Class in Session: A Professional Blend

It always helps to be in the right place at the right time when students come around the corner, clearly indulging in any one of numerous imbecilic activities when they should be studying for pre-holiday exams. Lurking about as I have found it profitable to do, one is bound to catch a few of them – including my Slytherins – off guard. And it's not as if they don't have plenty to learn...

What does a real potion formula look like? The other day at the Apothecary, I restocked our shelf supply of Colitis blend, made from a number of herbal extracts. Most of these formulae call for quite a few ingredients. A similar one is below. With the ingredients' folk names used, rather than modern names, it looks like this:

Elixir of Rejuvenation

Wonder-of-the-World 37 minims
Maca 52 ms.
Gotu Kola leaves 30 ms.
Hotfruit powder 22 ms.
Tree-of-Wisdom 22 ms.
Bladderwrack 30 ms.
Curcurma 30 ms.
Green Tea 22 ms.
Wild Yam 22 ms.
Ladies' meat 22 ms.
Hyssop 22 ms.
Bamboo Briar 30 ms.
Sang 30 ms.
Sweet Root 7 ms.
Love Herb 7 ms.
Trefoil 7 ms.
Gin berry 7 ms.
Karan gum 7 ms.
Swine snout 7 ms.
Sage 7 ms.
Masterwort 7 ms.
Palmetto fruits 7 ms.

All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not Harry Potter and having to remember that one by heart on exam day! With enough studying, however, it's less scary than it looks – especially as one gets more and more familiar with plants and their powers. Herbalism folks may recognize the major, or primary, ingredients and supporting, or secondary ingredients of this formula.

Note: What the hell is a minim?!?!?! An older unit of liquid measurement equal to 1/80 tsp.!! We have our formulae in teaspoons and fluid ounces, too, since a minim is so tiny.
Another note: Have I revealed the complete formula? Of course not! I am a Slytherin!
Dunderhead tip: Hold the spoon against the bottle lip as you pour or it goes aaaaaaaall over your shoes.

























Back in the day I loved nothing more than this sort of academic pursuit, as I still do, and Potions especially. But every so often, even I needed a break...