History Main / HealingPotion

* ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' has small pink vials and larger green Erlenmeyer-style flasks. Not to mention the pills that give 1 health each and usually lead to a trap that spawns more enemies which will certainly cause more damage than you gain from picking up the pill.

* ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' Legends: You can replace your defensive shinobi gear with a healing gourd. Standard gourds heal a quarter of your base HP, remove most status effects, and have a recharge time of 90 seconds. Also, the Ghost pours it over their head rather than drinking it; if it's alcohol, that doesn't explain why it cures burning.

** ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' shows what the green stuff is -- it's squeezed from antlion grubs. It's seen both in stationary healing stations (where activating the station squashes the grub) and in portable injectors.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' has vulneraries (which in most games heals a set amount of HP), which in RealLife are drugs for treating wounds; they appear in-game as flasks, though the games are unclear if the contents are rubbed onto the wound, drunk like a potion, or if both work. The [[EmergencyEnergyTank all-HP-restoring Elixirs]] are a straighter example of this trope.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'': The Secret Medicine bought from Crazy Tracy works automatically, activating when Link runs out of hearts and refilling his health bar. In the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle games]], the Magic Potion works in the same way.

* In ''Webcomic/DragonMango'', [[http://dragon-mango.com/comic/chapter03/dm03-01.htm the strangers who find her have a potion for Mango.]]

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' have purple potion, another kind that automatically revives Link when he dies. There's also yellow potion, which completely refills Link's health.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': There are the various herbs and healing sprays; First-Aid Sprays will restore your health fully while herbs have different healing properties depending on how you mixed them.

A staple of FirstPersonShooter games on the classic end of the FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism; more simulational shooters tend to go for RegeneratingHealth or more complicated first aid management. {{Roguelike}}s also tend to have them, and most of them have multiple types of varying potencies, with the more potent sometimes also curing various StatusEffects.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': The various Potions are the series' primary healing item, coming in regular, Super, Hyper, and Max varieties -- each refills more hit points; the Max kind completely restores the health bar -- as well as the Full Restore which also cures StatusEffects. Unlike most examples, the Potions come in spray-bottle form and are applied to the Mons by their Trainer; it's even noted in-game that the Mons can't use man-made healing items, though they can hold on to a variety of [[HyperactiveMetabolism Berries]] for similar effects.

When heroes are injured and have to [[HealThyself heal themselves]], the favored method is to quaff a Healing Potion. Typically this item is mostly used in {{Fantasy}} settings, but it can easily be adapted to other SpeculativeFiction stories as a form of AppliedPhlebotinum made of NanoMachines or whatnot. It can be as common as a [[StandardRPGItems Standard RPG Item]], a one-of-a-kind MacGuffin, or somewhere in between.

A staple of FirstPersonShooter games on the classic end of the FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism; more simulational shooters tend to go for RegeneratingHealth or more complicated first aid management. {{Roguelike}}s also tend to have them, and most of them have multiple types of varying potencies, with the more potent sometimes also curing various StandardStatusEffects.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': The various Potions are the series' primary healing item, coming in regular, Super, Hyper, and Max varieties -- each refills more hit points; the Max kind completely restores the health bar -- as well as the Full Restore which also cures StandardStatusEffects. Unlike most examples, the Potions come in spray-bottle form and are applied to the Mons by their Trainer; it's even noted in-game that the Mons can't use man-made healing items, though they can hold on to a variety of [[HyperactiveMetabolism Berries]] for similar effects.

* Literature/TheShahnameh: Key Kavous is in possession of this but refuses to share it with Rostam when he sends Giv to get it for the mortally wounded Sohrab. Key Kavous's paranoia sets in and he fears that if Sohrab is healed he will go through with his oath to kill Kavous and usurp his throne and now that Rostam knows Sohrab is his son they will join forces! Granted this was actually Sohrab's intent, Key Kavous should have known that Rostam was too loyal to ever let it happen, especially after all Rostam had done for Kavous.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Jericho}}'' deconstructs this trope. If imbibed on an empty stomach (read: anything short of absolutely stuffed), they will kill you. Since they work by re-appropriating biomass, if you haven't eaten they will break down parts of your body to get the biomass to cure your wounds. Coupled with the narrator's habitual [[ForgetsToEat lack of eating]], it nearly murders him. Even professional [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Prussian]] soldiers don't like health potions because of this.

* In the 2018 DarkFantasy film ''Film/TheHeadHunter'', the protagonist keeps making a tincture made from dissolved monster parts. The protagonist smears the tincture on wounds he gets whenever he goes monster hunting and his wounds close overnight. This backfires on him when after successfully killing one monster, a jar of the tincture falls on the monster's decapitated head reviving it.

