Potion

In the Legend of Zelda series, Potions are purely medicinal drinks with magical properties that can heal Link, refill his Magic Meter, or both, although there are also potions with unique effects. Potions are often contained in bottles, in which cases Link can't buy or obtain a potion unless he has an empty bottle. In games without bottles as items present, potions are standalone items.

Common Potions
These potions, the Red, Green, and Blue Potions are the most common in the Zelda franchise, as they perform the most basic and relevant behaviors to Link: that of health replenishment, magical restoration, and for the most part, a combination of the two, respectively. They first appear in A Link to the Past, where they were called Medicines, and have been seen in the series numerous times since.

Red Potion
The Red Potion is the most prevalent concoction found in the Zelda series, seen often between the release of A Link to the Past, in which is was called Medicine of Life, to that of Spirit Tracks. In all of its incarnations, it operates as a health potion. It can be found in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and other games. The replenishment rate of this potion differs and interestingly has recently declined in functionality in the past few games. From A Link to the Past to The Minish Cap, the Red Potion has restored all of Link's hearts. However, with the release of Twilight Princess, this potion has fallen to restoring only eight hearts, and finally came to an all-time-low of a six heart restoration in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. The DS games eliminated the need for Link to carry Red Potions in Bottles as their containers are provided. As seen in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, it appears that Red Chu Jelly shares similar properties to Red Potion.

Green Potion
The Green Potion, first introduced in A Link to the Past as Medicine of Magic, is the chemistry concoction that responds exclusively to the Magic Meter, restoring the entire magic bar, regardless of the meter's size. Often, this potion can be bought in potion shops alongside the Red Potion at a cheaper cost. Out of the three common potions, Green Potion costs the least in terms of rupees. In games that don't feature the magic bar, however, the green potion does not exist. It survived the jump to 3D, available in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. In The Wind Waker, it can be obtained once 15 "globs" of Green Chu Jelly were given to Doc Bandam, and can be bought for 10 rupees after that. The Green Potion has not been seen in the series since.

Blue Potion
The Blue Potion is the "jack-of-all-trades" of its kind: in its most common form, it replenishes not only a full magic meter, but the majority if not all of Link's hearts, as well. Blue Potion is often the most expensive purchase at a potion shop, and rightly so, considering its dual replenishment qualities. It debuted in A Link to the Past as Medicine of Life and Magic or Cure-All Medicine, and it is available at the Magic Shop. Link can obtain it in the Potion Shop as an adult in Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask requires Link to give Kotake a Mushroom before she will sell Blue Potions at the Magic Hags' Potion Shop. Similarly in The Wind Waker, Link must give 15 globs of Blue Chu Jelly to Doc Bandam before he will begin selling Blue Potion at the Chu Jelly Juice Shop. Every time Link collects 4 Boko Baba Seeds, he can hand them over to Hollo of the Koroks and he'll make a Blue Potion.

While the Blue Potion is usually associated with restoring both health and magic, it is seen in games with the absence of a Magic Meter. This potion appears in The Minish Cap. The Blue Potion is the first potion available from Syrup's hut. It has only a healing value of ten hearts. It is seen again in Twilight Princess, where it heals all of Link's hearts. . This Potion requires Link to have his own Bottle to be carried.

Other Potions
There are many other potions which appear in the series in many forms, but most work in the same fashion as Red Potion, providing Link health. These potions are usually red, but they do come in a variety of colors, especially in recent Zelda titles. The amount of life these potions restore to link also varies, as well as their names. While most potions are used manually, some act as some fairies do, refilling Link's health when he is devoid of hearts. Most of these potions do not require a Bottle to be obtained.

Water of Life
The first potion in the series, only an usable item in The Legend of Zelda, Link can purchase the Water of Life after he has shown the Letter to an Old Woman. It will completely refill Link's vitality whenever he chooses to drink it. The water comes in two varieties. The blue Life Potion lasts one use. The red 2nd Potion will last two uses, turning into a Life Potion after the first use. The items disappears from the inventory after consumption.

In The Adventure of Link, the Water of Life is hidden in a cave just west of the Midoro Palace and must be given to an Old Woman in the Harbor Town of Mido who asks Link for his help in saving her sick daughter. To enter the cave, Link must have the hammer to break the boulder sealing it. The Water of Life itself is guarded by three Dairas. After returning the medicine to the elderly woman, she rewards Link by allowing him inside her house, where he meets an Old Man who teaches him the Fairy Spell.

The Water of Life also appears in the ambiguously canon Legend of Zelda comic. In Trust Me, after the townsfolk of the Water Town of Saria build a dam following Zelda's advice since their land was infertile, the dam unfortunately does not work and the princess comes to the conclusion that the land is cursed. At that moment, Ganon appears and presents a bottle which contains the magical Water of Life, and says that it will heal Saria's fields. However, he refuses to give it over until Link is captured, and the desperate citizens do so to obtain the Water of Life from the Prince of Darkness.

