OSRS Herblore: Unfinished Potions vs Cleaning Herbs for 99 — Profit, XP, and AFK Methods

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Herblore is one of Old School RuneScape's most rewarding buyable skills, but the road to 99 can be expensive, click-intensive, or deceptively slow depending on the method you choose. Two common low-effort paths are often thrown around without a full breakdown: cleaning grimy herbs and making potions from unfinished potions. One is a classic AFK money maker with modest XP, while the other is a bank-busting speedrun to level 99. This guide pulls together the requirements, XP rates, profit levers, and realistic time goals for both routes, so you can decide which one fits your playstyle and budget.

Before diving in, remember that Herblore begins with the Druidic Ritual quest, which unlocks the skill at level 3. From there, quest rewards can carry you to the mid-20s before you ever clean a herb or mix a potion. We'll cover those early unlocks, then focus on the two main training methods for players pushing from 70+ to 99.

Who This Guide Is For and Requirements

This guide is aimed at players who have already hit at least level 60 Herblore and want to push to 99 without spending every waking hour at a bank. If you are lower level, the quest section below will save you hours of early grinding. The two methods compared here are best for accounts with some starting capital, because both rely on bulk buying from the Grand Exchange or managing large herb stacks.

The Two Paths at a Glance

Before comparing profit and XP, it's crucial to clear up a common misunderstanding. Making an unfinished potion itself grants 0 Herblore XP. The unfinished potion is created by using a clean herb on a vial of water. The XP comes later when you add the secondary ingredient to that unfinished potion. So when players say they are "training by making unfinished potions," they almost always mean completing potions — buying unfinished potions or making them in bulk, then adding the secondary ingredient for the XP drop.

Cleaning grimy herbs, on the other hand, gives XP immediately per herb, with no secondary required. It is slower XP but often turns a profit because clean herbs sell for more than grimy ones. The table below summarises the trade-offs.

Cleaning Grimy Herbs: The Low-Effort Profit Route

Cleaning grimy herbs is a classic money maker for a reason. You buy grimy herbs on the Grand Exchange, clean them with a left-click, and sell the clean version for a profit. The XP per herb is small, but the method requires no secondary ingredients, no vials, and no banking between every inventory if you set up your inventory correctly. The attention level is low enough that many players do this while watching a show or working from home.

The screenshot below shows a full inventory of grimy herbs being cleaned. Some clients allow you to reorder the left-click option to clean, making the process nearly one-click per herb.

Each herb has a minimum Herblore level required to clean it. Higher-level herbs generally give more XP per clean and can have better profit margins, but they also cost more upfront. For example, cleaning ranarr at level 25 yields a modest profit, while cleaning torstol at level 75 can be very profitable but requires a large cash stack to buy a meaningful quantity.

There is also a spell called Degrime that cleans all herbs in your inventory at once, but it grants only half the XP of manual cleaning. If you value speed over XP, Degrime can be a good middle ground, but it costs runes and requires the Lunar spellbook.

Completing Unfinished Potions: The Fast Lane to 99

If you want 99 Herblore in the shortest real-world time, completing unfinished potions is the way to go. The method works like this: you obtain unfinished potions (either by making them yourself from clean herbs and vials of water, or buying them directly from the Grand Exchange), then add the appropriate secondary ingredient to each one. The XP drop comes from that second step.

The fastest Herblore training method according to the wiki is to add secondary ingredients to unfinished potions. With efficient banking, you can expect to make around 2,500 potions per hour. That is an extremely fast XP rate, but it comes with a huge cost in supplies and a high click intensity. You will be standing at a bank, using bank presets, and clicking rapidly for hours.

Because making the unfinished potion base grants 0 XP, smart players often skip that step entirely and buy unfinished potions from other players. This saves time but adds to the cost. Alternatively, you can make your own unfinished potions during downtime, but that is not a training method — it is just supply preparation.

High-level potions such as super combat potions or stamina potions are popular choices, but they require expensive secondaries like torstol, amylase crystals, or crushed nests. For a detailed comparison of two top-tier options, see our guide: OSRS Herblore 75-99: Super Combat vs Stamina Potion Guide.

Low-Level Alternatives and Quest Rewards

Before you commit to either cleaning or potion making, make sure you have claimed every easy quest reward. Completing Jungle Potion, Recruitment Drive, and The Dig Site will get you from level 3 to 19 without touching a single herb. That's over 3,775 Herblore XP for a few simple quests. The table below lists the most impactful quest rewards for early Herblore.

