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. Evidence for this is that the remains of a defeated Chu leaves a blob that when scooped into a bottle may act as a potion.

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 maintained 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 in 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 - now known simply the "Green Potion - could be bought in Ocarina of Time, 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
The Blue Potion first appeared in A Link to the Past and is used to restore both Health and Magic. Just like Red Potion and Green Potion you need an empty bottle to carry it in. In Majora's Mask you can either purchase a bottle of Blue Potion from the Ikana Canyon Business Scrub for 100 rupees or you give a Magic Mushroom to Kotake at the Magic Hags' Potion Shop who will then use it to create Blue Potions and sell them to you for 60 rupees each. They cure the Curse status Blue Bubbles inflict. There are two ways to obtain the Blue Potion in The Wind Waker. The first is to collect 4 Boko Baba Seeds from killing Boko Babas and then giving them to Hollo who will mix a blue potion for you. The second way is to collect 15 Blue Chu Jellys from Blue ChuChus and trade them to Doc Bandam on Windfall Island. He will use them to make a Blue Potion and give you the first sample for free, and from then on will have it for sale at 60 rupees a bottle. In the whole game, the blue potion is considered the 'ultimate potion' because it can restore your magic power and your health.There are also two ways to obtain Blue Potion in Twilight Princess. The first way is to slay a Blue Chu, found rarely throughout Hyrule and several dungeons, especially the Lakebed Temple, and scoop up its remains into an empty bottle. The remains of a Blue Chu act similarly to the blue potion would, restoring all hearts. The second way is to simply buy the potion itself from the Goron's son in Kakariko Village, the shop in the City in the Sky, or from Malo Mart in Hyrule Castle at a reduced price. In Twilight Princess however, the Blue Potion only restores hearts as the magic meter was left out on this one.

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 most 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. In the Japanese, these potions are known as "Water of Life" (命の水).
 * Life Potion - This potion, blue in color, simply replenishes 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 68 rupees.

Magic Potion
In Link's Awakening, Link can purchase a unique potion from a woman named Crazy Tracy for 42 (later 28) rupees. Unlike the "Color" potions, this is rubbed on Link when he purchases it, and is not drunk from a bottle. This red-colored potion can be found again in both Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. In these games, it can be obtained through purchase from Syrup's shop, by taking it if Maple drops one, or through the 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, similarly to bottled Fairies.

Tings
Using the Tingle Tuner in The Wind Waker, Link can purchase three types of potions, called Tings, from Tingle which correspond to 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.

Trivia

 * In Majora's Mask, Green Potion can be bought at the Southern Swamp Potion Shop for ten rupees. But the Curiosity Shop will buy it for twenty.