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Hmm. Actually that kind of solves some issues and would be a lot easier that having to code for the name, etc. I would still throw a wrench into things to some degree by adding in stuff like moon phases or the like. Its not unheard of for some things to only work on full moons, dark of the moon, midnight, winter instead of summer, etc. Though, seasons are more problematic on must games.
Only comment I could make is that 'simple' alchemy should be just that, simple. I would consider making the level of the potion determine how far off the ingredients are. A truly high level one might use completely different ones, a low level one might just be a slight difference in amounts and a 1st level cantrip type alchemy might be identical for everyone, with little or any difference. Or even more interesting, their could be powerful 'primary' igredients, which your spirit, etc. would cause interference with. The true alchemy would be combining other 'balancers' that differ from person to person. You might know that a pheonix feather could either create a fireball like effect or let you empower something to give you permanent flight, but without first learning what ingredience counter the effect you don't want, you might get the wrong thing or end up with a piece of armor that literally makes you fly and fry at the same time. Needless to say, this would prove to be a major 'Oops!', unless by some coincidence you also accidentally got the heat to radiate towards 'apponent' instead of 'self'.
In a truely complex enough system you could end up with something that exploded the moment you used it to fly or any number of other possible problems, not the least being accidentally producing the exact opposite of the effect, which itself would be bad. Armor that freezes the wearer? A bracelet that nullified flight in those that normally have it? A detailed enough system could give even the best alchemist nightmares over what might go wrong.
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