Bezoar

Bezoar
Potion ingredient information
Taken from	Goat's stomach
Properties	Antidote to most poisons when swallowed whole
Physical characteristics	Resembled a stone
Preparation	Powdered
Used in	Antidote to Common Poisons

"A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons."

— Severus Snape

A bezoar was a stone-like mass taken from the stomach of a goat, that acted as an antidote to most poisons, with Basilisk venom being one notable exception. This was the reason why bezoars were used in the preparation of the Antidote to Common Poisons. This object was usually made of hair, plant fibre, or similar indigestible matter that stayed in the gut of an animal and formed a hard ball or "stone". Bezoars were also notably rare, according to Horace Slughorn, who cited this as the reason why it was still worth knowing how to mix antidotes.

History

"Just shove a bezoar down their throats."

— A note in Severus Snape's copy of Advanced Potion-Making

There was a small stock of bezoars that could be found in the Potions Classroom store cupboard, as well as at least two in the Hospital Wing. In 1991, Severus Snape asked Harry Potter where one would to find a bezoar in Harry's first ever Potions class, in order for him to chastise Harry for supposedly not paying attention during his class. In late 1994, in a Potions exam, Harry forgot to add a bezoar to his potion, because he was too focused on thinking about asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, which subsequently earned him bottom marks in this class for his dismal performance.

As a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape, under his alias "The Half Blood Prince", wrote "Just shove a bezoar down their throats." across the list of antidotes in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. In the 1996–1997 school year, during one of Harry's sixth-year N.E.W.T. classes about antidotes, Harry, who was unable to understand Golpalott's Third Law, fetched a bezoar from the cupboard and showed it to Professor Horace Slughorn as the answer to the poison he was supposed to be analysing. This gained Harry Slughorn's admiration and ten points to Gryffindor for "sheer cheek".

Known users

Harry Potter shoving a bezoar down Ron Weasley's throat

On 1994, during a fourth-year Potions class exam, the bezoar was used as an ingredient for antidotes. Harry, being distracted by the Yule Ball, forgot to add one and subsequently got bottom marks.

On 1 March 1997, Ron Weasley was poisoned when he drank some poisoned oak-matured mead that was intended for Albus Dumbledore. Harry, remembering the above mentioned incident in Potions class, quickly found the bezoar he had given Professor Slughorn and shoved it down Ron's throat, saving his life.

Etymology

Bezoars are undigested clumps of matter that accumulate inside a digestive system, similar to a cat's hairballs. They are used in Chinese Herbology, and are claimed to remove toxins from the body. The word "bezoar" may come from the Persian pâdzahr (پادزهر), which literally means "protection from poison".

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (GBC version only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• J. K. Rowling's official site (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
• The Art of Harry Potter: Mini Book of Graphic Design
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)