Herblore
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For information on training, see Herblore training.
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| Also known as | Herblaw |
|---|---|
| Release date | 27 February 2002 (Update) |
| Members only | Yes |
| Minimum level for Hiscores | 15 as of 21 May 2013 - update |
| Players with 99 | 49,402 as of 21 May 2013 - update |
| Players with 200M XP | 34 as of 21 May 2013 - update |
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Herblore (Herblaw on RuneScape Classic) is a members-only skill that allows players to make their own potions. Druidic Ritual used to be needed to be completed to start training the skill but after an update on 31 January 2012, the quest is no longer necessary to start training the skill.
The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 497,081) on the hiscores for Herblore is level 15. As of 21 May 2013, there are 49,402 current members that have achieved level 99 in Herblore.
Herblore appears to have been established by Sarah in Past A, as revealed after finishing the Meeting History quest and then talking to her.
Although it is easy to get Herblore to level 99 with adequate funds, it is one of the most expensive skills in the game for players who buy all or most of the needed ingredients. Some players are known to have paid over 200 million coins to get 99. For players who gather the ingredients (most are available from monster drops and some spawn in various locations), it is much less expensive but quite time consuming. Herblore is an interesting skill, cost-wise, as you could profit 200M, or lose 100+. It is generally accepted though, that 1-99 Herblore would cost 100-250M (as of August 2012).
Herbs
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Grimy herbs
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Grimy herbs are herbs that have not yet been cleaned. They can be cleaned by clicking on the herb, which provides a small amount of herblore experience. Herbs are almost always obtained in their grimy state (from farming, monster remains etc.). Although grimy herbs give experience from cleaning, they usually cost less than their cleaned counterparts since players usually do not want to spend time cleaning the herbs. It is also suggested that players collect their own ingredients to reduce training costs.
Potions
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- See the Potion calculator for coins-per-experience-point analysis of potions using live data from the Grand Exchange Market Watch.
- Note: Only certain low-levelled potions are available to free players.



The second step involves adding a secondary ingredient (see below) to make a complete potion that may be drunk or sold (with the exception of a few potions made as part of a quest). This is the main method of gaining Herblore experience. Both steps can be done in batches, which is when the player's inventory contains several of the required items, one may "make all" or "make x".
The choice of herb and secondary ingredient dictate which potion is made. Each potion has a minimum Herblore level required before it can be made, unless the assist system is used.
List of potions
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| Potion | Image | Level | XP | Effect | Primary Ingredient | Secondary Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack potion | 1 | 25 | Temporarily boosts Attack by 10% plus 3 |
This potion is available to non-members. Can be mixed by F2P through Herblore. | |||
| Ranging potion | 3 | 30 | Temporarily boosts Ranged by 3 | This potion is available to non-members. Can be mixed by F2P through Herblore. | |||
| Magic potion | 5 | 35 | This potion is available to non-members. Can be mixed by F2P through Herblore. | ||||
| Relicym's balm | 8 | 40 | No useful effect. | Must have at least started Zogre Flesh Eaters. Can be used on orange Broodoo victims to damage them. | |||
| Defence potion | 9 | 45 | Temporarily raises Defence level by 10% plus 3 | This potion is available to non-members. Cannot be mixed by F2P through Herblore. | |||
| Strength potion | 12 | 40 | Temporarily boosts Strength by 10% plus 3 |
This potion is available to non-members. Cannot be mixed by F2P through Herblore. However, F2P can instead obtain this potion through the Apothecary, requiring Red spider's eggs, a Limpwurt Root and 5 coins for each potion. (Produces 4 doses instead of 3.) | |||
| Antipoison | 13 | 37.5 | Cures poison and provides immunity for 3 minutes | ||||
| Serum 207 | 15 | 50 | Temporarily cures Afflicted NPCs in Mort'ton | Learned and required in Shades of Mort'ton; Can be sanctified to produce Serum 208 | |||
| Guthix rest tea | 18 | 59.5 | Cures poison, restores some run energy, and boosts max life points by 50 if at full health | Made during One Small Favour | |||
| Guam tar | 19 | 30 | Ammunition and bait for Swamp lizard | ||||
| Restore potion | 22 | 62.5 | Restores Attack, Strength, Defence, Magic, and Ranged by 30% of level plus 10 | Does not restore Constitution, Prayer, or Summoning. | |||
| Guthix balance | 22 | 50 | Used against Vampire Juvinates and Vampire Juveniles, particularly in the Temple Trekking activity. | Players receive partial experience (25 xp) for each of the secondary ingredients.
