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"Bubotuber pus is a thick, yellowish green liquid, which smells strongly of petrol. It is very valuable, and can be used as an effective remedy against acne."
— Description[src]

Bubotuber pus was a thick, yellowish-green, petrol-smelling substance squeezed from the swellings of the magical bubotuber plant.[1]

Usage[]

It was extremely valuable for its acne-curing abilities, but if touched undiluted, it could leave painful boils on the skin. For this reason, dragon-hide gloves were recommended to be worn while handling raw bubotuber pus. Nevertheless, treated bubotuber pus was recommended for curing the most severe cases of acne, rather than spells, due to the fact that spells were risky in acne-removal, such as in the case of Eloise Midgen cursing her nose off.[1] Bubotuber pus was also potentially useful for cosmetic goods, allegedly creating a good moustache paste when mixed with dittany.[5]

History[]

Professor Sprout: "Bubotubers. They need squeezing. You will collect the pus—"
Seamus Finnigan: "The what?"
Professor Sprout: "Pus, Finnigan, pus, and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."
Pomona Sprout and Seamus Finnigan in 1994[src]

The pimple-curing properties of bubotuber pus was first discovered by the Potioneer Sacharissa Tugwood, who also created some of the earliest Beautifying Potions.[6][7][8]

During the 1994–1995 school year, fourth-years attending Hogwarts collected bubotuber pus in bottles during Herbology with Professor Sprout. When the students were squeezing the swellings, it was described as "disgusting, but oddly satisfying".[1]

In the same school year, Hermione Granger was sent an envelope covered with this substance from an unknown person, who believed the rumour that she had relationships with both Harry Potter and Viktor Krum, as falsely and maliciously reported by Rita Skeeter. Her touching this substance caused yellow boils to form on her hands, which made it looked like she was wearing thick, knobbly gloves.[2]

In August 1996, Molly Weasley mentioned that a mixture of gravy and bubotuber pus was being falsely sold as a Protective Potion in the streets of Diagon Alley, which would supposedly protect the drinker from the effects of dark magic, despite having no effect whatsoever.[3]

During the Calamity in the 2010s, bubotuber pus was heavily collected and used as a potion ingredient by volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, where it was mainly used to brew the Healing Potion.[4]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 13 (Mad-Eye Moody)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 28 (The Madness of Mr Crouch)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 5 (An Excess of Phlegm)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
  5. Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Polyjuice Plot" – "Ah. yes. Mixed with, um, Bubotuber pus makes a fine, er, moustache paste, yes, moustache paste, I find." This is stated by the protagonist, who was disguised as Phineas Nigellus Black with Polyjuice Potion, and they showed hesitation while saying it, so it may not be truly accurate.
  6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
  7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
Herbology
Pottedmandrake
Herbologists
Astrid Cole · Clifford Cromwell · Marmaduke Dale · Blossom Degrasse · Miranda Goshawk · Alfred Lawley · Olgae Marinus · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Nepali wizard · Gethsemane Prickle · Sanjay Shanker · Selina Sapworthy · Phyllida Spore · Yubert Thorne · Tilden Toots · Hadrian Whittle · Winogrand
Herbology at Hogwarts
Herbology Award · Herbology Lesson Cup · Herbology Race Cup · Herbology Store · Hidden Herbology Corridor
Greenhouses One · Two · Three · Four · Five · Six · Seven · Professor's office
Professors Mirabel Garlick's predecessor · Mirabel Garlick · Herbert Beery · Pomona Sprout · Neville Longbottom
Textbooks Flesh-Eating Trees of the World · Ingredient Encyclopedia · One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi · Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants
Plants studied and grown at Hogwarts
Aconite · Alihotsy · Asphodel · Belladonna · Bouncing Bulb · Bubotuber · Bubotuber pus · Chinese Chomping Cabbage · Cowbane · Dandelion · Devil's Snare · Dirigible Plum · Dittany · Fanged Geranium · Fat cactus-like plant · Fire seed bush · Flitterbloom · Floo · Flutterby bush · Fluxweed · Gillyweed · Ginger · Greenhouse Tree · Hemlock · Honking daffodil · Ivy · Knotgrass · Lady's Mantle · Lavender · Leaping Toadstool · Lovage · Mandrake · Mimbulus mimbletonia · Mistletoe · Moly · Nettle · Peppermint · Puffapod · Raspberry · Rose · Sage · Screechsnap · Scurvy grass · Self-fertilising shrub · Shrivelfig · Snargaluff · Sneezewort · Sopophorous plant · Sopophorous Bean · Spiky Bush · Spiky Prickly Plant · Stinksap · Sugar Shrub · Toad-eating plant · Tormentil · Umbrella Flower · Valerian · Vampiric vegetation · Venomous Tentacula · Walking plant · Wax vegetables · Whomping Willow · Wiggentree · Wild rice · Wormwood
Spells taught in Herbology at Hogwarts
Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Herbivicus Charm (Herbivicus) · Incendio Duo Spell (Incendio Duo) · Lumos Solem Spell (Lumos Solem) · Severing Charm (Diffindo)
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