POTIONS I
In today’s lesson, we will cover the key potions and concepts in potions theory that students need to know in their first year. Let’s get to it!
We will begin the lesson with one of the more popular basic-level potions, the Cure for Boils. The first thing we should note is that the name of this potion is misleading; it does not only cure boils! The Cure for Boils should, if brewed correctly, clear up not only boils, but pustules, hives, and even pimples. It is important to note that Cure for Boils is a potion that can cure both magical and normal physiological ailments – so whether you have hives because you brushed up against the wrong plant, or you’ve got acne thanks to a nasty Pimple Jinx, the Cure for Boils will be your friend either way!
As you may know, you can find many different recipes for almost all existing potions. The reasoning behind this is a bit advanced, so we will only be discussing it here and there in this class – if you are more interested in this subject, I suggest you take an advanced-level potions course when you have the chance. For our purposes, we will be using the recipe provided in our textbook, Magical Drafts and Potions. It is as follows:
Now, as with all potion-brewing, you must follow the recipe carefully if you wish to succeed. For example, as many of you may know, former Hogwarts student Neville Longbottom did not remove his cauldron from the flames before adding the porcupine quills. As a result, Mr. Longbottom’s cauldron melted, and trust me, melting cauldron is one of the worst smells there is! Aside from cauldron-melting, the Cure for Boils is one of those nasty potions where it will actually have a reverse effect if brewed improperly. I recommend trying your finished potion on a small, discreet patch of skin before using it. If it turns out you made a mistake somewhere along the way, your potion will actually cause a vicious outbreak of boils, or some combination of the things it’s meant to cure! If you brew your Cure for Boils correctly, it should give off a pink-coloured smoke. The potion is applied topically (on the affected skin) for boils, pustules, and acne. You can also apply it topically for treatment of hives, but most people find quicker and more effective results for hives if they drink the potion instead.
Let’s move on to the Forgetfulness Potion. This is one of the more difficult beginner potions, but as I will constantly remind you, if you follow the recipe you should be fine. The Forgetfulness Potion causes memory loss in the consumer, and the amount of memory loss depends on the skill of the potion-maker and the strength of the potion. For safety purposes, we will only be brewing weak versions of the Forgetfulness Potion in this course. The recipe for this potion is as follows:
Unlike the Cure for Boils, the Forgetfulness Potion does not have reverse effects if brewed incorrectly. It is also not particularly prone to melting cauldrons. If you brew your Forgetfulness Potion improperly, drinking it will make you dizzy and drowsy. Depending on the strength of your potion, these negative effects may wear off anywhere between 10 minutes after consumption and 2 days after consumption. As such, if you’re keen to test out your potion, I would suggest trying to do it on a Friday night, when you have nothing important to do that weekend. A good way to tell if you’ve brewed your potion correctly is if it is dark orange in colour and the fumes make you a bit light-headed. The Forgetfulness Potion is typically consumed, but recently some wizards have been claiming that applying the potion to certain spots on the head is more effective.
Next, we will cover a potion many of you seem to be in need of right now... the Awakening Potion, which is also known as the Wideye Potion. As the name suggests, this potion is used to wake someone up - whether they are in a forced sleep from another potion or a concussion - in addition to preventing them from falling asleep. Again, this potion is able to awaken someone from both magically and non-magically induced sleep. Our textbook lists the recipe as:
As you can see, the ingredients in this potion interact with the material of the cauldron, and as such, the brewing time for the potion varies depending on the cauldron. In the previous potions you will likely see differences in brewing time for potions as well, but there are no known significant effects for leaving the potion to brew longer for those potions. The Awakening Potion, however, can lose its effects if exposed to the open air too long. If the potion is under-brewed, it will cause vomiting and a light-headed feeling. As such, I recommend you pay attention the brewing time very carefully! If completely correctly, the Awakening Potion will be mostly clear with a green tinge to it, and will produce small bubbles, much like a carbonated drink. The Awakening Potion is always consumed.