Requires In Aid of the Myreque. | |||
| Blamish oil | 25 | 80 | Used to make oily fishing rods during the Heroes Quest | ||||
| Energy potion | 26 | 67.5 | Restores 20% run energy | ||||
| Marrentill tar | 31 | 42.5 | Ammo for Orange salamander | ||||
| Super Fishing Explosive | 31 | 55 | Can be used as a Fishing Explosive | Super Fishing Explosives can only be made after Kennith's concerns. Rubium is non-tradeable. | |||
| Agility potion | 34 | 80 | Temporarily boosts Agility by 3 | ||||
| Combat potion | 36 | 84 | Effect of both Attack potion and Strength potion | ||||
| Goblin potion | 37 | The potion transforms the player into a goblin during the Land of the Goblins quest | The potion will wear off if the player wears something that isn't goblin related, if the player attacks something, or if the player approaches direct sunlight. Pharmakos berries are obtained by talking to the makeover mage, after the quest. They are free. | ||||
| Prayer potion | 38 | 87.5 | Restores 2.5 times the player's Prayer level plus 70, resulting in a total restoration of 70-310 Prayer Points. | Effect increased by holy wrench. A lifeline when fighting TzTok-Jad. Used lots in Barrows. | |||
| Tarromin tar | 39 | 55 | Ammo for Red salamander | ||||
| Summoning potion | 40 | 92 | Restores 25% of player's Summoning level plus 7 | ||||
| Crafting potion | 42 | 95 | Temporarily boosts Crafting by 3 | ||||
| Harralander tar | 44 | 72.5 | Ammo for Black salamander | ||||
| Super attack | 45 | 100 | Temporarily boosts Attack by 15% plus 5 | ||||
| Vial of stench | 46 | After activation, allows players to sell goods stolen from stalls to the stall owners immediately | Talk to Chief Thief Robin in the Thieves' Guild to activate it (after A Guild of Our Own). It only needs to be in inventory to work. The potion is not tradeable. | ||||
| Super antipoison | 48 | 106.3 | Cures poison and provides immunity for 6 minutes | ||||
| Fishing potion | 50 | 112.5 | Temporarily boosts Fishing by 3 | Can be used to get into the Fishing Guild if you are a few levels short. | |||
| Super energy | 52 | 117.5 | Restores 40% run energy | ||||
| Shrink-me-quick | 52 | 6 | Reduce player size during Grim Tales Quest | ||||
| Hunter potion | 53 | 120 | Temporarily boosts Hunter by 3 | Kebbit teeth are found from deadfalling Sabre-Toothed Kebbit. | |||
| Super strength | 55 | 125 | Temporarily boosts Strength level by 15% plus 5 | ||||
| Magic essence potion | 57 | 130 | Temporarily boosts Magic by 3 | Made during A Fairy Tale Part II quest. Components are only available via the Fairy rings. The potion and the components are not tradeable. | |||
| Fletching potion | 58 | 132 | Temporarily boosts Fletching by 3 | ||||
| Weapon poison | 60 | 137.5 | (pre EOC)For use on arrows, daggers, spears, javelins, darts, and knives (with EOC) makes the player "poisonous" for 1 minute and can work even when fighting "bare-handed" | ||||
| Super restore | 63 | 142.5 | Restores all stats including prayer by 25% plus 8. Prayer is restored by 3.3 times level. | ||||
| Sanfew serum | 65 | 96, 128, 160, or 192 | Sanfew Serum combines the properties of super restore, cure poison, and cure disease potions all in one | Nail Beast Nails are from Temple Trekking. Players receive partial experience (47.5, 52.5, and 60 xp for the 3-dose, e.g.) for each of the secondary ingredients. Experience varies based on the dosage. | |||
