Board Thread:Oblivion/@comment-81.147.42.0-20150412152806/@comment-24353761-20161021082653

Trial and error is indeed the best way to go. Being an Alchemy Expert or Master can help immensely when coming up with new recipes. Some of my favorites (with my own names for the potions in quotation marks; feel free to come up with your own potion names):

"Magicka Surge" (Restore Magicka + Fortify Magicka): Any two of the following: Water Hyacinth Nectar, Void Salts, Blister Pod Cap (if Shivering Isles is installed).

"Health Surge" (Restore Health + Fortify Health): Boar Meat + Painted Troll Fat. If you're all of Painted Troll Fat from that one quest, try Boar Meat + [Aloe Vera Leaves, Mugwort Seeds, Lavender Sprig or Daedra Heart] + [Mutton, Sweetroll, Unicorn Horn or Bloodgrass] for the best odds of avoiding any bad side effects. A trip through an Oblivion Gate should net you plenty of Bloodgrass and Daedra Hearts. (Even though Sweetcake, Lady's Mantle Leaves and Somnalius Frond can also be used to make this potion, I find these ingredients to be far more useful in making Feather potions.  On that note...)

"Feather Heal" (Restore Health + Feather): Lady's Mantle Leaves + Sweetcake. Useful for dealing with those Dremora jackholes who like to hit you with Burden-inflicting weapons.

"Temperate Shield" (Fire Shield + Frost Shield): Fire Salts + Frost Salts + [Cheese Wedge / Lettuce / Crab Meat / Dragon's Tongue] + [Daedroth Teeth / Garlic / Potato / Morning Glory Root Pulp]. Yes, the Armor ratings stack; my Dunmer Mage downs one of these potions and instantly gets +60 to her Armor (30 from Fire Shield, 30 from Frost Shield), along with the usual resistances to Fire and Frost damage; with a complete set of Master-level alchemy equipment (which I presently don't have), you can bump those numbers up even higher. Be advised that you'll have to turn off the ingredients filter before you can add all four of these ingredients.

"Second Chance" (Restore Health + Restore Magicka + Restore Fatigue + Invisibility): Mugwort Seeds + Aloe Vera Leaves + Stinkhorn Cap + Blackberry. If you should find yourself on the wrong end of a beatdown and fading fast, drink one of these.

"Fireproofer" (Resist Fire + Fire Shield): Cheese Wedge + Dragon's Tongue. If you're playing a Dunmer (like I am), you won't get much mileage out of this formula. But if you're playing an Altmer or someone with the Lord birthsign (or, Talos forbid, both), this potion can save your sweet ass.

"Crippler" (Damage Health + Paralyze): Daedra Venin + [Harrada or Clannfear Claws]. Because there's no time-honored strategy quite like kicking a man -- or a Daedroth -- while he's down.

"Magicka Burn" (Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Fire Damage): Fire Salts + Spiddal Stick + Wormwood Leaves. Too bad liches are immune to poison, or I might have named it "Lich-B-Gone". It still wrecks Altmer spellcasters in record time, though.

"Fire Venom" (Damage Health + Fire Damage): Mix any two of the following: Imp Gall, Spiddal Stick, Congealed Putrescence (Shivering Isles). It's basically "Magicka Burn" without the Magicka damage, a fast and easy way to squeeze a little more oomph out of your poisoned weapons and bring down those tough warrior-types a little faster. Just don't waste it on enemy Dunmer or other Fire-resistant creatures.

"Mage Annihilator" (Damage Health + Damage Magicka + Damage Fatigue + Paralyze + Silence...wow!): Dreugh Wax  + Harrada + Rat Meat  + [Daedra Venin / Milk Thistle Seeds]. I'm saving one of these poisons and a Daedric Arrow for whenever I finally corner Mankar Camoran's punk butt.

I hope that helps! :)