For the last bit of today's lesson, we are going to cover one of the most important potions you will learn to brew in your lifetime: the Antidote to Common Poisons. Whether you're looking after little witches and wizards who never seem to stop finding trouble, or you're avidly brewing and testing potions, you will likely need to brew an Antidote to Common Poisons at some point (the potion is much easier to get down than a Bezoar!) According to Arsenius Jigger, this is how to brew it:
Again, we see an interaction with the cauldron material here (and an another interaction with the phial material if a certain ingredient is added!), so brewing time is important to watch. Technically, there are no adverse affects for improper brewing time - the antidote simply won't work if it's under-brewed, but if left in the cauldron for long, the only risk is the liquid ingredients evaporating. Why you would leave an Antidote to Common Poisons in your cauldron is beyond me, though... perhaps saving someone isn't as important once you get over the initial panic?
... a properly brewed Antidote to Common Poisons should be teal in colour, with a pearly sheen if the unicorn horn was added. It is always consumed.
And there you have it, students! You may now proceed to your homework for today's lesson. Don't forget to follow your recipes carefully! I'll see you all next class.
We will begin the lesson with one of the more popular basic-level potions, the Cure for Boils. The first thing we should note is that the name of this potion is misleading; it does not only cure boils! The Cure for Boils should, if brewed correctly, clear up not only boils, but pustules, hives, and even pimples. It is important to note that Cure for Boils is a potion that can cure both magical and normal physiological ailments – so whether you have hives because you brushed up against the wrong plant, or you’ve got acne thanks to a nasty Pimple Jinx, the Cure for Boils will be your friend either way!
As you may know, you can find many different recipes for almost all existing potions. The reasoning behind this is a bit advanced, so we will only be discussing it here and there in this class – if you are more interested in this subject, I suggest you take an advanced-level potions course when you have the chance. For our purposes, we will be using the recipe provided in our textbook, Magical Drafts and Potions. It is as follows:
- "Add 6 snake fangs to the mortar.
- Crush snake fangs into a fine powder using the pestle.
- Add 4 measures of the crushed fangs to your cauldron.
- Heat the mixture to 250°C for 10 seconds.
- Leave to brew and return in 33-45 minutes.
- Add 4 horned slugs to your cauldron.
- Take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient.
- Add 2 porcupine quills to your cauldron.
- Stir 5 times, clockwise."
Now, as with all potion-brewing, you must follow the recipe carefully if you wish to succeed. For example, as many of you may know, former Hogwarts student Neville Longbottom did not remove his cauldron from the flames before adding the porcupine quills. As a result, Mr. Longbottom’s cauldron melted, and trust me, melting cauldron is one of the worst smells there is! Aside from cauldron-melting, the Cure for Boils is one of those nasty potions where it will actually have a reverse effect if brewed improperly. I recommend trying your finished potion on a small, discreet patch of skin before using it. If it turns out you made a mistake somewhere along the way, your potion will actually cause a vicious outbreak of boils, or some combination of the things it’s meant to cure! If you brew your Cure for Boils correctly, it should give off a pink-coloured smoke. The potion is applied topically (on the affected skin) for boils, pustules, and acne. You can also apply it topically for treatment of hives, but most people find quicker and more effective results for hives if they drink the potion instead.
Let’s move on to the Forgetfulness Potion. This is one of the more difficult beginner potions, but as I will constantly remind you, if you follow the recipe you should be fine. The Forgetfulness Potion causes memory loss in the consumer, and the amount of memory loss depends on the skill of the potion-maker and the strength of the potion. For safety purposes, we will only be brewing weak versions of the Forgetfulness Potion in this course. The recipe for this potion is as follows:
- "Add 2 drops of Lethe River Water to your cauldron
- Gently heat for 20 seconds
- Add 2 Valerian sprigs to your cauldron
- Stir 3 times, clockwise
- Wave your wand over the cauldron in a clockwise circular motion
- Leave to brew and return in 45-60 minutes
- Add 4 mistletoe berries to the mortar
- Crush berries into a medium-fine powder using the pestle
- Add 2 pinches of the crushed mixture to your cauldron
- Stir 5 times, counter-clockwise
- Wave your wand in a counter-clockwise circular motion "
Unlike the Cure for Boils, the Forgetfulness Potion does not have reverse effects if brewed incorrectly. It is also not particularly prone to melting cauldrons. If you brew your Forgetfulness Potion improperly, drinking it will make you dizzy and drowsy. Depending on the strength of your potion, these negative effects may wear off anywhere between 10 minutes after consumption and 2 days after consumption. As such, if you’re keen to test out your potion, I would suggest trying to do it on a Friday night, when you have nothing important to do that weekend. A good way to tell if you’ve brewed your potion correctly is if it is dark orange in colour and the fumes make you a bit light-headed. The Forgetfulness Potion is typically consumed, but recently some wizards have been claiming that applying the potion to certain spots on the head is more effective.
