Principles of Potionmaking

This book lays out the basic principles of potionmaking, laid out in several steps:
  Essence Extraction- Placing the desired ingredients in a flask over a magical fire in water or some other liquid will extract their essence leaving little or nothing behind, care must be taken to ensure that this essence does not escape the flask. After it is extracted it can be manipulated in several ways, it is also possible to separate different essences out of the same ingredient, and it is in some cases a necessity.
  Essence Decompsition- Though it is difficult to know what essences are present in any given flask it is known that there are six base forms of essence; Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Order and Chaos, all other essences are made of combinatiopns of these and secondary combinations so it is possible then to use vinegar or some other acid to decompose an essence mixture into a more primordial form.
  Essence Combination- Contrary to decomposition, a small copper rod can be used to stir a mixture together to combine the essence into a more complex form, though this does not always work as some forms of essence are simply incompatible.
  Energization- Applying a magical energy, like heat, cold, electricity or any other can have peculiar effect on the essence at hand, altering it competely or simply enhancing its effects.
  Catalysis, the final step of any potion, is essential to take the magical essence and concentrate it into a usable form, almost anything can be used as a catalyst such as monster parts, metal powders, magical ingredients of other types. It is rare to find a combination of essence and catalyst that does not produce some kind of result, even the copper used for combining and the acids used for decomposing can be used if they are first doused in alcohol.