Magical Muscle Relaxant

Chapter 20

Ingredients:
Five hundred (500) ml of water
Sixty (60) ml syrup of hellebore¹
Three (3) sprigs of dried lavender³
Two (2) sprigs of dried chamomile²
One (1) cayenne pepper¹

Instructions:

1. Bring 500 ml of water to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
2. Add 60 ml syrup of hellebore to the cauldron.
3. Add three sprigs of lavender and two sprigs of chamomile to your mortar and grind it to a fine powder with your pestle.
4. Add the mixture of lavender and chamomile to your cauldron.
5. Stir thrice counter-clockwise and once clockwise.
6. Bring the heat up to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 45 seconds, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
7. Allow the potion to brew for two minutes.
8. While the potion is brewing, take one cayenne pepper and slice it widthwise it on your cutting board. The slices should be approximately a quarter cm in width. Any seeds and stem from the pepper should be disposed of and not go into the potion.
9. Add the sliced cayenne pepper to the cauldron.
10. Stir four times clockwise.
11. Leave the potion to brew in your pewter cauldron for 23 minutes (this would be 21 minutes in a brass cauldron and 19 minutes in a copper cauldron).
12. Remove the cauldron from the heat entirely and allow it to cool for ten minutes before siphoning it into a clear phial for storage.

At the end of the brewing, the Magical Muscle Relaxant should be a pale blue color with light yellow flecks. It should smell like burnt tea leaves and taste like moldy peppermint.

To Store:

The Magical Muscle Relaxant can be stored for up to seven years in non-direct lighting at room temperature. After it expires, it can cause muscle cramping and migraines, so it should not be ingested after seven years.

To Use:

Approximately 30 ml of the Magical Muscle Relaxant should be taken orally no more than once every eight hours. The Magical Muscle Relaxant is effective for those experiencing muscle cramps as well as strained muscles. However, as the relaxant does not repair muscles, vigorous activity following consumption of the potion is highly discouraged. It can lead to exacerbation of damage or new injury.

Overdosing on the potion has been known to lead to extreme fatigue and even coma. The potion is safe in a controlled setting for children, the elderly, and pregnant women. However, if the patient is pregnant, she should receive regular screenings from her doctor.

Effects:

Within five minutes of taking the potion, the patient should experience a relaxation of tensed muscles. The patient may also experience a mental relaxation and grogginess, so flying and operation of complicated magical machinery is discouraged. This relaxation can last upwards of eight hours.

Caution:

Some allergic reactions have been known to occur when taking the Magical Muscle Relaxant. Symptoms of allergic response include, but are not limited to pounding heart, dizziness, sore throat, and tweeting like a bird. If you experience any of these effects, stop taking the Magical Muscle Relaxant and consult with a healer.

Taking the Magical Muscle Relaxant for too long can cause muscles to atrophy, so it should not be taken regularly for a period of longer than five days.