| Super defence | 66 | 150 | Temporarily boosts Defence by 12% plus 2 | ||||
| Antipoison+ | 68 | 155 | Cures and gives immunity to poison for 9 minutes | ||||
| Antifire | 69 | 157.5 | Provides resistance to Dragonfire for 6 minutes | Can be used with an Anti-dragon shield or Dragonfire shield to completely prevent dragonfire damage. Each dose lasts for 6 minutes (you will get a 15 second warning before it runs out). | |||
| Super ranging potion | 72 | 162.5 | Temporarily boosts Ranged by +10% plus 4 | ||||
| Weapon poison+ | 73 | 165 | For use on arrows, daggers, javelins, spears, darts and knives | ||||
| Super magic potion | 76 | 172.5 | Temporarily boosts Magic by 5 | ||||
| Zamorak brew | 78 | 175 | Temporarily boosts Strength by 12% plus 2, Attack by 20% plus 2 and restores up to 90 Prayer points, but lowers Defence and life points by 10% plus 2 (+20 in case of life points) | Torstol can only be obtained from the Yanille Agility dungeon herb chest, or grown using the Farming skill, obtained as a drop from Nex, or as a rare reward from red reward tokens if herbs are chosen. | |||
| Antipoison++ | 79 | 177.5 | Cures poison and provides immunity for 12 minutes | ||||
| Saradomin brew | 81 | 180 | Temporarily boosts Defence and life points but lowers Attack, Strength, and Range and Magic . | See above for Toadflax locations. | |||
| Weapon poison++ | 82 | 190 | For use on arrows, daggers, spears, darts and knives, gives a (P++) name change. | ||||
| Adrenaline potion | 84 | 200 | Recovers Adrenaline bar by 25%. Can only be used every 120 seconds. | This potion cannot be traded. Only the 3-dose Super energy potion can be used as an ingredient. See Zahur. | |||
| Super antifire | 85 | 210 | Provides immunity to Dragonfire for 6 minutes even if anti-dragon shield is not equipped | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Extreme attack | 88 | 220 | Temporarily boosts Attack by 5 to 26 levels. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Extreme strength | 89 | 230 | Temporarily boosts Strength by 5 to 26 levels. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Extreme defence | 90 | 240 | Temporarily boosts Defence by 5 to 26 levels. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Extreme magic | 91 | 250 | Temporarily boosts 7 Magic levels. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Extreme ranging | 92 | 260 | Temporarily boosts Ranged by 4 to 23 levels. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Super prayer | 94 | 270 | Restores 3.43 times the player's Prayer level plus 70, resulting in a total restoration of 70-410 Prayer points. | This potion cannot be traded. | |||
| Prayer renewal | 94 | 190 | Restores 4 times the player's Prayer level plus 120, resulting in a total restoration of 124-516 Prayer points, over a period of 5 minutes. | ||||
| Overload | 96 | 1000 | Grants the effect of all five potions for five minutes, without a gradual decrease. | Torstol | This potion cannot be traded. |
- Serum 207, all types of Tar, and Guthix balance potion (unlike its Saradomin and Zamorak brew counterparts) cannot be consumed, and are to be used for special purposes.
- Potions from "Recover Special" to "Overload", which came out with 7 October 2009's "High-level Herblore Potions" update, do NOT work with the Lunar spells "Stat Restore Pot Share" and "Boost Potion Share", and CANNOT be made through the assist system as they are untradeable.
