Lesson Three

Any budding healers and potion makers amongst you will find this lesson particularly fascinating. Today we'll be looking at plants that we grow primarily for use in potions and cures. There is an interesting mixture of plants here, ranging from ones which are magical in themselves to non-magical ones which are useful in magical practices.

As well as growing food, this is one of the most fundamental reasons behind the enduring relationship between humans and plants. For millennia people have passed down knowledge about which plants can be used to heal certain maladies or achieve certain things. Some of this knowledge has since been discredited and disproved as people began to become more invested in safe practices and proper testing. For instance, people used to believe that an ointment of belladonna helped witches to fly; in fact, it caused dangerous hallucinations. However, a lot of that ancient knowledge was actually based on fact and still holds true today.

I must impress upon you though that you should under no circumstances seek to use these plants without the guidance of a medical professional. I would rather not see anyone making an unscheduled trip to the Hospital Wing after an experiment gone wrong, please. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at these extremely useful plants.

Dittany can be used in several different ways. Fresh dittany can be chewed to aid in the healing of shallow to moderate cuts, shredded dittany can be added to potions and concentrated essence of dittany can be applied directly to wounds. Dittany is particularly useful because of its ability to heal damage created by magic, either from spells or from the bites of magical creatures (when combined with silver, it can heal werewolf bites though not prevent the patient from becoming a werewolf).

Uses: Potions ingredient and wound treatments

Care Tips: Keep it well watered, prune it from time to time and keep it away from open flames.

Bubotubers

As I said last lesson, some of the most useful plants are the most unprepossessing ones in terms of looks. Take this Bubotuber for instance. I know, it looks for all the world like a dead slug poking out of the ground (they even squirm around like slugs sometimes). I'm afraid the next part isn't any more pleasant and I do need you all to stand back. To get the benefit, we have to squeeze these little swellings on the plant's surface (like so) so that they release copious amounts of yellowish-green pus (yes, it does reek of petrol).

Now, you'll notice that I'm wearing my gloves. This is because the pus will cause a very nasty and excruciatingly painful allergic reaction if it touches bare skin (sufficed to say it will make a nettle sting look like nothing). However, once properly diluted, it's incredibly useful. It forms a key part of skin treatments, ranging from ordinary pimple vanishers to ointments intended to treat severe acne. It can also be used in certain potions.

Uses: Potions ingredients and as part of skin treatments.

Care Tips: Always handle them with your gloves and goggles on.

Valerian

Valerian is this pretty herb over here with the pink and white flowers. It is a perennial (living for around 2 years) and you'll notice it's quite tall - it can reach heights of 1.5 meters during the summer. Valerian is famous for helping people sleep. Even muggles are aware of its properties and often brew it as a tea to try and ensure a restful night. It has been recognised as a powerful healing herb throughout history (in the Middle Ages it was known as All-Heal). Those of you with cats will be interested to know that valerian has a similar effect to catnip.

Both sprigs (small amounts of the plant that include stems, leaves, and flowers) and the root are used in potion-making. You'll need sprigs for the forgetfulness Potion, Sleeping Draft and Fire-Breathing Potion. The root is found in two potions where tranquillity is key: The Draught of Peace and Draught of Living Death.

Use: Potions Ingredient

Care Tips: Keep them well spaced from one another and harvest the roots in the second year, once the foliage starts to turn yellow and die back.

Shrivelfig

This small tree over here with the purple fruit is a Shrivelfig imported from Abyssinia. You'll note that there are quite a few fallen leaves around: this is because it is a deciduous plant (it sheds its leaves in the autumn).

The fruit of the shrivelfig (also called shrivelfigs) is most interesting. You'll remember from lesson one that I explained that the fruit comes after the plant has flowered and that they then spread the seeds. With a shrivelfig, it's the reverse with the flower being found inside the fruit. You must skin the shrivelfig to extract the purple juice and seeds. The juice is used in potions like the Shrinking Solution and Elixir to Induce Euphoria.

Use: Potions ingredient

Care Tips: You must prune it regularly to remove the deadwood.

Knotgrass

You can always recognise knotgrass from its lumpy, silvery grey stem (those lumps are what have led to its common name of knotgrass). It can range from 15 to 40 CM tall and sprouts small pink and green flowers in warm weather. It is an annual (meaning it will die within a year) and it is a wild-growing plant that favours wide open spaces. The seeds need sunlight to germinate and they can lie dormant for a long time (even years) if they don't have enough light to sprout. It is this which has led to knotgrass's reputation for springing up at random, apparently out of nowhere. In fact, the seeds were lying there all along but just hadn't quite got enough sun to germinate.

Knotgrass is a common potions ingredient (you'll find it in the students' store cupboard down in the dungeons). It possesses magic particularly suited to 'conjoining', 'binding' or 'tying': for instance, how it is used in Polyjuice potion to tie one person to the flesh of another.

Use: Potions ingredient

Care Tips: Make sure it has plenty of space and sunlight.

Wormwood

This last plant is wormwood. It is another tall, perennial herb and you'll note its characteristic silvery-grey stem and leaves, as well as the pale-yellow flowers. The leaves are also covered in silvery-white trichomes (spiky, fibrous structures that look like hairs). It is commonly associated with the moon and with the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the hunt and of the moon.

It is a common potions ingredient and has been used for medicinal purposes throughout history; because of its characteristic bitter flavour, it is also used to flavour certain drinks. It is yet another ingredient in The Draught of Living Death. I'd like to end on a cautionary note though. As useful as wormwood is in potions, in cures, and even in beverages, it can also be highly toxic if you ingest too much of it. It's a good reminder of how you should always treat even supposedly medicinal plants with healthy respect.

Use: Potions ingredient, cure, and flavouring.

Care Tips: Plant it somewhere with plenty of natural light and also keep it separate from other plants.