• Jungle Potion – 775 XP, requires 3 Herblore
• Recruitment Drive – 1,000 XP, no Herblore requirement
• The Dig Site – 2,000 XP, requires 10 Herblore
• Shades of Mort'ton – 2,000 XP, requires 15 Herblore (also unlocks a niche unfinished potion method)
• Fairytale II - Cure a Queen – 3,500 XP, requires 57 Herblore
• My Arm's Big Adventure – 10,000 XP, requires 31 Herblore

From level 60 onward, the Mastering Mixology minigame in Aldarin offers an alternative that doesn't require specific herbs or secondaries. At level 81 Herblore, players can expect up to 105k XP per hour from Mastering Mixology. That is slower than high-level potion making, but it is far cheaper and can be done with minimal supply management. It also unlocks unique rewards like the Prescription goggles and Alchemist's amulet.

Realistic Time-to-Goal: From 81 to 99

Once you hit level 81, you need about 10.8 million XP to reach 99. The time this takes depends entirely on your method and budget.

• Mastering Mixology at 105k XP/hr: roughly 103 hours of minigame time.
• Completing unfinished potions: much faster, but the exact XP rate depends on the potion you are making. High-level potions can push far beyond 200k XP/hr, cutting the grind to under 50 hours. However, the cost can be hundreds of millions of GP.
• Cleaning grimy herbs: significantly slower than either of the above. A realistic estimate is 20-40k XP/hr depending on herb tier, meaning 99 could take well over 250 hours. The trade-off is profit and low attention.

Common Mistakes That Eat Your Profit and Time

Even experienced players fall into these traps when training Herblore. Avoid them to keep your costs down and your XP flowing.

• Making unfinished potions for XP: As stated, the herb-to-vial step gives 0 XP. If you sit at a bank making unfinished potions thinking you're training, you're wasting time.
• Ignoring bank presets: Without a preset that withdraws exactly 14 unfinished potions and 14 secondaries, you'll lose seconds per inventory. Over thousands of inventories, that adds up to hours.
• Cleaning herbs below your best tier: Cleaning guam at level 70 is a waste of your time. Use the highest-level herb you can clean for better XP and often better profit per hour.
• Not using quest rewards first: Skipping Jungle Potion, Recruitment Drive, and The Dig Site means you'll clean low-level herbs for XP that quests could have given you in minutes.
• Forgetting about Degrime: If you choose cleaning, consider the Degrime spell. It halves XP but can double your cleaning speed, which may be worth it if you value time over XP.
• Buying supplies without checking GE limits: Herbs and secondaries have buy limits. If you plan a long session, you may need to buy supplies over multiple days or use alternative accounts.

When Buying Gold or a Herblore Service Is the Honest Shortcut

Herblore is a buyable skill. High-level potion making requires millions of GP in secondaries, and cleaning herbs ties up a large cash stack in inventory. If you have more real-world money than in-game time, buying gold to fund your supplies can be a legitimate way to skip the money-making grind and go straight to the fast XP method. However, you must weigh the risks carefully.

As for services, account sharing for Herblore training is also against Jagex rules. If you decide to use a boosting service, you are handing over your account and accepting a high ban risk. The honest alternative is to buy gold, purchase supplies, and do the training yourself. You keep your account safe and still save dozens of hours of money making.

If you do decide to buy gold, view live gold rates here to fund your Herblore grind.

Next Steps: A Practical Route to 99 Herblore

Here is a sensible plan that balances speed, cost, and attention:

1. Complete Druidic Ritual, then Jungle Potion, Recruitment Drive, and The Dig Site to reach level 19.
2. Do Shades of Mort'ton and Fairytale II - Cure a Queen for more free XP if you meet the requirements.
3. From level 60, try Mastering Mixology in Aldarin. It's low-cost and gives you useful rewards while training.
4. If you want pure speed, switch to completing high-level unfinished potions (such as super combats or staminas). Allocate a budget of at least 10-20M GP and expect to lose most of it.
5. If you want to profit while training, clean grimy herbs in bulk. Use the highest herb you can clean and check margins daily.
6. For a detailed comparison of two top potions, read our guide: OSRS Herblore 75-99: Super Combat vs Stamina Potion Guide.

Whichever path you choose, Herblore 99 is a marathon or a sprint depending on your bank. Clean herbs for profit, complete potions for speed, or mix it up with Mastering Mixology. Good luck on the grind!

Sources

• Herblore training - OSRS Wiki
• Unfinished potion - OSRS Wiki
• Herb - OSRS Wiki