Polyjuice Potion might be tricky, but there are plenty of other, easier, potions in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
In Harry Potter, brewing potions is an exceedingly difficult task, as both the knowledge of magic and combining of numerous obscure ingredients is necessary to even have a shot at making functioning magical potions. Yet, they are absolutely necessary, as some problems in the Wizarding World can't be fixed by wand magic.
However, there are some potions in the Harry Potter universe that are easier to make than others, some of which an ordinary muggle like yourself could brew using normal non-fictional ingredients... with the emphasis being on "could," as according to Rowling, no magical potion can be made without the use of wands, despite these same potions being usable by non magical folk as well. Here are the 10 simplest potions in Harry Potter.
Skele Gro is one of the most disgusting potions one would have the opportunity to taste. In fact, swallowing the potion will burn the user's throat. Too bad it's a staple apothecary tool for regrowing bones in the Wizarding World. We see it used to regrow Harry's arm bone in the second book, albeit through a slow and painful process.
In the books, Skele Gro is manufactured by Rubens Winikus and Company Inc, and comes in a human skeleton-shaped bottle. And despite its relatively unique and unusual healing properties, it's relatively simple to make, requiring ordinary ingredients available to any muggle, such as Chinese Cabbage, Scarab Beetles, and Puffer Fish.
For annoyances such as hiccoughs, no spell will prove useful; however, combine the right plants and ingredients and you have yourself a permanent magical cause. That's what Draco Malfoy did in year six on Professor Slughorn's request to make something "amusing."
Of course, Draco did not put much effort into his assignment, coming up with the Hiccoughing Solution which Slughorn deemed as barely "passable." The potion's true purpose remains a mystery to this day, but it may cure hiccoughs... or cause them, God forbid such evil.
The Wiggenweld Potion is taught in the first year of the Hogwarts potions class and has an interesting story tied to it. It tells of a princess who was put into an eternal sleep by a Hag called Leticia Somnolens using the Draught of Living Death. In the Harry Potter Universe, this story was the inspiration behind Sleeping Beauty. So naturally, a prince appears and, after smearing the Wiggenweld Potion on his lips, kisses the princess to awaken her from her sleep. Despite being quite easy to brew, the list of ingredients it includes seems endless, and includes Wiggentree bark, Moly, Dittany, Salamander blood, Unicorn horn, and even Sloth brain mucus (ew). In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry brews this potion in order to be admitted into Horace Slughorn's potions club.
In the Wizarding World, there's such a thing as Doxies - foul, small, winged beasts that look like fairies but are darker and prone to biting, with extremely poisonous venom. They frequently inhabit small crevices of households, and represent a hazard to humans. To get rid of them, you need Doxycide. The potion will stun them, allowing the user to safely get rid of Doxies. And though this potion is learned in fifth year of Hogwarts, its list of ingredients is perhaps the simplest and most straightforward ever mentioned in the books. To make Doxycide, all you need is some Bundimun Ooze, Dragon liver, Streeler shells, Tormentil tincture, and Hemlock and Cowbane essences (hey, in the Wizarding World, these are probably household ingredients).
What the possible use of this potion could be beats the heck out of us, but we suppose it could be used offensively? Or to get out of a bad argument with your girlfriend, maybe? Anyhow, the potion is in fact taught at Hogwarts (for some reason, it's important for young wizards to know how to make this potion) during the first year. It's very simple to make, including ingredients such as Valerian sprigs and Mistletoe berries - something even a muggle could acquire.
Us muggles are envious of wizards for many things, and having access to a potion like the Cure for Boils is one of them. As the name implies, this potion will get rid of any sore boils or blemishes on the skin, and as an essential potion for Hogwarts' teenage students, it's taught in the first year. It is also extremely simple to make, and some of its ingredients include snake fangs, porcupine quills, horned slugs, and shrake spines. When finished, it assumes a blue color and emits a pink smoke.
One of the more famous potions used to great extent in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Sleeping Draught will put anyone who consumes a small amount into a long and deep sleep. The protagonist trio uses the Sleeping Draught on the gullible Crabbe and Goyle in order to acquire their robes and hair strands to put into the Polyjuice Potion they were brewing. This "simple, yet powerful" potion is brewed using Flobberworm mucus, Valerian sprigs, and Lavender, among other ingredients.
Another questionable lesson in Professor Snape's first year Potions class, the Hair Raising Potion does exactly what it states. Other than as a weird fashion statement, we can't really think of a good use for this potion. Nevertheless, you will hardly find a simpler and more straightforward potion to make, requiring ingredients such as Rat tails, Porcupine quills, and Billywing stings. When finished, the Hair Raising Potion will assume a bright green color and serve as a bad alternative to your morning hair routine.
Now, this is something we can get behind. Also known as the Awakening Potion, the Wideye Potion serves as a better alternative to a strong cup of morning coffee. In fact, it is so potent it can be used to awaken someone from a brain concussion or drug overdose, and is the antidote to one of the most fearsome and powerful potions in the Wizarding World - the Draught of Living Death. Hogwarts students will learn this potion in year three, requiring ingredients such as snake fangs, Wolfsbane, and Billywing stings.
There are heaps of useful and interesting potions out there, and then there's this. If you're wondering what this one does, it's all in the name really. The Swelling Solution doesn't have to be consumed to activate its effects; it will cause anything and everything to swell in size merely by touching it. Its antidote is the Deflating Draught, evident from Chapter 11 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where it was used to treat Draco Malfoy's nose and Gregory Goyle's eyes swelling after Goyle's cauldron containing the Swelling Solution was hit by a firework. The potion is extremely simple to make, and requires only three ingredients: Puffer-fish eyes, Bat spleens, and dried nettle.
