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[]
- Bohemians: Hussite Reforms gold cost of Herbal Medicine replaced with food.
Civilization bonuses[]
- Aztecs: Herbal Medicine gives Monks +5 hit points.
- Burmese: Herbal Medicine is 50% cheaper.
- Chinese: Herbal Medicine is 10%/15% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Spanish: Receive 20 gold after researching Herbal Medicine.
- Teutons: Herbal Medicine is free.
Team bonuses[]
- Lithuanians: Researching Herbal Medicine is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Researching Herbal Medicine is 25% faster.
Trivia[]
- The icon for Herbal Medicine is reused for the native technology Yoruba Herbalism in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals, which also boosts the passive healing rate of units, this time around trees and bushes.
- Every civilization introduced since The Forgotten receives Herbal Medicine.
Changelog[]
The Conquerors[]
- Herbal Medicine increases the healing speed of buildings by +300%.
- Herbal Medicine costs 350 gold.
- Teutons: Cannot research Herbal Medicine.
Definitive Edition[]
- Herbal Medicine increases the healing speed of buildings by +500%.
- Portuguese: With update 42848, all technologies are researched 30% faster.
- Teutons: Herbal Medicine added to the technology tree. As a new civilization bonus it is free.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- With update 51737, Herbal Medicine costs 200 gold.
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 |