Magical Drafts and Potions By: Arsenius Jigger

Types of Ingredients and their Procurement

Mostpotions utilize two types of ingredients: those derived from animals, such ashermit crab shell, salamander blood, and griffin's claw; and those which comefrom plants, such as dittany, asphodel, and bubotuber pus. Potions do notnecessarily require an equal balance of plant and animal-based ingredients, butrather it varies from potion to potion. Certain ingredients will individuallylend themselves to certain types of potions based on their tendency. Forexample, butterfly wings are often used in hallucinogenic and dream-alteringpotions, while dittany is almost exclusively used in healing potions.Thereis an alternative type of element-based ingredient. While crystals and metallicelements are not too often used in Western potions, they are occasionally usedin certain recipes. North African potions, particularly those that come fromMorocco and Tunisia, will often employ alchemical properties in their potionspractice. There is select and rare instances of this in Far Eastern potions aswell. Specific ingredients include shavings of copper, gold, and malachite.

Readersmay also notice another form of categorization of ingredients: those that arederived from magical objects, and those which come from mundane. Quite often,mundane ingredients will contribute more mundane properties to potions. Forexample, while the rose does have its medicinal uses, rose water or rose petalswill also occasionally be added to improve the smell and the taste of certainpotions. Mundane ingredients also tend to be less volatile or reactive, andcause weaker side effects than magical quite often.

Ingredientscan either be farmed and captured or procured from an apothecary. Most Witchesand Wizards frequent the local apothecary, such as that of the author's family,Slug and Jiggers, in Diagon Alley. Apothecary's source their ingredients basedon the best quality and price ratio they can find, and dispense them at a smallmarkup for their customers. In keeping with British Ministry regulations,apothecaries are required to comply with certain ethical standards whenprocuring and selling ingredients. Apothecarieswill also often sell pre-brewed potions for Witches and Wizards who do not wishto or are not able to brew them on their own. These will usually be simplehousehold potions that do not expire too soon, such as Cleaning Potions andsimilar.

Alternatively,some Witches and Wizards prefer to purchase their ingredients directly fromfarmers and those who raise or grow ingredients on their own. This takes a bitmore care, as it can be difficult to ascertain that animals are being kept andharvested in a humane fashion, and that the sourcing is entirely withinMinistry law. Quite often, those who unknowingly purchase goods which are insome way illegally and unethically purchased will also face consequences fortheir ignorance.Finally,it is possible for Witches and Wizards to grow, procure, hunt, and harvesttheir own ingredients. When doing so, it is crucial, particularly when dealingwith living animals, to comply to Ministry ethics laws and ensure the creaturesare not protected and are treated humanely even until they are killed to beused in a potion. When it comes to plants, it is also important to have a solidbackground or fundamental knowledge of Herbology before attempting to keep agreenhouse of ingredients. In recent years, the field of Herbology has receiveda lot of criticism and scorn from those who deem it lesser for its concern withnon-magical plants and Muggle sciences, but Potioneers who use plant-basedingredients daily recognize the vital importance that Herbologists play in thecontinuation of the field of potions in the magical world.Howeveringredients are procured, it is also important to ensure that ingredients stayfresh, and the Witch or Wizard keeping them continues to safely discard spoiledplant and animal products. Using spoiled or past-date ingredients canfrequently either yield a potion useless or make it harmful or even deadly.Thus, labeling ingredients with the purchase and best by date, if not alreadydone by the apothecary at which a Witch or Wizard may shop. There is also a still somewhat-controversial third category thathas been added within the past twenty to thirty years known as a transitionalingredient. This includes some ingredients who seem to display magicalqualities only when in contact with magic. For instance, certain potions withbutterfly wings contain no strictly "magical" ingredients, but the butterflywings themselves seem to take on a magical quality during the brewing process.More conservative Witches and Wizards do not approve of this additionalclassification, but it is actually a large part of the editor's researchconcentration, so she thought it appropriate to include a note about it.