Barbarian potions
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- See the barbarian mix calculator for coins-per-experience-point analysis of barbarian mixes using live data from the Grand Exchange Market Watch.
In order to be able to make Barbarian mixes, Otto Godblessed must be talked to, located at Otto's Grotto (West of Baxtorian Falls). He will teach the basic Barbarian Skills needed to get the special ingredients for these mixes. He also teaches the decanting of 4 dose potions into two 2-dose potions by using any 4-dose potion on an empty vial.
Enhanced potion requirements:
- Herblore level required
- 2-dose potion (or a 4-dose and an empty vial)
- Roe (for Attack mix, Anti-poison mix, Relicym's balm mix, Strength mix and Restore mix)
- Caviar (for all other mixes).
All mixes that only require roe will heal 30 life points per dose. All mixes that require caviar heal 60 life points per dose. Using caviar on potions that can be made from roe will not make the potion heal 60 lifepoints per dose, the potion will still heal the usual 30 lifepoints. Apart from healing, all potions have the same effect as their corresponding normal potion seen in the table above. Although being able to restore life points, Barbarian potions are not recommended for PKing.
List of barbarian potions
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| Mix | Image | Add | Level | XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack mix | 4 | 8 | ||
| Anti-poison mix | 6 | 12 | ||
| Relicym's balm mix | 9 | 14 | ||
| Strength mix | 14 | 17 | ||
| Stat restore mix | 24 | 21 | ||
| Energy mix | 29 | 23 | ||
| Defence mix | 33 | 25 | ||
| Agility mix | 37 | 27 | ||
| Combat mix | 40 | 28 | ||
| Prayer mix | 42 | 29 | ||
| Super attack mix | 47 | 33 | ||
| Super anti-poison mix | 51 | 35 | ||
| Fishing mix | 53 | 38 | ||
| Super energy mix | 56 | 39 | ||
| Hunting mix | 58 | 40 | ||
| Super strength mix | 59 | 42 | ||
| Magic essence mix | 61 | 43 | ||
| Super restore mix | 67 | 48 | ||
| Super defence mix | 71 | 50 | ||
| Extra strong anti-poison mix | 74 | 52 | ||
| Antifire mix | 75 | 53 | ||
| Super ranging mix | 80 | 54 | ||
| Super magic mix | 83 | 57 | ||
| Zamorak mix | 85 | 58 |
Obtaining secondary ingredients
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When training Herblore it is useful to have ample supplies of secondary ingredients.
- Prices are approximate for buying item on the Grand Exchange
Note: Another way to obtain Eye of Newt, Unicorn Horn, or Red spider's eggs would be Creature Creation, an activity achievable only after completing the Tower of Life quest. By defeating the appropriate creature, 2-10 of the item in question are dropped.
Money
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With the introduction of grimy herbs, these herbs now reveal their identity. Hence, the price of grimy herbs depends on what level herbs they are. Chaos druids (as well as Aberrant spectres and Flesh crawlers) drop grimy herbs often, and on occasion may drop two. Aberrant Spectres may also drop three.
Many combat-related potions sell for high prices (prices are for 3 dose potions):
| Potion | Current GE price |
|---|---|
| Antifire potions | 5,745 coins (update) |
| Super energy potions | 2,747 coins (update) |
| Fishing potions | 55 coins (update) |
| Super antipoisons | 87 coins (update) |
| Prayer potions | 1,412 coins (update) |
| Summoning potions | 2,578 coins (update) |
| Super restore potions | 1,249 coins (update) |
| Weapon poison+ | 2,086 coins (update) |
| Weapon poison++ | 6,849 coins (update) |
| Set of all three super potions (super attack, super strength, and super defence) | 1523 coins (update) |
| Super attacks | 351 coins (update) |
| Super strength potions | 1,073 coins (update) |
| Super defence potions | 99 coins (update) |
Some of these prices are under pressure as the number of herbalists that can make those potions increases. Prices of potions have fallen since the release of the Grand Exchange because of the ability to quickly sell potions in bulk.
