Skyrim Alchemy Guide -- The Potions, Poisons And Ingredients Of The Elder Scrolls 5

Alchemy in Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim can be daunting. The potions, poisons and ingredients of Skyrim are just as numerous as everything else in the game, so there are endless powders, plants and other items littered throughout the huge game world. Each ingredient has four effects, making for a nearly infinite number of possible combinations. You can mix up potions randomly at the game's many alchemy stations, but you'll end up with a lot of useless mixtures through trial and error. The path to creating useful draughts that restore health or bring other effects takes know-how and patience. To save you some headache, we've created this lovely Alchemy Guide for Skyrim.

The basic rule: Potions and poisons are created by combining items that share a common effect. Combine two ingredients that boost health, and you've got a health boosting potion. Simple... except that you can't tell immediatly what effect an ingredient has.

Luckily, the first effect of any ingredient can be discovered by simply eating the item, at your own risk of course. After that, you'll unlock ingredient effects through creating successful potions or poisons, or unlocking alchemical perks through the game's skill tree.

Below you'll find a list (in alphabetical order) of the effects you can replicate via potions, and ingredients that offer those properties. But before we list them we think we should warn you, G4 does not condone sneaking into an alchemy store and stealing these ingredients, even though it would be way easier than actually looking for them. 

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Cure Disease = Charred Skeever Hide, Hawk Feathers, Mudcrab Chitin, Vampire Dust

Damage Health = Crimson Nirnroot, Deathbell, Ectoplasm, Falmer Ear, Human Flesh, Human Heart, Imp Stool, Jarrin Root, Nightshade, Nirnroot, Red Mountain Flower, River Betty, Skeever Tail, Small Antlers, Troll Fat, Void Salts

Damage Magika = Butterfly Wing, Chaurus Eggs, Daedra Heart, Eye of Sabre Cat, Glow Dust, Hagraven Feathers, Hanging Moss, Human Heart, Jarrin Root, Luna Moth Wing, Namira's Rot, Nordic Barnacle

Damage Magika Regen = Bear Claws, Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Chicken's Egg, Glow Dust, Hanging Moss, Human Heart, Jarrin Root, Nightshade, Spider Egg, Spriggan Sap

Damage Stamina = Blisterwort, Blue Butterfly Wing, Bone Meal, Canis Root, Crimson Nirnroot, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Giant's Toe, Jarrin Root, Nirnroot, Rock Warbler Egg, Spider Egg

Damage Stamina Regen = Creep Cluster, Daedra Heart, Frost Mirriam, Giant's Toe, Histcarp, Juniper Berries, Large Antlers, Silverside Perch, Skeever Tail, Wheat

Fear = Blue Dartwing, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Daedra Heart, Namira's Rot, Powdered Mammoth Tusk

Fortify Alteration = Grass Pod, River Betty, Spriggan Sap

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Fortify Barter = Butterfly Wing, Dragon's Tongue, Hagraven Claw, Tundra Cotton

Fortify Block = Bleeding Crown, Briar Heart, Honeycomb, Pearl, Slaughterfish Scales, Tundra Cotton

Fortify Carry Weight = Creep Cluster, Giant's Toe, Hawk Beak, River Betty, Scaly Pholiata, Wisp Wrappings

Fortify Conjuration = Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Bone Meal, Frost Salts, Hagraven Feathers, Lavender

Fortify Destruction = Beehive Husk, Ectoplasm, Glow Dust, Glowing Mushroom, Nightshade, Wisp Wrappings

Fortify Enchanting = Blue Butterfly Wing, Hagraven Claw, Snowberries, Spriggan Sap

Fortify Health = Bear Claws, Blue Mountain Flower, Giant's Toe, Glowing Mushroom, Hanging Moss, Wheat

Fortify Heavy Armor = Ice Wraith Teeth, Sabre Cat Tooth, Slaughterfish Scales, Thistle Branch, White Cap

Fortify Illusion = Dragon's Tongue, Dwarven Oil, Mora Tapinella, Scaly Pholiata, Taproot

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Fortify Light Armor = Ice Wraith Teeth, Sabre Cat Tooth, Slaughterfish Scales, Thistle Branch, White Cap

Fortify Lockpicking = Falmer Ear, Namira's Rot, Pine Thrush Egg, Spider Egg

Fortify Magicka    = Briar Heart, Ectoplasm, Histcarp, Jazbay Grapes, Red Mountain Flower, Tundra Cotton, Void Salts

Fortify Marksman = Canis Root, Elves Ear, Juniper Berries, Spider Egg

Fortify One-Handed = Bear Claws, Canis Root, Hanging Moss, Hawk Feathers, Rock Warbler Egg, Small Pearl

Fortify Pickpocket = Blue Dartwing, Nordic Barnacle, Orange Dartwing, Slaughterfish Egg

Fortify Restoration = Abecean Longfin, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Salt Pile, Small Antlers, Small Pearl

