An Illustrated Guide to the Creatures 1 Weeds

Inspired by Creatures Medicine 101: Toxins at Naturing :: Nurturing, I decided to set out and create an illustrated guide to the weeds of Creatures 1. Most of this information is already common knowledge in the Creatures community, yet I hope that there are a couple of hints and tips that will be helpful to those who play!

Although not repeated for each weed, quarantine is necessary for each, except the Ugly Tomato. Although only Laburnum contains Histamine B and the ability for a contagious element, quarantine is necessary so that ill Norns can be easily cared for and not distracted. Every weed should be avoided, since Norns can not distinguish one weed from another: In their minds, all weeds are created equal! Note that all information about the dangers of each weed apply to first generation creatures. Genetic mutations can make weeds less harmful, or actually beneficial, in some cases. For the most part, though, the following information should apply to the majority of C1 Norns and Grendels.

Name: Baobab
Location: East of the lemon trellis
Appearance: Thick green stems with at least five medium to dark blue flowers
Edible Parts: Middle two flowers
Chemical: 90 Starch, 100 Histamine A, 100 Sleep Toxin
Most Dangerous Effect: Tiredness and sleepiness

Baobab is one of the first weeds that newborn Norns can come in contact with. It actually provides a large amount of nutrition through starch, but this comes with a price. Histamine A causes a Norn to sneeze, which in turn creates pain, tiredness, fear, and hexokinase. This last chemical is involved with the usage of energy: Hexokinase reacts with glucose to create carbon dioxide. Baobab also includes sleep toxin, which is converted directly into sleepiness and tiredness. Ingesting this weed should not be lethal to the average Norn, but he or she will become extremely tired and worn out. Both Histamine A and Sleep Toxin should exit the system fairly quickly. The best course of treatment is a healthy diet and a good nap.


Name: Pyrethium
Location: Between the garden and the ruined temple
Appearance: Thin green stems with at least three large, pale blue flowers
Edible Parts: Largest flower
Chemicals: 90 Starch, 100 Hunger, 100 Pain
Most Dangerous Effect: Sudden hunger and pain

Pyrethium is another weed located fairly close to the incubator and garden. It contains a large amount of starch, yet its other chemicals offset this nutritional benefit. Even though a Norn receives a lot of healthy starch, he or she also experiences a sudden spike in hunger and pain. This can be counter intuitive when developing good eating habits, since starch should not be linked with hunger, nor pain. Fortunately, pain has a very short half-life, which means it will dissipate in under a minute. Depending on whether the Norn recently ate, hunger may or may not dissipate as quickly. The best treatment for the ingestion of Pyrethium is a hearty meal: If the affected Norn already had a healthy amount of starch and glucose, a snack from the honeypot would be best for quickly decreasing hunger. If the affected Norn had not been eating healthy previously, a hearty mean of carrots or cheese would be best for satisfying hunger and glycogen.

Name: Night Shade
Location: To the east of the clock on the top floor of the jungle
Appearance: Thin green stems with three oblong, dark blue fruits covered in pink spots
Edible Parts: Middle fruit
Chemicals: 90 Starch, 100 Tiredness, 100 Sleepiness
Most Dangerous Effect: Instant tiredness and sleepiness

Night Shade is tucked away in the jungle, although it is quite close to where the Grendel hatches. As with other weeds, it contains a lot of starch that can sustain a Norn in a pinch. Its downside, of course, is that it also contains an enormous dose of both tiredness and sleepiness. Any creature who takes a bite out of Night Shade is almost guaranteed to fall asleep. On one hand, this causes unnecessary sleep and can disrupt the normal activities of Norns. On the other hand, Night Shade can be useful in getting obstinate Norns to take a rest. This course of action is not recommended, although this is a fairly harmless weed. The only course of treatment is to allow the Norn to enjoy a good, long sleep. Since Night Shade contains starch, even a Norn who had not eaten in some time should not need to worry about falling asleep.

Name: Ugly Tomato
Location: Next to the lift that is to the west of the boat dock
Appearance: Medium green stems with three red, spherical fruits covered in yellow spots
Edible Parts: Largest fruit on the left side
Chemicals: 90 Starch, 100 Sex Drive Decrease, 10 Adrenaline
Most Dangerous Effect: Reduced sex drive

The Ugly Tomato is located near the boat dock, and is often passed by many creatures. Its classification as a weed is hotly contested, since it actually serves a useful purpose. Its natural starch provides nutrition to Norns, and can be consumed in dire circumstances. The Ugly Tomato’s most potent chemical is its high dose of sex drive decrease: It effectively causes any creature to become uninterested in kisspopping. This can be useful for selective breeding, yet encouraging its consumption can lead Norns to try other, more dangerous weeds. It also contains a small dose of adrenaline, which results in a shorter lifespan at large quantities. The Ugly Tomato is only slightly dangerous to the breeding population, since it will slow down the number of pregnancies. The treatment is to either feed the affected Norn a Tomato, which contains sex drive increase, or to allow sex drive to naturally increase. Norns are quite good at regaining their own sex drive, though!

