Potion

Potions (also called tinctures, draughts, tonics, and elixirs) are consumable medicines usually made by sorcerers or other magical beings. They often have magical properties and can be used to heal, enchant, or poison people.

Not all potions are however magical, as Gaius' natural mixtures were often called potions by him too, despite not being magical in nature.

Magical Potions

 * Mortaeus flower Antidote (The Poisoned Chalice).
 * Made from the leaves of the Mortaeus flower to counteract the poison made from the petals of that very same flower.
 * Required spell: "Seópan ærest wearð feasceaft funden. Denum æfter dom. Dreamleas gebad he gewann langsum."
 * Troll Glamour Potion (Beauty and the Beast).
 * This potion allowed trolls to adopt the appearance of humans. A female troll once used it to impersonate the Lady Catrina of Tregor, (though the potion itself was prepared by her servant, Jonas).
 * According to Gaius, this potion must possess very powerful magic to physically change her to such an extent. This is further supported by the fact that the troll's true image could not be seen in mirrors, which is a common weakness for magic of this type.
 * This potion can be affected by the Spell of Revelation. When Merlin cast the spell on the troll who was impersonating Catrina, she managed to resist its effects but had to quickly return to her room and take another dose of her potion.
 * Gaius was able to make a non-magical potion that looked and tasted exactly the same. Without the troll's magic, this potion had no effect and Catrina's true form was exposed. The known ingredients of this potion are: rat's guts, toad paste (two toads ground up), horse dung, crushed sheep's eyeball, pond scum, three wolf spiders, and a dash of sheep's brain.
 * Trickler's Love Potion (Sweet Dreams).
 * Because they influence the greatest force of all, Love Potions are known to be very powerful.
 * According to Merlin, there are over 636 love spells, and over 150 of them involve a lock of hair. Trickler made two versions of the same potion: one with a lock of Vivian's hair, which he used to enchant Arthur, and one with a lock of Arthur's hair, which he used to enchant Vivian.
 * To make this potion, Trickler brewed it over a candle (which he lit with magic), then waved a lock of hair over the potion while incanting a spell. He then placed a drop of the elixir on Arthur's and Vivian's eyes while they were sleeping.
 * Required spell: "Ales, læfe he híe þonne he áwæcaþ. Biþ his hyht þæt he her seón mote ána oftíe þonne ealle mán."
 * Morgause's Mandrake Root Potion (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).
 * Morgause and Morgana used this potion to traumatize Uther with hallucinations.
 * This potion was prepared in a large cauldron and had the appearance of a thick, black, dense liquid similar to dark mud. To create it, Morgause threw a Mandrake root and a handkerchief containing Uther's tears into the brew, then chanted a spell. When it was ready, she removed the root and instructed Morgana to hang it under Uther's bed.
 * According to the spell's translation, Morgause said that she was mixing Uther's tears with blood, which may indicate that blood was one of the potion's ingredients. This is supported by the fact that when Morgana tried to hide the Mandrake root under her cloak, a guard who saw the potion dripping thought that she was bleeding.
 * Morgana had to replace the Mandrake root under Uther's bed with a fresh one every night. Otherwise, the effect would begin to wear off.
 * Required spell: "Mid þæm wundorcræft þæs ealdan æwþ ic þe hate nime Utheres wopdropan ond þa gemengan mid his blod. Sy he under wittig ond deofol seocnes his heorte afylþ."
 * The Goblin's Potions (Goblin's Gold).
 * The Goblin who possessed Gaius created several potions with a variety of effects.
 * The potion that he gave Uther and sold to Gwen and other citizens of Camelot caused them to suffer from uncontrollable flatulence. (He also enchanted Morgana's sleeping draught to have the same effect.)
 * The Goblin gave Uther another potion to cure his baldness (which he'd also caused).
 * He secretly added a third potion to a flagon of ale that he served to Sir Leon and some other knights at the tavern. This potion caused boils to break out on the mens' faces.
