~Option Three~
Ingredients with No Known Usage
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Today, we’re going to be looking over the ingredients we know of that do not have any known canon usage. There are plenty of ingredients that we know of, but surprisingly few are well known enough that we can figure out their uses in potions! Just see the previous lesson for a few of those! But for now, it’s time to look at ingredients like Mallowsweet. We know this herb is used by Centaurs, but it can also be used in potions. How? Well our books do not yet tell us the answers. The Centaurs are known for their divination skills, so perhaps it can be used to improve a person’s memory or help someone calm their mind to think more clearly. Or it could help in Divination, allowing the meaning of symbols to come more clearly to the mind!
Another potion ingredient with unknown usage is Gillyweed. Gillyweed is best known as an edible plant that allows a person to breathe underwater as well as gain webbed toes and fingers for better swimming ability, but it was also one of many ingredients kept in Professor Snape’s private stock. We don’t know of any potions that call out for it, but we can guess at what it could do. Given what we do know of it, it could potentially be used in a potion to allow a person to breathe under water, or even just to improve a person’s swimming ability. While we don’t have any definite answers, it is always interesting to imagine the possibilities!
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Note
~ Active ingredients are those that help the potion have its desired effect. For example, Lavender is known for its calming abilities, so it'd be an active ingredient in calming potions.
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~ Passive/Inactive ingredients are the ingredients that are needed to make the potion, but do not affect the potions effect. For example, an ingredient used to thicken a potion would be considered a passive ingredient in any potion that uses it.
Homework
1. Choose two ingredients with no known use. What do you think they could be used for?
2. Choose 1 of the following options:
Option A: Imagine you are a Potioneer in search of one of the ingredients you chose. Describe how you found the ingredient and any steps you took to keep it potion ready. (For example, did you need to dry the ingredient or use a spell to keep it fresh?)
Option B: Draw one of the potion ingredients you chose in its natural habitat. What does it look like? Where can it be found?