Infusion of Wormwood

• Type: Potion Ingredient
• Users/Brewers: Students of N.E.W.T.-level Potions, Harry Potter, Horace Slughorn
• Derived From: Wormwood

An Infusion of Wormwood is a prepared liquid ingredient used in Potions. While its exact appearance is not described in the novels, an infusion is typically created by steeping a plant substance, in this case Wormwood, in a liquid solvent like water to extract its chemical properties.

The primary known use of Infusion of Wormwood is as a crucial ingredient in brewing the Draught of Living Death, a very powerful Sleeping Draught. It is the final ingredient added during the brewing process. When added correctly to the nearly finished potion—which at that point should be a pale lilac or pink colour—it transforms the mixture into a state described as being “clear, liquid-like water,” signifying that the draught has been brewed to perfection. This suggests the infusion acts as a potent clarifying and stabilizing agent, finalizing the complex magical reactions within the potion.

The use of Infusion of Wormwood is documented in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sixth-year Potions textbook, Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage. Its inclusion in the advanced curriculum indicates it is a standard, albeit complex, ingredient known to potioneers for a considerable time.

The Infusion of Wormwood plays a crucial, though indirect, role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In his first Potions class with Professor Horace Slughorn, Harry Potter is tasked with brewing a perfect Draught of Living Death to win a phial of Felix Felicis. Using the annotated instructions in his borrowed copy of Advanced Potion-Making, which belonged to the Half-Blood Prince, Harry successfully creates the potion, far surpassing his classmates, including Hermione Granger. The addition of the Infusion of Wormwood is the final step he takes, which turns his potion clear and confirms his success. This achievement earns him the Felix Felicis as a prize from Slughorn. The “good luck potion” is later instrumental in helping Harry persuade Slughorn to give up a critical memory concerning Tom Riddle's inquiries about Horcruxes. The acquisition of this memory is a vital turning point in the war against Lord Voldemort, making the successful brewing of the draught—and by extension, the use of this ingredient—a key plot device.

• In the real world, Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a plant known for its bitter taste and its use in creating the alcoholic spirit absinthe. It has a long history in herbal medicine.
• The combination of Wormwood and Asphodel, the first ingredient mentioned for the Draught of Living Death, holds symbolic significance. In the Victorian language of flowers, asphodel is a type of lily meaning “my regrets follow you to the grave,” while wormwood symbolizes “absence” and bitter sorrow. This has led many fans to interpret the ingredients of this specific potion as a coded message from Severus Snape expressing his profound and bitter grief over the death of Lily Potter.