Next, we will cover a potion many of you seem to be in need of right now... the Awakening Potion, which is also known as the Wideye Potion. As the name suggests, this potion is used to wake someone up - whether they are in a forced sleep from another potion or a concussion - in addition to preventing them from falling asleep. Again, this potion is able to awaken someone from both magically and non-magically induced sleep. Our textbook lists the recipe as:
- "Add 6 Snake fangs to the mortar
- Add 6 Dried Billywig Stings to your cauldron
- Heat on a medium temperature for 30 seconds
- Finely crush the Snake Fangs
- Add 4 measures of the crushed fangs to your cauldron
- Stir 3 times, clockwise
- Leave to brew and return in 8 hours (Copper Cauldron), 14 hours (Brass Cauldron), or 23 hours (Pewter Cauldron).
- Add 2 sprigs of Wolfsbane to your cauldron
- Stir 3 times, anti-clockwise."
As you can see, the ingredients in this potion interact with the material of the cauldron, and as such, the brewing time for the potion varies depending on the cauldron. In the previous potions you will likely see differences in brewing time for potions as well, but there are no known significant effects for leaving the potion to brew longer for those potions. The Awakening Potion, however, can lose its effects if exposed to the open air too long. If the potion is under-brewed, it will cause vomiting and a light-headed feeling. As such, I recommend you pay attention the brewing time very carefully! If completely correctly, the Awakening Potion will be mostly clear with a green tinge to it, and will produce small bubbles, much like a carbonated drink. The Awakening Potion is always consumed.
For the last bit of today's lesson, we are going to cover one of the most important potions you will learn to brew in your lifetime: the Antidote to Common Poisons. Whether you're looking after little witches and wizards who never seem to stop finding trouble, or you're avidly brewing and testing potions, you will likely need to brew an Antidote to Common Poisons at some point (the potion is much easier to get down than a Bezoar!) According to Arsenius Jigger, this is how to brew it:
- "Add 1 Bezoar to the mortar
- Crush Bezoar into a very fine powder using the pestle
- Add 4 measures of the crushed Bezoar to your cauldron
- Add 1 measure of Flobberworm Mucus to your cauldron
- Heat over a medium flame for 5 seconds
- Leave to brew and return in 40 minutes (Pewter Cauldron), 34 minutes (Brass Cauldron), or 30 minutes (Copper Cauldron).
- Add 1 pinch of Unicorn Horn to your cauldron (optional - makes potion fast-acting and adds pleasant taste, but the potion will work well enough with it)
- Stir 2 times, clockwise
- Add 2 Mistletoe Berries to your cauldron
- Stir 2 times, anti-clockwise
- Store in crystal phials only (if you included the Unicorn Horn)"
Again, we see an interaction with the cauldron material here (and an another interaction with the phial material if a certain ingredient is added!), so brewing time is important to watch. Technically, there are no adverse affects for improper brewing time - the antidote simply won't work if it's under-brewed, but if left in the cauldron for long, the only risk is the liquid ingredients evaporating. Why you would leave an Antidote to Common Poisons in your cauldron is beyond me, though... perhaps saving someone isn't as important once you get over the initial panic?
... a properly brewed Antidote to Common Poisons should be teal in colour, with a pearly sheen if the unicorn horn was added. It is always consumed.
And there you have it, students! You may now proceed to your homework for today's lesson. Don't forget to follow your recipes carefully! I'll see you all next class.