You may hear some potion sellers and frauds explaining how bones are reservoirs of occult essence and thus powerful magical trinkets. Fools and liars, all of them! Let me tell you this, if some self-proclaimed shaman tries to sell visions of your future in chicken's bone, they are either making fun of you or make-pretends.
The truth about bones
The best proof I can give of the ineffectiveness of bones is the existence of Ghouls. Notice how their undeath is limited in time. They are animated by nothing but the occult essence that flow in their rotten bodies. Yet, once the flesh has completely rotten and their corpses are nothing but a skeleton with a ripped skin they cease to be a menace to eternally rest. If their bones contained even a slight amount of essence they would be able to hold together without failing, given how powerful is the spell placed on them.
In fact, one's occult essence resides in their flesh and organs. Except for a rare and mostly extinct species and some of the oldest mages, bones don't hold any power on their own. They are, however, suitable vessels to store the essence for a long time alongside enchantments. For centuries, real shamans and spellweavers infused bone trinkets with their power to protect their people or sell it to wandering merchants.
I surmise this is how this fable of occult bones comes from. Though I lack the ability to dabble in enchantments I happen to sell bony artifacts, so it would be hypocritical of me to diss them altogether. I have nonetheless grown tired of charlatans claiming their plain bone talisman to hold immense power on its own. Call that an old man's rant if you want, but I'll have you know I am not that old.
In my mixtures
That being said, why do I still use bones in my preparations? Well, texture. I always grind them finely before pouring a handful in the pot. They are neither catalysts nor isolants, deeply useless as active principles. While it is annoying that a such easy to harvest material has no effect, it also means that its proportion does not affect the result of a mix.
Few people like to drink or pour their potions like they would water or wine. It seems a popular belief that to have occult properties, a liquid must have a certain viscosity or it is a failed product. In matter of taste, the customer is always right so I don't even bother to explain to them the futility of their demands. However, the production of real gelatin takes a long time and other compound, and buying it is expensive. As such, I mix mine with ground bone and sometimes plain pebbles when the times get rough.
It is certainly not safe for the drinker's health in the long term, however I don't feel too concerned. My customers seldom live long lives and illness never takes precedence over curses or a shredded belly. And even if it would, I doubt they would link it back to me.
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