Name: Deathcap Mushroom
Location: The lowest level of the jungle, to the lower west of the submarine bay
Appearance: Bright blue, red, and yellow mushrooms with white spots and stems
Edible Parts: Blue mushroom cap
Chemicals: 100 Hunger, 100 Hotness, 100 Pain, 100 Glycotoxin
Most Dangerous Effect: Death

The Deathcap Mushroom is the most dangerous weed in Albia, for good reason. This is one of two weeds in Creatures 1 which offers no nutritional value: Only harmful chemicals. Its hunger, hotness, and pain can be quite uncomfortable for the target Norn. All at once, he or she will feel extremely hungry and hot, while also suffering from pain. These three chemicals, however, are the least of the problems with the Deathcap Mushroom. Glycotoxin is the most deadly toxin, for it eats away at the long-term energy store of glycogen. When a Norn has little to no glycogen in his or her system, death is immediate. The ingestion of this weed is not immediately fatal for healthy Norns: It usually takes at least two Deathcap Mushrooms to kill a relatively healthy Norn. The best and only course of treatment is an immediate feast of foods which are high in starch, such as cheese or carrots. Starch is converted to glucose, and glucose is converted into glycogen. Since glycotoxin reacts with glycogen, it is possible to save a Norn with heavy feeding. The makeup of the Deathcap Mushroom makes it slightly less dangerous, in that it makes a Norn instantly hungry. This is a benefit to treating a Norn, since he or she will be very open to eating. Just remember that stepping in shortly after consumption is imperative if the Norn is to survive. Weak Norns almost always perish, although immediate action can sometimes save their lives.

Name: Companula
Location: To the east of the first lift on the desert island
Appearance: Thin green stems with three bell-shaped fruits of orange, blue, and red coloring with multicolored spots
Edible Parts: Blue bell-shaped fruit
Chemicals: 90 Starch, 100 Histamine A, 100 Fever Toxin
Most Dangerous Effect: Weakness caused by fever and sneezing

Companula is the only natural source of food on the desert island in the base game, which is quite unfortunate. Although it delivers a healthy dose of starch, it contains two very unpleasant chemicals. Histamine A causes sneezing, which leads to pain, tiredness, fear, and hexokinase. As if that were not enough, Companula also contains Fever Toxin, which forms hotness and more hexokinase. In effect, although a Norn will receive some nutrition from this weed, he or she will soon begin to be drained of energy. This weakness is not deadly in and of itself: A healthy Norn should not be expected to die from Companlua. The starch can be converted to glucose and glycogen, so that energy is not completely drained away. However, the best course of treatment is a healthy meal of carrots or cheese and a rest. Resting is not absolutely necessary, but Norns produce hexokinase naturally while moving about. By staying still, even for a short time, his or her body can be given enough time to recover.

Name: Laburnum
Location: To the east of Lover’s Leap and the wishing well near the settlement
Appearance: Brown trunk with a green bush that is covered in multicolored flowers
Edible Parts: Lightest colored flower on the upper right area
Chemicals: 70 Fever Toxin, 90 Sleep Toxin, 100 Histamine A, 100 Histamine B
Most Dangerous Effect: Weakness and contagious aspect

Laburnum is the second weed which contains no nutrition, such as starch. It is filled with harmful chemicals that make it the second most dangerous weed in Creatures 1. Its heavy dose of Fever Toxin creates hotness and hexokinase, which consumes energy. Sleep Toxin creates instant tiredness and sleepiness that often knock an afflicted Norn out. This is sometimes helpful in keeping the level of hexokinase limited in the system, since the Norn is forced to stay put while sleeping. However, the large quantities of Histamine A and Histamine B create sneezing and coughing on a grand scale. Both create pain, tiredness, fear, and hexokinase. Another downside to sneezing and coughing is the fact that it can keep Norns from falling asleep. As if Laburnum needed anything else to make it awful, the coughing created by Histamine B makes the Norn contagious. Although there are no antigens to pass along, the fever toxin and sleep toxin have a chance of being passed on to any nearby, unsuspecting creatures. The best course of treatment is plenty of food and rest, when possible.

Beneath the incubator, there is a section of the underground tunnel that appears to be overgrown with mushrooms. Never fear! These are merely a part of the scenery, and pose no threat. Creatures can not even interact with them. At first glance, I thought they might have been Deathcap Mushrooms. Thankfully, the weeds of Albia are pretty limited in terms of their locations! The effects of each one can actually act a benefit to the treatment. There are COBs out there that can make weeds invisible to Norns, or even turn some weeds, like the Ugly Tomato, into herbs. I rather enjoy the challenge of having them in my world, but everyone plays differently!

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