 * The Goblin later sold Sir Leon another potion to cure the boils. He demanded an exorbitant price for it, but persuaded the knight to pay by telling him that he and the others would become plagued by itching so severe that it had driven men to madness.
 * Potion to De-Possess a Changeling (The Changeling).
 * According to Gaius, this potion was created long ago by the Witches of Meredor and had the power to force a faerie out of a changeling. He and Merlin intended to use it to force a Sidhe out of the Princess Elena.
 * Many of the potion's ingredients are unknown. According to Gaius, the Witches of Meredor were the worst recipe writers he'd ever known and he had no idea what a lot of the ingredients were.
 * One of the potion's ingredients was the stamen of the Dropwort flower, which were rarer than a four-leaf clover and grew in boggy and marshy terrain.
 * Alice's Healing Potion (Love in the Time of Dragons).
 * This potion had the appearance of blue dust and sparkled with magical power. Its ingredients may include hogwort and fenugreek.
 * Alice gave this potion to the innkeeper's wife in order to cure her dying husband. Combined with the power of a sorcerer's chime, its effects were strong enough to save the man's life.
 * Merlin's Ageing Potion (Queen of Hearts, A Lesson in Vengeance, With All My Heart).
 * Merlin used this potion to cast an ageing spell on himself.
 * He cast a blue powder made from unknown ingredients into a cauldron, then chanted a spell that caused the powder to explode. The white smoke that rose from the cauldron caused him to grow older.
 * Required spell: "Miht dagena, bepecce me. Adeaglie bisne gast min freondum ond min feondum."
 * Gaius's Antidote for Ageing Spells (Queen of Hearts).
 * Merlin and Gaius used this potion to counteract the effects of Merlin's ageing spell.
 * Gaius found the directions for this potion in the Book of Gallah. It took him almost an entire night to make.
 * The readable instructions that were shown on a page of the Book of Gallah were: "No other aging reversal antidote exists other than by using pure magic. Unless you have some sorcery skills then you will not be able to carry out the above antidote to reverse the spell that has been performed in order to make a person look older. Once you have gathered your ingredients together with a small drop of water and vinegar, you must bind the ingredients with magic. This may take up to three or more hours and this process cannot be rushed. Once the ingredients are bound, you will then heat the liquid at a graduate rate. The flame must be orange and not blue when..."
 * Morgause's Tracking Potion (The Coming of Arthur).
 * This potion had the appearance of white dust. Morgana secretly added it to Gwen's wine so that she and Morgause could track her to Arthur's hideout.
 * Required spell: "Beo þu leohte bewunden."
 * After a certain amount of time, the potion began to lose its power and Morgause had to incant another spell to reveal Gwen's path: "Scin scire."
 * Dragoon's Healing Potion (The Wicked Day).
 * According to Gaius, this potion was invented by Gwillem of Cambria, who was mad as a coot but one of the best healers of all.
 * Merlin (disguised as Dragoon the Great) attempted to use this potion to heal Uther of his fatal stab wound. Gaius instructed him to use only four drops; any more than that could be dangerous.
 * After placing four drops of the potion on Uther's lips, Merlin held a sage branch over the king's body and used his magic to make it smolder and smoke. As the incense wafted over Uther, Merlin incanted a healing spell: "Efencume ætgædre, eala gastas cræftige: gestricie pis lic forod."
 * Morgana was seen preparing some potions when Agravaine arrived to tell her that he'd failed to steal the plans to the siege tunnels beneath Camelot (The Hunter's Heart).
 * Gaius's Potion for Viewing Spirits (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon).
 * After Arthur accidentally released his father's spirit into the living world, Gaius prepared this potion to allow him and Merlin to see the dead king's ghost.
 * The potion was green in color and Gaius was uncertain of its effects. Because of this, Arthur waited for Merlin to drink his vial first so he could be sure that it wasn't poisonous. Merlin drank the elixir, but deliberately kept a straight face so that Arthur would be caught off guard by its foul taste.