* In the 2018 DarkFantasy film ''The Head Hunter'', the protagonist keeps making a tincture made from dissolved monster parts. The protagonist smears the tincture on wounds he gets whenever he goes monster hunting and his wounds close overnight. This backfires on him when after successfully killing one monster, a jar of the tincture falls on the monster's decapitated head reviving it.

* Every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game except for ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIIRevenantWings Revenant Wings]]''.

* In the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series, there are the various herbs and healing sprays; First-Aid Sprays will restore your health fully while herbs have different healing properties depending on how you mixed them.

* FPS and other games in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe have bacta tanks.
** Kolto and medpacks in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' has various drink-based items, such as Elixirs and [=KeroKeroColas=], that can restore the party's HP and FP, alongside traditional Mario themed items like mushrooms.

* Creator/{{Epyx}}'s ''VideoGame/TempleOfApshai'' had salves that can be purchased from the Innkeeper and restore a small portion of your health. There are also elixirs, which are more potent and can only be found in the dungeons.
* Your main source of healing in ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}''. Consuming one instantly restores health, but also imposes a "Potion Sickness" debuff that disallows consuming another healing item for 60 seconds (or 45 seconds when equipped with a Philosopher's Stone). Also present are [[ManaPotion Mana Potions]], which restore only Mana and have no cooldown, and Restoration Potions, which restore both health and mana but lack a "Greater" version.

When heroes are injured and have to [[HealThyself heal themselves]], the favored method is to quaff a Healing Potion. Typically this item is mostly used in {{Fantasy}} settings, but it can easily be adapted to other SpeculativeFiction stories as a form of AppliedPhlebotinum made of NanoMachines or whatnot. It can be as common as a [[StandardRPGItems Standard RPG Item]], a one of a kind MacGuffin, or somewhere in between.

* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', [[{{Nanomachines}} nanite]] medicine can be taken in the form of pills to heal wounds and stave off fatigue. It's considered essential for a hunter in order to stay alive in the field and avoid collapsing of exhaustion. Unfortunately, it's difficult to verify the quality of medicine, forcing hunters to take whatever they can get regardless of the side effects. [[PhlebotinumOverdose Taking too much over a short period will also cause the nanites to go haywire]], causing one to collapse into a several day long coma. Akira's life is saved numerous times by an extra powerful version from the Old World he found in the Kuzusuhara Ruins, but that runs out after his encounter with the cannon insects.

* In ''Literature/TheDarkProfitSaga'' healing salves are effective, but can be addictive. Kaitha, a "salve-head", regularly sneaks off to cut herself and heal it.

* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheMiraclesDistrict'', Nikita regularily uses a foul-smelling potion that hastens mending of wounds and bones.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is largely responsible from turning an uncommon myth into a staple of all fantasy games.

** A Potion of Vitality cures physical exhaustion, disease and poison, and maxes out your hit points as well.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': Health and Healing potions are very useful, because healing spells are difficult to cast multiple times a day on someone.

* In ''VideoGame/BioShock'', in addition to the medkits and food items, alcoholic drinks restore HP at the cost of Mana, unless you took the Boozehound perk.

* ''VideoGame/DeadlyTowers'' had these in four colors: red, orange, green and blue, in increasing amounts of healing.

** In ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' they put a cooldown on potions and make them rarer to prevent players from abusing them to stay alive. These were supplemented, and eventually replaced, with healing globes that have a chance to drop on killing an enemy and which heal for a fixed percentage of health.

* Oddly replaced in ''VideoGame/DragonStrike'', which was a game in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' setting for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Normally healing potions are a mainstay of D&D but in this game you instead have a Keoghtom's Ointment for your knight and dragon. In the tabletop game, Keoghtom's Ointment has modest healing power but is an amazing curative for conditions like disease. But in this game, there's no disease or whatnot so the Keoghtom's Ointment is just a mid-level healing potion.

* Present throughout ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series. Numerous other healing methods are available as well (spells, scrolls, enchantments), but in terms of effectiveness, affordability, ease of use, and item weight (potions the size of a 2 liter bottle of soda still only weigh half a pound), nothing beats a healing potion. It also helps that they are plentifully found throughout dungeons and nearly all non-specialized vendors sell a few to replenish your stock as well.
* Stimpaks in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series of games. Although there are alternatives such as food, drink and bloodpacks, but a lot of these are also radioactive (and chock full of preservatives to remain edible after 200+ years).

* In ''VideoGame/TheGodfather: The Game'', you can pick up or buy bottles of RX that serve this function. In a subversion, unlike traditional potions it doesn't instantly restore your health to full, but you must wait some time for the healthbar to refill, and enemies can interrupt the healing. Best to ensure there aren't any interruptions around.

* ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' has the crystal vial, quartz flask, and mystic urn. The latter two can be picked up and carried to use them later. The crystal vial restores 10% health, the quartz flask restores 25%, and the urn restores you to full health.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Most games have a red healing potion, which recovers some or all of Link's hearts depending on the game. Other games add a green ManaPotion, and a blue potion that heals both. Some games have other healing "potions", as well:

* ''VideoGame/Nitemare3D'', being a game that takes place in a haunted house with witches and wands and the like, had literal health potions. Blue for 10% added health, and red for 20.
* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile,'' health flasks are reusable healing items that heals over time and fills up from enemy kills. There's also mana flasks for restoring mana and hybrid flasks that restore both. They can be enchanted to change how its healing works and what buffs they give while you're using one.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': The various Potions are the series' primary healing item, coming in regular, Super, Hyper and Max varieties -- each refills more hit points; the Max kind completely restores the health bar -- as well as the Full Restore which also cures StandardStatusEffects. Unlike most examples, the Potions come in spray-bottle form and are applied to the Mons by their Trainer; it's even noted in-game that the Mons can't use man-made healing items, though they can hold on to a variety of [[HyperactiveMetabolism Berries]] for similar effects.
* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' introduces potions with the basic Red Potion, followed by Yellow, Orange and White, and then the Condensed versions that have increased efficiency. Eating certain fruits, herbs or foods also restores a minor amount of health. It is also possible to craft healing items using the aforementioned herbs and fruits, which is naturally the specialty of the Alchemist class...who can also invest in a skill that allows them to ''chuck potions at allies to heal them''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sundered}}'' has Health Elixirs, which take the form of pulsating red orbs when dropped by enemies of from treasure containers. Eshe can only carry a limited supply of them, and can spend [[ExperiencePoints Shards]] to increase both the amount of health they restore and the number of Health Elixirs she can carry at any given time.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' has various drink based items, such as Elixirs and [=KeroKeroColas=], that can restore the party's HP and FP, alongside traditional Mario themed items like mushrooms.

** Replenishment potions heal life and mana, but do so over time, and if the hero takes damage the effect dissipates.

* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' has a number of potions that instantly restore vitality, and simpler ones that accelerate Geralt's normal healing rate. However, they're toxic to varying degrees, which requires an additional recovery period, and implied to be lethal to non-witchers.

* ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' has a five piece magic potion set called the Rainbow Reverie which the green potion is one of these, it's potent enough that a small dose can save someone from the brink of death. It's also the only one of the five potions that works for demons (and presumably angels) without unintended side effects.

* At the beginning of the 20th Century, ALL the leading causes of death were from infectious disease, and medicine at the time had a limited repertoire of responses. Then came antibiotics, penicillin in particular; Wiki/TheOtherWiki states is thus: "The purified antibiotic displayed antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria. It also had low toxicity and could be taken without causing adverse effects. Furthermore its activity was not inhibited by biological constituents such as pus, unlike the synthetic antibiotic class available at the time the sulfonamides. The discovery of such a powerful antibiotic was unprecedented."
* Many healing drinks and salves are mentioned in the Renaissance-era text, "Culpeper's Complete Herbal". While not as fast or flashy as their fictional counterparts, the plants involved (blackberry and clown's woundwort, to name two) have been found to contain a chemical which speeds up cell replacement.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': 1[[superscript:st]]-edition Potions of Healing are {{Magic Potion}}s that restore wounds, cure poisons, and negate magical maladies. In subsequent editions, Healing Draughts only restore a limited number of wounds (and only work on lightly wounded creatures in 2[[superscript:nd]] Edition), but can be brewed by any herbalist.

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Subtrope of MagicPotion.

SuperTrope to BottledHeroicResolve and EmergencyEnergyTank.

A SisterTrope to {{Panacea}} (curing potion) and ManaPotion (spellcasting restoration).

* The first four ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' games had Chocolate Frogs that did this. The second also had Wiggenweld Potions, and the fourth added red Bertie Bott's Beans, Cauldron Cakes, and Pumpkin Pasties.

* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile,'' health potions are bottomless, but come in equipable flasks of various sizes. They also act as StatSticks in the same way weapons or armor do.

* Paridied in ''VideoGame/JourneyToTheSavagePlanet.'' "Life Essence" comes in pods from large, orange flowers, but it doesn't actually heal you at all. It makes you "hallucinate" that you're less hurt than you really are.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': 1[[superscript]]st-edition Potions of Healing are {{Magic Potion}}s that restore wounds, cure poisons, and negate magical maladies. In subsequent editions, Healing Draughts only restore a limited number of wounds (and only work on lightly wounded creatures in 2[[superscript:nd]] Edition), but can be brewed by any apothecary or herbalist.