Thread:High King Ithilion/@comment-26184570-20150922220210/@comment-27723099-20150923160142

Miruvor is a very valuable brew and Gandalf used it very sparely. He had a small bottle of it and everyone could only take one small sip. Drinking it, you could feel warmth and strength filling your body.

Athelas was only used by Aragorn and also, only in great need. In Gondor it is called Kingsfoil and there was a rumor that "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known". Aragorn boiled water, then crumbled the Athelas leaves in his hands and dropped them into the hot water. Immediately a refreshing odour could be smelled. The power of athelas when applied was strong enough to revive people who almost withered away as an effect of black magic (Frodo hit by a morgul blade on the Weathertop, Merry and Eowyn after defeating the witch king). The Numenoreans brought the herb to Middle Earth, although it is unsure if they knew of it's healing powers. It is also told that the hound Huan used it to heal Beren in the first age.

My theory is that only a true heir of the kings of Numenor is able to use it, because they inherited some of the magic powers of Melian the Maia. For all others it's just a worthless plant.