Potion

In the Legend of Zelda series, Potions (or Medicines, as they are called in A Link to the Past) are special drinks with magical properties that can heal Link, refill his magic meter or both, although there are also potions with unique effects. In games with bottles, potions are usually kept in them, and Link can't buy or obtain a potion unless he has an empty bottle. In games with no bottles (as items) present, like the original Legend of Zelda and some of the handheld games, potions are stand-alone items that can be used up once.

Potion making
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 presumed that they are made with Chu Jelly as in The Wind Waker.

Types of potions
Many different types of potions exist in the Legend of Zelda series, usually differentiated with their color. The three most common types of potion are Red Potion, Green Potion, and Blue Potion.

Red Potion
Red Potion, in all games it has appeared in, is used to recover Link's health. However, the amount of health the potion actually recovers varies from game to game. It debuted in A Link to the Past, in which it replenished all of Link's hearts, property which it mantained in most subsequent games: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, and The Minish Cap. However, in Twilight Princess, it only recovered eight of Link's hearts. In Phantom Hourglass, it made again a regression, since in that game it only recovers six of Link's hearts.

Green Potion
Green Potion (or Magic Medicine, as it is called in A Link to the Past) completely recovers Link's magic meter in all games it has appeared in, acting like a portable Magic Jar. It debuted which are all games with a magic meter since A Link to the Past, in which it could be bought from Syrup the witch for 60 rupees. It survived the jump to 3D, and along with the other most common potions, it changed its name in Ocarina of Time where could be bought, as an adult, in Kakariko Village's Potion Shop. In Majora's Mask, it could be bought from Koume in the Southern Swamp Potion Shop. In The Wind Waker, it could be obtained once 15 drops of Green Chu Jelly were given to Doc Bandam, and could be bought for 10 rupees after that. 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.

Blue Potion
Of the three most common potions in the Legend of Zelda series, the Blue Potion's special properties have changed the most. It debuted, like the other two, in A Link to the Past, in which it fully recovered both magic and health, making it the 'ultimate potion'. It retains this property in subsequent games with a magic meter; that is, in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker. However, it has also appeared in games without a magic meter, in which this potion would only heal Link. The amount of health it would recover is different in both games. In The Minish Cap, it was only a weaker alterntive for the Red Potion, while on Twilight Princess, it was a stronger alternative, healing all hearts, as the Red Potion itself didn't in this game.

Other color potions
Although the three above are the most common, other colors of potion have appeared in the series.
 * Gold Potion - This 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 allowed the hero (not Link in this game) to charge Spin Attacks twice as quickly and being twice as strong with sword attacks until the first hit. It is apparently the precursor to the Elixir Soup found in The Wind Waker and the Great Fairy's Tears found in Twilight Princess.
 * Purple Potion - Found only in Phantom Hourglass, this potion replenishes eight of Link's hearts when used, but it has the power to automatically revive Link when he falls in battle. It replaces the function fairies occupied in several past games. They can be purchased for approximately 180 rupees.
 * Yellow Potion - Also found only in Phantom Hourglass, this potion simply replenishes all of Link's hearts. It is the most powerful of the potions found in this game.

Potions in the original Legend of Zelda
In the original Legend of Zelda, potions are different from all subsequent Zelda games in which they are found, since they are not identified by color. Instead, there are two different potions, both of which can be bought from medicine shops after Link finds the Letter.
 * Life Potion - This potion, blue in color, simply replinishes all of Link's hearts. It is one use only, and disappears from the inventory once used, since bottles aren't in this game. It costs 40 rupees.
 * 2nd Potion - This red-colored potion also replenishes Link's hearts, but can be used twice. After it is used once, it turns into a Life Potion. It costs 60 rupees.