Brew a Potion Day is celebrated on January 19 every year. It’s a fun day to put on your witchiest best and get to brewing. Potions have become a part of popular culture through games like “Minecraft” and fantasy series like “Harry Potter;” with a full inventory of potions and witches and wizards brewing them. Potions are liquid concoctions popularly expected to be magical in some way. For the most part, they were and are still brewed to cure different diseases, but some make people immortal or fall in love!
History of Brew a Potion Day
Potions, taken from the Latin ‘potare,’ meaning ‘to drink,’ have long been associated with women. In the 1100s to 1400s Europe, women were the most respected source of medication for all the illnesses people experienced. Women would brew potions made primarily of herbs, oils, and other natural ingredients with specific healing properties. These homemade potions would be accompanied by soup or restorative teas and were an important part of early medicine on the continent. Apothecaries were the early pharmacies, and just about anyone could set one up. Owners of the apothecaries would make potions from scratch that they would sell as medicine, and female-owned apothecaries were highly respected – a lot of the famous ‘potioneers’ in the world were women. These potions were for humans and animals.
Of course, there would always be people selling concoctions for money without really thinking about what went into it. Love potions were very popular, as were potions for luck, general good health, and immortality. People would get duped into buying these potions that made false promises and sometimes had dangerous ingredients. There wasn’t a lot of information about the properties of some plants and herbs at the time so it was very common for poisonous ingredients to be used in potions, causing harm to those who drank them.
The different types of potions include restorative potions to cure sicknesses, immortality potions for people who wanted to live forever, and hallucinogenic potions for spiritual practices. Brew a Potion Day encourages making potions to support health and well-being so choose your ingredients wisely!
Brew a Potion Day timeline
The word 'potion' is first used in French to mean 'draught' or medicine that can be drunk.
Peddlers begin to go door to door, selling magical healing potions and elixirs.
Apothecaries become cheaper and more accessible alternatives to medical care than doctors.
This U.K. Parliamentary Act brings an end to unregulated apothecaries and the potions sold in them.
Brew a Potion Day FAQs
What is an example of a potion?
Love potions are the most well-known types. They’re herbal mixes drunk to help people fall in love.
Where can I buy potions?
In the Middle Ages, apothecaries were the places to purchase potions. These days, you’ll have to find the local witch in your community.
What is the difference between potions and alchemy?
Potion-making involves putting ingredients together to make something new. Alchemy is breaking things apart to study first before creating something new.
Brew a Potion Day Activities
Brew a potion for your loved ones!
What better way to celebrate Brew a Potion Day than by getting out your cauldron and brewing a potion for the people you love? Just make sure to use wholesome ingredients.
Sell some potions at a farmer’s market
Just like in the old days, you can sell your potions at a farmer’s market or garage sale today! However, be sure to list out your ingredients so people know what they’re getting into!
Research herbs for potions
Traditionally, potions were made with all-natural ingredients, and some of those probably worked too. Put your research skills to use and figure out which of these herbs you can safely use in your potions.
5 Facts About Potions That You Probably Didn’t Know
Courtesans were supposed to be potions experts
A lot of people believed that courtesans knew everything about love potions and salves.
Potions were more trustworthy than pills
A lot of quack doctors sold fake immunity potions to people during the Great Plague of London by relying on this trust in potions.
Glamor first existed through potions
'Glamorous’ and ‘glamor’ first referred to the beauty created by witches through spells and potions.
‘Dragon’s blood’ is a tree resin
The resin of the Dracaena Draco has antiseptic and antibiotic properties.
Mandrake was used in sleeping potions
Mandrake helps people sleep, but it can be poisonous in large quantities.
Why We Love Brew a Potion Day
We like to brew potions
Brewing potions makes us feel magical and witchy. We can put together sweet drinks to bring health and good luck to our loved ones.
To celebrate the utility of potions
Made correctly and with the right ingredients, potions can’t give people immortality, but they can help support health and general well-being. They also help us understand the natural herbs around us and their many benefits.
To learn about the history of potions
Potions were the first medicines accessible to people, and they played an important role in women’s history. They also laid the foundation for alchemy and today's science.
Brew a Potion Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | January 19 | Sunday |
| 2026 | January 19 | Monday |
| 2027 | January 19 | Tuesday |
| 2028 | January 19 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | January 19 | Friday |
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