Potion Production costs
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For a full overview of profits/losses training Herblore; see Herblore/Production costs.
Temporary boosts
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- A Greenman's ale will temporarily boost Herblore by 1 level. Greenman's ale can be bought in the Yanille pub or brewed using the Cooking skill. 26 Construction is required to build a beverage barrel of Greenman's ale in the kitchen of a player-owned house. A Greenman's ale does not stack with a spicy stew.
- A Mature Greenman's ale will temporarily boost Herblore by 2 levels. This can only be made by brewing using the Cooking skill. A Mature Greenman's ale boost does not stack with a spicy stew.
- Brown Spicy stews can be made after Freeing Evil Dave in Recipe for Disaster. These may randomly boost or lower Herblore by up to 5 levels, depending on the amount of brown spice used.
- Using the 'Boost' option on the Herblore cape will temporarily increase your level by 1, up to 100/99.
NPC assistance
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Bob Barter at the Grand Exchange will decant potions for free. Decanting results in potions of the same kind being consolidated into 4-dose potions as much as possible (though Bobo will also decant into 1, 2 and 3 dose potions, charging for any extra vials). For example, Bob Barter will decant six 3-dose strength potions into four 4-dose and one 2-dose potion. Noted potions may also be decanted; noted and unnoted potions in your inventory will be treated independently. This is a quick and easy way to free up vials for reuse, by consolidating into 4 dose potions.
Zahur in Nardah will clean grimy herbs for 200 coins per herb. This ability is typically only used by players who grew the herbs and cannot clean them, as the ability to make potions with the cleaned herb requires the herblore level to clean the herb. Even then it usually makes more sense to sell the grimy herb, as clean herbs are rarely much more than the grimy version, and often less.
Zahur will also decant 4-dose potions into 3-dose potions, for a fee of 11 coins per vial supplied. If you supply all vials required the service is free. Inventory space for the resulting potions is required, or Zahur will refuse to decant them. Zahur will now also decant noted potions with noted vials as well.
Minigames
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Herblore Habitat
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In the Herblore Habitat minigame, there are ten potions that can be made using herbs grown there, and secondary ingredients found by hunting Jadinkos. All of these potions must be made in special juju vials bought from Papa Mambo, and some of them can be stored with tool leprechauns. These potions have special effects.
Flash Powder Factory
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In Flash Powder Factory, requiring 50 Herblore and other certain skills, players make Flash Powder from two reagents in 15 minute games. The game is not focused on Herblore, so the bulk of experience doesn't go to a player's Herblore skill.
Scroll of cleansing
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The Scroll of Cleansing is a Dungeoneering reward, and can be purchased for 20,000 Dungeoneering reward tokens. It requires a Herblore level of 49 and a Dungeoneering level of 49. Once used, the scroll will disappear, giving the player the following permanent effects:
- A 1 in 8 chance that the player will make a potion twice as fast as usual.
- A 1 in 10 chance that when adding a herb to a vial of water or coconut milk, or a secondary ingredient to an unfinished potion, the herb or secondary, respectively, will not be used, leaving the player an extra ingredient.
Almost every potion in the game is affected by this scroll. However there are some exceptions. Guthix rest tea, Guam tar, Marrentill tar, Tarromin tar, Harralander tar, and Barbarian mix potions are not affected by the scroll.
Herbicide
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The Herbicide is a Dungeoneering reward. It stays with the player at all times. When in the inventory, it will grind the herb and give the player bonus xp. It will not grind any herbs that the player cannot clean, and will not work on noted herbs.
Solomon's General Store
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Upon the release of Solomon's General Store on 17 July 2012, players can purchase an alternative animation for herblore that plays whenever a player mixes a potion. This animation costs 176 runecoins.
Trivia
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- With good concentration and the use of mouse keys, it is possible to make upwards of 1800 potions per hour, or 30 potions per minute.