Non-Magical Potions

 * Hollyhock and Feverfew Potion (The Dragon's Call).
 * Gaius asked Merlin to deliver this potion to the Lady Percival. The effects of this potion are unknown.
 * He also asked Merlin to deliver a potion to the blind Sir Olwin. The ingredients and effects of this potion are unknown, but he warned Merlin not to let Olwin drink it all at once.
 * Yarrow and Rosemary Potion (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).
 * Gaius used this potion in an attempt to cure Morgana's mysterious illness.
 * According to Gaius, the rosemary was supposed to stimulate cerebral circulation.
 * Edwin Muirden's Potion (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).
 * Edwin used this potion to temporarily paralyze Uther. The king was unable to move or speak while under its effects; only his eyes remained mobile.
 * He persuaded Uther to take it by claiming that it was a more effective pain reliever than the arnica that Gaius had been prescribing.
 * Gaius's Sleeping Draught (The Dragon's Call, The Gates of Avalon, The Nightmare Begins, Goblin's Gold).
 * Gaius often prepared Morgana sleeping draughts to alleviate her nightmares. He began giving her stronger versions of the draught as her nightmares grew more intense, but the potion failed to stop her dreams.
 * Uther instructed Gaius to administer a sleeping draught to Arthur in order to prevent him from fighting the wraith of Tristan de Bois (Excalibur).
 * Morgana once used her sleeping draught to drug the prison guards, allowing Alvarr to escape (The Witch's Quickening).
 * Anhora's Sleeping Draught (The Labyrinth of Gedref).
 * The sorcerer Anhora tricked Arthur into ingesting a sleeping draught as part of a test. The prince drank it under the impression that it was a mixture of poison and water, thus sacrificing his life for Merlin's and proving that he was truly pure of heart.
 * Aredian's Tincture of Belladonna (The Witchfinder).
 * Belladonna is primarily used for the alleviation of ulcers, allergies, and muscular inflammation. Under certain conditions, a tincture of the flower can produce hallucinations.
 * Aredian coerced a local apothecary into selling the tincture as eyedrops. When the women who bought and used the eyedrops began to hallucinate, the Witchfinder used their testimonies as evidence that magic was being practiced in Camelot.
 * Hemlock Poison (The Fires of Idirsholas).
 * Merlin used this potion to poison Morgana after he discovered that she was source of a sleeping spell affecting all of Camelot. Believing Morgana to be in league with Morgause, he mixed the poison with water and tricked her into drinking it.
 * Victims of hemlock poisoning find it difficult to breathe and then slowly fall unconscious. If left untreated, this poison is almost certainly fatal.
 * Merlin's Poison (Goblin's Gold).
 * When Gaius was possessed by a Goblin, Merlin used a potion made from unknown ingredients to poison him. He administered the poison by pouring it over the contents of the Goblin's treasure chest, which the creature had a habit of licking.
 * Symptoms include loss of consciousness and possibly paralysis. If the antidote was not administered within minutes, the victim would die.
 * Antidote to Merlin's Poison (Goblin's Gold).
 * Merlin used this potion to counteract the poison he'd given Gaius. It was made from unknown ingredients and had the appearance of a white liquid.
 * This antidote had to be administered within minutes of the poison being ingested, or else the victim would die.
 * Potion to Alleviate Pain (Love in the Time of Dragons).
 * Known ingredients: hemlock, nightshade, and valerian.
 * Gaius prescribed this potion for Uther to treat an old battle wound. The king had to take it daily.
 * Alice (under the Manticore's power) poisoned Uther by adding the creature's venom to this potion.
 * Aconite Poison (A Servant of Two Masters).
 * Aconite (also known as wolfsbane) was the deadliest poison known to man and had the appearance of a dark blue liquid.
 * While under the influence of a Fomorroh, Merlin tried to kill Arthur by lacing his food with this poison. When he discovered that the King had already eaten, he angrily threw the lunch in a pigpen. The pig who ate it was found dead hours later.
 * Gaius's Potion (Arthur's Bane).
 * This potion had the appearance of a dark red liquid.
 * Its ingredients and effects are unknown, but Gaius told Sefa that it would make her execution easier to bear.
 * Sindri's Valerian and Henbane Poison (A Lesson in Vengeance).
 * Sindri recommended this poison to Morgana when she asked him for a tincture that would kill slowly and with the utmost pain.
 * According to the apothecary, two drops of valerian would render the victim unconscious, and a single drop of henbane administered through the ear would then result in a death as prolonged and unpleasant as one could wish for.
 * Morgana gave this potion to Gwen (who had been brainwashed by Morgana with dark magic) so that she could poison Arthur.
 * The sweating, corruption of the skin, and traces of tincture around the ear allowed Gaius to recognize the poison, but only Merlin's magic was able to save Arthur from certain death.
 * Morgana's Poison (The Hollow Queen).
 * This poison was made from unknown ingredients and had the appearance of an inky black liquid.
 * Morgana used it to poison Merlin after she knocked him unconscious with a stunning spell. She claimed that the agony caused by the poison would make Merlin glad when death finally came. It also caused him to foam at the mouth and bleed black blood from sores.
 * Interestingly, Merlin's attempts to use magic to heal himself of the poison failed.
 * Antidote for Morgana's Poison (The Hollow Queen).
 * Known ingredients: rue, milfoil, and yarrow.
 * Merlin instructed Daegal to grind these plants into a tincture, which he then drank.
 * Drinking this potion caused Merlin to convulse. It is unknown whether the poison or the antidote caused this reaction.
 * Gaius's Tincture of Belladonna (With All My Heart).
 * A powerful and dangerous drug that was generally used for the badly wounded. It caused the patient to enter a deep sleep for a few hours.
 * To provide a continuous sleep, two drops of the tincture had to be administered every two hours, but for no more than three days; the body would not tolerate it.
 * Arthur, Merlin, and Gaius used this tincture to drug Gwen so they could transport her to the Cauldron of Arianrhod.

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Dragon's Call
 * The Poisoned Chalice
 * A Remedy to Cure All Ills
 * The Gates of Avalon
 * Excalibur
 * The Labyrinth of Gedref


 * Series 2
 * The Nightmare Begins
 * Beauty and the Beast
 * The Witchfinder
 * Sweet Dreams
 * The Witch's Quickening
 * The Fires of Idirsholas


 * Series 3
 * The Tears of Uther Pendragon, Part 1
 * Goblin's Gold
 * The Changeling
 * Love in the Time of Dragons
 * Queen of Hearts
 * The Coming of Arthur, Part 2


 * Series 4
 * The Wicked Day
 * A Servant of Two Masters
 * The Hunter's Heart


 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane, Part 2
 * The Death Song of Uther Pendragon
 * A Lesson in Vengeance
 * The Hollow Queen
 * With All My Heart