Alicorn, also referred to as the horn of a unicorn, is commonly associated with fantastic and powerful abilities, such as a potential to purify and render poison harmless. However, I am only looking to explain a handful as best as possible and as realistically as possible.
The following is a short list compiled from my copy of The Secret World of Unicorns, which I have been using as a reference for some time.
- Alicorn bubbles if placed in cold water, but the water stays cold (no mention of whether the horn disintegrates or not though)
- Sweats in the presence of poison
- Kills a scorpion if placed alongside the creature in a jar
- Cures arsenic-fed pigeons
- Smells sweet if burned
- Can be used to draw a circle that no spider can cross
- Can be dipped in water to purify it and into poison to render it harmless
- Can heal mortal wounds
- Can be dipped into other liquids to create medicines
Already, I'm under the assumption that the alicorn may be something that has to be regrown after each usage (which in turn could explain the rarity of a unicorn's assistance, but that's another story). Regardless, I am looking to explain the above traits as best as possible.