Sophora Bean

• Type: Potion Ingredient
• Owners: None (consumable ingredient)
• Maker: Natural (part of the Sophora plant)

A Sophora bean is a magical potion ingredient. Its appearance is not described in the original novels. In the video game adaptations, it is depicted as a small, lustrous, silver-colored bean (video game). The name suggests it is harvested from a plant belonging to the real-world Sophora genus, a group of evergreen trees and shrubs.

The Sophora bean is known for its use in curative potions. Its specific properties are believed to be soothing and restorative, making it effective in remedies for minor physical ailments like boils. Its two primary known uses come from sources outside the original novels:

1. As an ingredient in the Cure for Boils (Pottermore). This potion is a simple remedy taught to first-year students at Hogwarts.
2. As an ingredient in the Wiggenweld Potion, a healing potion that awakens a person from a magically-induced sleep and can mend minor injuries (video game).

It is important to note that the Boil-Curing Potion brewed in Professor Snape's first class in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone does not use Sophora beans. The ingredients for that specific potion are dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, stewed horned slugs, and porcupine quills.

The history of the Sophora bean's use in potion-making is not documented in the main narrative of the *Harry Potter* series. It is presumed to be a standard, commonly available ingredient for apothecaries.

The Sophora bean does not appear and is never mentioned in the seven original *Harry Potter* novels. Its presence in the wizarding world is established through supplementary materials and adaptations.

• The Sophora bean is a non-book-canon item, introduced to the lore through the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets video games and later catalogued on the Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website.
• In the video games, Sophora beans are collectible items Harry Potter must find to brew the Wiggenweld Potion (video game).
• The name is derived from Sophora, a real-world genus of plants in the legume family. Some species of Sophora have been used in traditional medicine, which aligns with the bean's use in healing potions.