Phantom Blade Zero gives you two medicine slots and refills them at every Bell. That sounds generous until a boss catches you mid-combo with no charges and a full phase still to go. Medicine is the most direct fix for that problem, and unlike weapon levels the upgrade is permanent — once a remedy is levelled, it stays with the save.
There are five medicines, each with a different job. This guide covers what each one does, how Xie Xiaorong’s upgrade flow works, what the Healer’s Memory tiers mean, and which two you should carry for the fight in front of you.
The five medicines at a glance
| Medicine | Verified effect | Documented charges | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healing Gourd | 40% HP; at Lv7, 50% HP plus a low-HP bonus and 4 uses | 3 base; 4 at Lv7 | Reliable burst heal; the default first upgrade |
| Merciful Dew | 60% HP over 10 seconds | 5 | Sustained recovery between exchanges; efficient top-off |
| Kuye Dew | −20% damage for 15 seconds; 40% HP over 10 seconds | 4 | Pre-pull mitigation for hard-hitting bosses |
| Focus Pill | −30% Sha-Chi cost for 15 seconds; 30% HP over 15 seconds | 3 | Aggressive Sha-Chi strings and burst windows |
| Green Serpent Brew | Cleanse; +75% status resistance for 15 seconds; 20% HP over time | 4 | Status-heavy fights; not a 75% damage reduction |
The charge column is the documented count, not necessarily the starting count for every remedy. The Healing Gourd is explicitly 3 uses before upgrades and 4 at Lv7; for the other four, the repo records a single figure and does not always say whether it is the base or fully upgraded value. Treat those numbers as planning targets and confirm the current count at the Bell.
How medicine upgrades work
Medicine upgrades are gated behind Xie Xiaorong at the Green Serpent House in Pangzhen. Before you meet her, you can carry medicine but cannot level it. After that conversation, any Bell → Upgrade Equipment → Medicines opens the upgrade screen.
Each remedy runs Lv1–7. Upgrades consume Dust plus a Healer’s Memory of the appropriate tier:
- Apprentice Healer’s Memory — early tiers.
- Skilled Healer’s Memory — middle tiers.
- Master Healer’s Memory — late tiers.
The exact level breakpoints for each tier are not preserved in the repo. What is confirmed is the shape: seven levels, three memory grades, and a permanent result. The Healing Gourd is the only remedy with a documented full price — 27,000 Dust and 7 Healer’s Memories from Lv1 to Lv7. Do not assume the other four cost the same; their totals are not reproduced.
Because medicine upgrades are permanent, they compete with weapon levels for the same finite Dust. A weapon taken from 1→10 costs roughly 31,590 Dust; a fully upgraded Healing Gourd costs 27,000. The gourd is the better first purchase for most players because it helps every build and cannot be lost to a Revert. The beginner guide makes the same argument: upgrade medicine before a second weapon.
Charges, slots, and the healing economy
You have two medicine slots and can trigger them with R/T on controller. Charges refill at Bells, and death costs nothing — you respawn at the last Bell with the encounter’s phase checkpoint intact. That makes medicine a per-attempt resource, not a hoarded treasure. Use it.
Two habits matter:
- Do not heal at full HP. Overhealing is the most common waste in the early game, especially with Merciful Dew’s 60% heal over time.
- Refill before a boss, not during exploration. Bells are frequent enough that walking into a boss with empty charges is a choice, not bad luck.
Enemies do not respawn, so there is no farming loop to replace spent Dust. Plan medicine upgrades around the Dust you have already banked, and check the all weapons and locations route if you are deciding whether to push forward or sweep.
Interactions with abilities and accessories
Medicine is only one layer of the healing economy. Four other pieces change how far a charge goes:
- Healing Art — ability, 5,000 Dust, grants +1 Medicine use. The repo does not specify whether that is one extra charge total or one per slot, so verify the count after purchase.
- Blood Remedy — ability, 20,000 Dust, makes kills restore Medicine. In a region with dense trash packs, this can effectively refund charges between boss attempts.
- Quick Remedy — ability, 45,000 Dust, prevents stagger. The repo records the headline effect but not the exact trigger window; the practical read is that it protects your healing or recovery from interruption, but confirm the behaviour in-game.
- Medicine Case — accessory, +20% medicine healing. This multiplies the value of every charge and is the strongest early pairing with the Healing Gourd. It comes from the Apprentice Healer Tale in Weeping Creek Valley and closes before Jing Ye.
One warning: Green Serpent Brew’s +75% status resistance is not +75% damage reduction. It raises status resistance, not raw damage reduction. Do not slot it as a substitute for Kuye Dew against a boss whose problem is direct damage.
Best pairings by situation
Progression and blind boss attempts
Healing Gourd + Kuye Dew. The gourd is the panic button; Kuye Dew is the pre-pull buffer. Drink Kuye before a phase you know is dangerous, then save the gourd for the mistake. This is the safest general pair and the one to upgrade first.
Status-heavy fights
Green Serpent Brew + Healing Gourd. Use the Brew to cleanse an active status and blunt the next application, then fall back on the gourd for raw recovery. Against poison, Burn, or Chill pressure, the Brew’s cleanse is worth more than a slightly larger heal.
Aggressive Sha-Chi builds
Focus Pill + Healing Gourd. Focus Pill’s −30% Sha-Chi cost for 15 seconds lets you extend heavy strings and swap-attack loops without emptying the gauge. The 30% heal over 15 seconds is slow, so pair it with the gourd rather than relying on it as your only recovery. This is the medicine pair for the bleed and Guard Break style in best builds.
Long exploration and Dust runs
Merciful Dew + Healing Gourd. Merciful Dew’s five charges and heal-over-time make it the efficient walking-around option; the gourd covers emergencies. Swap Merciful for Kuye Dew at the Bell before a boss. Equip Treasure Basin while sweeping, then change accessories before the fight — the Soul Tempering guide covers the Dust economy behind those upgrades.
Parry and counter builds
Kuye Dew + Healing Gourd is the conservative choice; Merciful Dew is fine if you rarely take burst damage. The parry kit already generates Essence and controls the exchange, so it needs less raw healing throughput than a bleed build that stands in the boss’s face.
Upgrade priority and what it costs
A practical order:
- Healing Gourd to Lv7 — the only fully documented total, and the heal every build uses. 27,000 Dust + 7 Healer’s Memories.
- Kuye Dew — the best second slot for boss progression; mitigation scales better than healing when a hit would otherwise one-shot you.
- Focus Pill — if your build lives on Sha-Chi-heavy strings; otherwise skip until later.
- Green Serpent Brew — level it when a specific status boss walls you, not pre-emptively.
- Merciful Dew — efficient, but the least necessary if the Gourd is already strong.
Remember that medicine upgrades are permanent. There is no Revert for a remedy, so level the one you actually carry. Weapon levels can be refunded; this cannot.
Sources & further reading
- How to upgrade medicine — PC Gamer
- Medicine upgrade guide — AllThingsHow
- All medicines and where to find them — GameRant
- How to heal — AllThingsHow
We link to the primary source for every hard number. If a source conflicts, we say so in the text.
By the PBZ Guide Team · Reviewed by the editorial desk Written in English from primary sources and cross-checked play routes. Spot an error? Tell us and we will update the guide. We link to the primary source for every hard number. If a source conflicts, we say so in the text.