The pink key and the sharks were not an issue for me; I remembered that in VV2, there are hints for stews required for puzzles (Under the vines is the breathing recipe) and I expected clues here, too -- the recipe for light and springy is under the key, and the two shark potions are in the cave under the rubble.

What really bolloxed me was how to light the braziers -- the first step of aromatherapy had me. I thought that, obviously, I'd need wood and grass to start a fire, right? Sure. So what does a master doctor have to do with that? I probably would have gotten it by luck eventually, but I peeked.