Secret Medicine
In Link's Awakening, Link can purchase a unique Secret Medicine from a woman named Crazy Tracy for 42 rupees, but only 28 rupees for the first purchase. This is the first potion to work automatically, as it will activate when Link loses all of his hearts, completely refilling them, and then it will disappear from his inventory. Only one Secret Medicine can be carried at a time. According to Crazy Tracy, this is rubbed on Link when he purchases it, rather than being drunk from a bottle. Even so, the Secret Medicine is seen in Link's inventory until it is applied.

Magic Potion
This potion is similar to Secret Medicine. This red-colored potion can be found in both Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. In these games, it can be obtained through purchase from Syrup's shop, by taking it if Maple drops one, or as contents of a Gasha Nut. In either game, only one of these potions can be held at once. The Magic Potion is consumed automatically when Link would otherwise die, filling all of his lost hearts instantly. In Oracle of Ages, Magic Potion is also used to cure King Zora of his deathly illness.

Tings
Tings are accessible when using the Tingle Tuner in The Wind Waker. Link can purchase three types of these potions called Tings, from Tingle which correspond to the usual effects of Red, Green, and Blue potions for 20, 30, or 60 Rupees respectively. Once bought, Tingle will deliver the Ting to Link by balloon, as seen on the Game Boy Advance screen, which will instantly replenish all his hearts, his magic, or both depending on the color bought. Furthering participation in Tingle's sidequests will cause Tingle to cut his prices.

Chu Jelly
While Chu Jelly is used to make potions in The Wind Waker, it can be used directly after defeating ChuChus in Twilight Princess. All Link has to do is scoop the jelly up with a Bottle before drinking it. Depending on the color, Chu Jelly will have the same effects as potions of the same in color in the game. Purple Chu Jelly has random effects, and Link cannot drink Yellow Chu Jelly, as it works as Lantern Oil. Rare Chu Jelly has shares the same effects as Great Fairy's Tears, refilling all of Link's health and boosting his sword's strength until he receives damage.

Purple Potion
In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Purple Potions restore eight of Link's hearts and can be bought at various store for the price of 150 Rupees. The purple potion will also restore eight of Link's hearts when he has none left, much like fairies do in other games.

Yellow Potion
Yellow Potions are the most powerful potions and restore all of Link's life hearts in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

In Phantom Hourglass, the yellow potion can only be purchased from the Masked Ship for 200 Rupees. This shop ship appears only between 10 a.m. and noon according to the internal DS clock. The Yellow Potion in Spirit Tracks can be bought in the Goron Country Store and the Papuchia Shop for 200 Rupees.

Gold Potion
Gold Potion is only featured in the A Link to the Past Satellaview 'expansion', The Ancient Stone Tablets. As well as replenishing both health and magic, it temporarily allows the hero (not Link in this game) to charge Spin Attacks twice as quickly and makes him twice as strong with sword attacks until the first hit.

Gold Potion is apparently the precursor to the Elixir Soup found in The Wind Waker, Chateau Romani, and the Great Fairy's Tears found in Twilight Princess, which work in a similar manner.

Potion Shops
There have been several potion brewers throughout the Legend of Zelda games, and they use different ingredients to create their potions. Syrup, a witch who has appeared in several games, apparently uses Mushrooms to create her potions, and so do Kotake and Koume in Majora's Mask. In The Wind Waker, Doc Bandam from Windfall Island uses Chu Jelly obtained from ChuChus to create different potions, while Hollo the Korok uses the magic inside Boko Baba Seeds to make Blue Potion.

In the games in which these characters don't appear, the origin of potions is unknown, although in Twilight Princess, it is possible that at least some of them are made with Chu Jelly as in The Wind Waker. Evidence for this is that the remains of a defeated ChuChu leaves a blob that when scooped into a bottle will act as a potion. However, Trill states that Red Potion is made from a mix of mushrooms and herbs.

Trivia

 * In Majora's Mask, Green Potion can be bought at the Southern Swamp Potion Shop for ten rupees. However, the Curiosity Shop will buy it for twenty.
 * In Twilight Princess, although it doesn't appear in-game, the game's memory retains data for a Magic Potion, since the game was originally meant to have a magic meter, as seen in some screenshots on the back of the Wii version box. It is possible to create green ChuChu jelly by allowing a blue and a yellow ChuChu to merge, creating a green ChuChu, but the jelly Link gets from killing it does nothing.
 * Link winces as he drinks potions in The Wind Waker, so it can be surmised that they do not have an agreeable taste.