the owner of the units. Fortified Churches with Herbal Medicine also repair garrisoned Mule Carts three times as fast.

Herbal Medicine can increase the longevity of troops noticeably. Damaged and worn-down armies can retreat into Castles and towers, provide covering fire, and then emerge refreshed.

Strategy[]

Herbal Medicine can be considered as a temporary boost to the economy, restoring 'resources' lost to damage, similar to a Monk. This can be a surprisingly potent bonus in some cases, most notably on units with high costs but low hit points. For example, garrisoning 10 damaged Serjeants in a Donjon is approximately equivalent to having an additional 9 farmers and 4 gold miners. Garrisoning 10 Cavalry Archers in a castle provides a remarkable 39 Villagers' worth of regeneration.

However, on weak, high-cost units like Crossbowmen, units often have too low maximum hit points for healing to be particularly meaningful, since being caught out will often result in their destruction with or without full hit points. This bonus is also relatively weak on high-hit-point units such as Elephants, since their high total hit points make them take too long to regenerate effectively, even with their high cost. Further, to be effective, Herbal Medicine must be consciously used, which can be difficult in an intense game, while Villagers work passively.

The biggest downside to healing with buildings is the potential to lose map control. Having an army garrisoned inside a building means that they are not able to contribute in any fights while they are being healed, which means an opponent can gain control of important areas, raid, or make a push more easily.

The most direct comparison is with simply using a Monk to heal units instead. Monks heal at 150 hit points per minute, as fast as having four units garrisoned inside a tower, or as fast as two units garrisoned inside a Castle, along with all the other strengths offered by Monks (most notably the ability to convert). On the flipside, Monks can easily be killed.

Overall, Herbal Medicine can be a potent tool in the right circumstances, but requires careful and intentional usage to be useful, and may waste valuable time that could better be used elsewhere.

Civilizations[]

The following civilizations can research technologies or have bonuses related to Herbal Medicine:

Unique technologies[]

Civilization bonuses[]

  • CivIcon-Aztecs Aztecs: Herbal Medicine gives Monks +5 hit points.
  • CivIcon-Burmese Burmese: Herbal Medicine is 50% cheaper.
  • CivIcon-Chinese Chinese: Herbal Medicine is 10%/15% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
  • CivIcon-Spanish Spanish: Receive 20 gold after researching Herbal Medicine.
  • CivIcon-Teutons Teutons: Herbal Medicine is free.

Team bonuses[]

  • CivIcon-Lithuanians Lithuanians: Researching Herbal Medicine is 20% faster.
  • CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese: Researching Herbal Medicine is 25% faster.

Trivia[]

Changelog[]

AoE2-DLCicon-1 The Conquerors[]

  • Herbal Medicine increases the healing speed of buildings by +300%.
  • Herbal Medicine costs 350 gold.
  • CivIcon-Teutons Teutons: Cannot research Herbal Medicine.

AoEIIDE icon Definitive Edition[]

  • Herbal Medicine increases the healing speed of buildings by +500%.
  • CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese: With update 42848, all technologies are researched 30% faster.
  • CivIcon-Teutons Teutons: Herbal Medicine added to the technology tree. As a new civilization bonus it is free.

Dawn of the Dukes icon Dawn of the Dukes[]

History[]

Although classical societies advanced the studies of anatomy and physiology, prior to the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, medicine was an inexact science built on practical knowledge. First oral traditions and then written accounts passed down remedies and procedures that had been discovered through experience. The principal agent of healing was herbal medicine, the application or digestion of herbal compounds whose curative powers had been discovered through experiment. The presence of specialists in herbal medicine within a Middle Ages town or village was a boon to the inhabitants' quality of life.
The Conquerors manual
Technologies in Age of Empires II
Economic technologies
MaleVillDEFEMALEVILLDE VillagerWheelbarrowDE Wheelbarrow · HandcartDE Hand Cart
Aoe2de food FoodHorseCollarDE Horse Collar · HeavyPlowDE Heavy Plow · CropRotationDE Crop Rotation
GillnetsDE Gillnets
Aoe2de wood WoodDoubleBitAxe aoe2DE Double-Bit Axe · BowSawDE Bow Saw · TwoManSawDE Two-Man Saw
Aoe2de gold GoldGoldMiningDE Gold Mining · GoldShaftMiningDE Gold Shaft Mining
CaravanDE Caravan
Aoe2de stone StoneStoneMiningDE Stone Mining · StoneShaftMiningDE Stone Shaft Mining
Civilian shipsDryDockDE Dry Dock · ShipwrightDE Shipwright
Market aoe2DE MarketCoinageDE Coinage · BankingDE Banking
GuildsDE Guilds
Military technologies
GeneralConscriptionDE Conscription
HeresyDE Heresy · Devotion icon AoE2DE Devotion · FaithDE Faith
Melee unitsForging aoe2de Forging · IronCastingDE Iron Casting · BlastFurnaceDE Blast Furnace
CavalryBloodlinesDE Bloodlines · HusbandryDE Husbandry
ScaleBardingArmorDE Scale Barding Armor · ChainBardingDE Chain Barding Armor · PlateBardingArmorDE Plate Barding Armor
InfantrySuplliesicon Supplies · AoE2 Gambesons Gambesons · SquiresDE Squires · ArsonDE Arson
ScaleMailArmorDE Scale Mail Armor · ChainMailArmorDE Chain Mail Armor · PlateMailArmorDE Plate Mail Armor
Ranged unitsBallisticsDE Ballistics · ChemistryDE Chemistry
FletchingDE Fletching · BodkinArrowDE Bodkin Arrow · BracerDE Bracer
ArchersPaddedArcherArmorDE Padded Archer Armor · LeatherArcherArmorDE Leather Archer Armor · RingArcherArmorDE Ring Archer Armor
ThumbRingDE Thumb Ring · ParthianTacticsDE Parthian Tactics
SiegeSiegeEngineersDE Siege Engineers
ShipCareeningDE Careening · DryDockDE Dry Dock
ShipwrightDE Shipwright
WarGalleyDE War Galley
BuildingTownWatchDE Town Watch · TownPatrolDE Town Patrol
Masonry aoe2de Masonry · ArchitectureDE Architecture
HeatedShotDE Heated Shot · ArrowSlitsDE Arrowslits · MurderHolesDE Murder Holes · TreadmillCraneDE Treadmill Crane · HoardingsDE Hoardings · BombardTower aoe2DE Bombard Tower
HerbalDE Herbal Medicine
MonkRedemptionDE Redemption · AtonementDE Atonement · SanctityDE Sanctity · FervorDE Fervor · IlluminationDE Illumination · BlockPrintingDE Block Printing · TheocracyDE Theocracy
MaleVillDEFEMALEVILLDE VillagerLoomDE Loom · SapperDE Sappers
Miscellaneous technologies
SpiesDE Spies · SpiesDE Treason · Unique tech aoe2de mixed Unique technologies
Removed/cut generic technologies
Bombardcannonresearch Bombard Cannon · CannongalleonresearchDE Cannon Galleon · Cartography aoe2de Cartography · Handcannon Hand Cannon · Huntingdogs Hunting Dogs · Revetments · TrackingDE Tracking
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