- In the game's fictional history, the skill owes its name to a temporal paradox. In the Meeting History quest when the player has travelled back in time and talks to the creator of the art, they mention Herblore and she replies by saying that that is the perfect name. This is a paradox as the player only mentioned this because they knew it from their own time but it appears they were the original inspiration. This paradox is known as a jin, where objects (or in this case information) has a circular time line, where a person receives an object or information from or due to a person and later goes back in time to give the object or information to them and have it age until it reaches the person that sends it back in time. In fact, the invention of the skill itself exists in a non-linear paradox - as, in the linear path of time, the creation of Herblore isn't mentioned. It is only after we alter events that lead to the present that Herblore is created.
- Previously, the Druidic Ritual was required to drink mature greenman's ale for boosting Herblore levels to make potions, but an update has now eliminated this requirement.
- Originally, herbs were identified rather than cleaned. All unidentified herbs or "unids" looked the same. It was changed due to the fact that scamming by use of unidentified herbs by telling other players that the herb was a higher level than it actually was. The Grand Exchange was also released shortly after this change, so that may also have been a contributing factor. Also, it did not make sense for anybody to know what a herb was until it had been "identified" by a player.
- When the above scam existed, there was one way to counter it: the buyer would ask to do the trade in notes, before which they would get a stack of the "unidentified" notes they wanted and fill the rest of their inventory. If the trade did not go through, it meant that the seller was trying to sell something else.
- Also, when herbs were still known as "unids" (short for unidentified herbs), despite the fact that all herbs looked the same in the "unid" form and had the same name they would still stack according to what they were. Being as such it was extremely profitable for a player to buy all "unids" for 1k each, which was the common price, until said player had 8 or 9 different stacks in their bank. Then they would identify one from each stack to find out what each stack had in it. That being done they would put the stack of the low level herbs somewhere in their bank away from the rest. Then when they bought new herbs they would know what they were without having to identify them, and they would turn around and resell the low level ones for 1k each as unids.
- Originally herbs grown from farming were identified, however the same update that changed unidentified herbs to grimy herbs gave grimy herbs from farming, thus allowing them a small amount of extra Herblore experience when farming
- The Summoning potion and Sanfew Serum are the only potions which cannot be divided/split into lesser doses.
- Without the required Herblore level to clean a herb the message "You cannot clean this herb. You need a Herblore level of (Minimum Level Here) to attempt this." appears.
- Previously, Herblore could not be trained to level 2, as it could not be trained at all before completing the quest, Druidic Ritual - which instantly levelled players to level 3.
- When training Herblore to the maximum level of 99, if players choose to gather their herbs and secondary materials, it would take up a huge amount of time, as herbs and ingredients are not easy to obtain. Therefore, almost all of the players who decide to achieve 99 Herblore buy their herbs and materials instead of gathering the herbs and materials themselves.
- If you try to clean a herb that you do not have the proper level to clean, it will say you Attempt to clean the herb, even though there is no chance of it failing when you do have the appropriate level.
- Herblore is known as "Herblaw" in RuneScape Classic.
- Even though you can make boosting potions for almost any skill, there is no such thing as a Herblore potion, possibly to prevent players from gaining a boost so they could make other potions ahead of their level. Spicy stew still works but is still risky due to the potential gain/decrease.
- Bob Barter (herbs) will "decant" your potions, noted or not. The rate is exact. Four, (3)dose potions for Three (4) dose potions. Very handy for hundreds of potions.
- When herblore was first released, some players would drink potions and switch to free world to PK. Because this gave an unfair advantage, Jagex changed it so that the boosted stats would reset when the player switches worlds.
See also
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- Herblore training, a guide to training Herblore
- Quest experience rewards - Herblore
- Herblore items at the Grand Exchange Market Watch
- Making money with herblore
- Herb
- Herblore Level up table
- Herblore Calculators
- Druidic Ritual
- Sarah (Meeting History)
- Dungeoneering/Herblore
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