Fortify Smithing = Blisterwort, Glowing Mushroom, Sabre Cat Tooth, Spriggan Sap

Fortify Sneak = Abecean Longfin, Beehive Husk, Frost Mirriam, Hawk Feathers, Human Flesh, Powdered Mammoth Tusk, Purple Mountain Flower

Fortify Stamina = Chaurus Eggs, Garlic, Large Antlers, Lavender, Slaughterfish Egg, Torchbug Thorax

Lingering Damage Health = Imp Stool, Mora Tapinella, Orange Dartwing, Slaughterfish Egg, Slaughterfish Scales

Lingering Damage Magicka = Hagraven Claw, Purple Mountain Flower, Swamp Fungal Pod, Torchbug Thorax, Wheat

Lingering Damage Stamina = Butterfly Wing, Chicken's Egg, Nightshade, Small Antlers

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Paralysis = Briar Heart, Canis Root, Human Flesh, Imp Stool, Swamp Fungal Pod

Ravage Health =    Cyrodilic Spadetail, Eye of Sabre Cat, Giant Lichen, Jazbay Grapes, Silverside Perch, Skeever Tail

Ravage Magicka = Frost Mirriam, Grass Pod, Lavender, Orange Dartwing, Red Mountain Flower, White Cap

Ravage Stamina  = Bee, Bone Meal, Deathbell, Honeycomb, Thistle Branch

Regenerate Health = Garlic, Juniper Berries, Luna Moth Wing, Namira's Rot, Nordic Barnacle, Vampire Dust

Regenerate Magicka = Dwarven Oil, Fire Salts, Garlic, Jazbay Grapes, Moon Sugar, Salt Pile, Taproot

Regenerate Stamina = Bee, Fly Amanita, Mora Tapinella, Scaly Pholiata

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Resist Fire = Bone Meal, Dragon's Tongue, Elves Ear, Fire Salts, Fly Amanita, Mudcrab Chitin, Snowberries

Resist Frost = Frost Mirriam, Frost Salts, Hawk Beak, Moon Sugar, Purple Mountain Flower, Silverside Perch, Slaughterfish Scales, Small Pearl, Snowberries, Thistle Branch

Resist Magic = Bleeding Crown, Chicken's Egg, Crimson Nirnroot, Hagraven Claw, Lavender, Nirnroot, Tundra Cotton, Void Salts, Wisp Wrappings

Resist Poison = Beehive Husk, Charred Skeever Hide, Falmer Ear, Garlic, Grass Pod, Mudcrab Chitin, Slaughterfish Egg, Thistle Branch, Troll Fat

Resist Shock = Blue Dartwing, Glow Dust, Glowing Mushroom, Hawk Beak, Pearl, Pine Thrush Egg, Snowberries, Swamp Fungal Pod

Restore Health = Blisterwort, Blue Dartwing, Blue Mountain Flower, Butterfly Wing, Charred Skeever Hide, Daedra Heart, Eye of Sabre Cat, Imp Stool, Rock Warbler Egg, Swamp Fungal Pod, Wheat

Restore Magicka  =  Briar Heart, Creep Cluster, Dwarven Oil, Ectoplasm, Elves Ear, Fire Salts, Frost Salts, Giant Lichen, Grass Pod, Human Flesh, Moon Sugar, Mora Tapinella, Pearl, Red Mountain Flower, Taproot, Vampire Dust, White Cap

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Restore Stamina  = Bear Claws, Bee, Charred Skeever Hide, Eye of Sabre Cat, Hawk Beak, Histcarp, Honeycomb, Large Antlers, Mudcrab Chitin, Orange Dartwing, Pearl, Pine Thrush Egg, Powdered Mammoth Tusk, Purple Mountain Flower, Sabre Cat Tooth, Silverside Perch, Small Pearl, Torchbug Thorax, Wisp Wrappings

Slow = Deathbell, Large Antlers, River Betty, Salt Pile

Waterbreathing = Chicken's Egg, Histcarp, Nordic Barnacle

Weakness to Fire = Bleeding Crown, Frost Salts, Ice Wraith Teeth, Juniper Berries, Moon Sugar, Powdered Mammoth Tusk

Weakness to Frost = Abecean Longfin, Elves Ear, Fire Salts, Ice Wraith Teeth, White Cap

Weakness to Magic = Creep Cluster, Dwarven Oil, Jazbay Grapes, Rock Warbler Egg, Salt Pile, Scaly Pholiata, Taproot, Torchbug Thorax

Weakness to Poison = Abecean Longfin, Bleeding Crown, Chaurus Eggs, Deathbell, Giant Lichen, Pine Thrush Egg, Sabre Cat Tooth, Small Antlers

Weakness to Shock = Bee, Giant Lichen, Hagraven Feathers, Void Salts

And there you have it, the many potions of Skyrim. If you seek more guidance, check out our Guide to our Skyrim Guides.