While popular consensus is that the Blood Blisterpod is a purple-coloured pod that causes the nose of its consumer to bleed profusely, some believe that Blood Blisterpod is synonymous with Nosebleed Nougat, the sweet that Fred and George Weasley invented to cause a person’s nose to bleed uncontrollably. The Nosebleed Nougat was a very popular sweet and was a part of the collection known as Skiving Snackboxes, which was later sold in the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Skiving Snackboxes, in their original packaging, were also famous for containing other toffees like the Fever Fudge, Puking Pastille, and Fainting Fancies.
History
The Nosebleed Nougat and the Skiving Snackboxes were first introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, although both George and Fred Weasley had been planning similar products since their first year at Hogwarts. Once, when Ron mentioned how bad his Monday timetable looked, Fred is said to have offered Ron a Nosebleed Nougat for cheap because the toffee antidote was not yet ready.
Eventually, the twins and their friend Lee Jordan would conjure an antidote, and the Nosebleed Nougat would be made of two different coloured toffees. At the same time, the orange-coloured toffee would cause the consumer’s nose to bleed, the purple-coloured toffee. The Blood Blisterpod was an essential ingredient in making the orange-coloured toffee in Nosebleed Nougat, as it was the one that caused the nosebleed. The purple-coloured toffee may have had ingredients that immediately clot blood in the affected surface to stop the nosebleed.
Appearance in the Harry Potter Series
Blood Blisterpod appears in the Harry Potter series only once. However, the Nosebleed Nougat appears several times in the series.
It is first mentioned when Ron Weasley complains that his class schedule for Monday is very long and tiring. Fred offers him a Nosebleed Nougat for cheap, insinuating that he could easily get away from the classes when his nose starts bleeding. However, when Ron asks why the toffee is cheap, Fred remarks that the antidote is not ready yet and that he is only offering the part which causes the Nosebleed. This part of the Nosebleed Nougat presumably uses the Blood Blisterpod as its major, if not only, ingredient.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Weasley twins were notoriously making great profits selling the Skiving Snackboxes and especially helped students get out of class after students complained of having Umbridge-itis, a disease that the twins made up to infuriate Dolores Umbridge.
During a Gryffindor Quidditch practice session of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Katie Bell, a member of Gryffindor, was injured and had a bleeding nose after being accidentally hit by a Quaffle. The players had to cease the game of Quidditch and immediately got off their brooms, and Fred gave her a small purple pod assuming it was the antidote part of the Nosebleed Nougat. However, it happened to be a Blood Blisterpod, or probably the wrong half of the Nougat containing the Blisterpod, and it eventually caused more bleeding, making it essential to take Katie to the Hospital Wing.
While there may have been spells that could be performed with the help of a wand that would have immediately reduced the bleeding, it is possible that no member of the Quidditch team had any sure cure for the same, as Harry did with the Bezoar in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with the help of the Half-Blood Prince who later turned out to be Severus Snape.
The part of the Nosebleed Nougat that contains the Blood Blisterpod was given to Albert Runcorn in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows whom Harry, Ron, and Hermione neutralized because Harry had to impersonate him with Polyjuice Potion to infiltrate the Ministry. They would later hunt down one of the Horcruxes that belonged to Lord Voldemort in the Ministry and successfully escape, although with disastrous results. Ron would get splinched when they disapparate from the Ministry.
It is possible that the Blood Blisterpod was one of the magical objects that were sold in several shops of Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley, and even Hogsmeade, possibly owing to its blood-thinning properties. Also, the Blood Blisterpod would have been a funny addition to the necessary cookies for Crabbe and Goyle to eat and be neutralized, like in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when the trio had to talk to Malfoy about the Heir of Slytherin, and the Invisibility Cloak would be of no help.
The Science of Blood Blisterpod
It is possible that the magic behind the Blood Blisterpod may be strongly influenced by the science of blood thinners which are used in medicine to increase the flow of blood to parts of the human body with reduced blood circulation. Patients undergoing treatments with blood thinners are sometimes likely to bleed profusely if wounded as the rate of blood flow significantly increases in the case of these patients.
Can Bacon Stop Nosebleeds?
Interestingly, there is evidence, and some studies exist as well to suggest that nosebleeds can be stopped by placing a rolled strip of bacon like a nasal tampon. It is believed that the high salt content and the lipids in bacon can prevent the overflow of blood by creating a protective layer on the mucous membranes of the insides of the nose.
FAQs
What is Blood Blisterpod?
A Blood Blisterpod is a purple-coloured magical pod found in the Harry Potter universe. It is one of the major ingredients and is sometimes synonymous with the Nosebleed Nougat. Nosebleed Nougat is a sweet designed by the Weasley twins as a prank and is available in a pack of assorted sweets with similar pranks called the Skiving Snackboxes.
What is the colour of the Nosebleed Nougat?
The Nosebleed Nougat is made of two pieces. One of them is orange and the other is purple. The orange piece is supposed to cause a nosebleed in the person who eats it, and the purple sweet is supposed to be its antidote and prevent further nosebleeds after it is taken.
In the Order of the Phoenix, which member of Gryffindor receives a Blood Blisterpod from Ron by mistake during a game of Quidditch?
Katie Bell accidentally receives a Blood Blisterpod instead of the purple-coloured antidote that stops one’s nose from bleeding. After eating this pod, she starts bleeding profusely and eventually ends up having to be taken to the Hospital Wing.
