Take a look at this post for alchemy info. . . =)

The skills value depends on your playing style. It's almost a required skill if you are a purest and want to play strictly by the rules. It's a quick way to get potions when you need them especially in situations where a potion is the only way to continue..

Others use the dupe cheat and simply duplicate their existing potions. Which method you use is strictly up to you . . . =)

Thanks for the link. I'll try again, but I swear I was doing exactly what is described, dropping an empty vial on the herbs.

I opened a game to see if there was anything I left out. I had success with filling an empty flask by opening my inventory and dropping the flask on mushrooms BUT . . . I kept trying different patches and also found that not every group of mushrooms / herbs will allow you to make a potion. I went to the next closest mushroom patch and successfully dropped and filled the flask. Sorry, I had not noticed that before.

So . . . if one patch doesn't give you a potion go to another patch. I also found a patch with several mushrooms which would not give a potion but a single mushroom a foot from the large patch did give a potion when a flask was dropped on it.

Try several patches until you find one that will give you a potion . . . =)

I have added this to the alchemy post, thanks for making me aware of this.

You're using the "small" empty flask, right?

I finally got it to work. It's extremely fussy as to where you drop the flask. It has to be just the right pixel, it seems. Also, sometimes I had to move around the herb to the other side to get it to work. thanks for the help, all.

Late answer, but useful for people having this same problem : you have to be in range of the mushrooms. Dropping a vial from the other side of the screen won't work. If the shrooms blink red/pink : you're too far. Come closer until they blink white.

So :

1) Click on the patch so that your character goes close to it
2) Put a vial on it

Also, convert all you can into restoration potions. Those restore a percentage of your health and mana, versus a fixed amount. Restorations, even minor, are still useful even at higher levels, while other minor and normal potions become little more than dead weight.