This guide will provide you with the fastest and least expensive way to level your Alchemy skill up from 1 to 600. The guide is up to date for WoW patch 5.0.5
Alchemy is the best combined with Herbalism. This way you can farm all the necessary herbs yourself and save yourself a lot of gold, otherwise you will need either a guild (or friends who are happy to help) or plenty of gold!
This guide is based on the idea that you will gain one skill point for each craft. This won't happen, so make sure you buy a few extra materials.
> Number of materials required (approx.) to level your skill up from 1 to 600:
• 59 x Peacebloom
• 59 x Silverleaf
• 93 x Briarthorn
• 20 x Mageroyal
• 33 x Bruiseweed
• 45 x Stranglekelp
• 20 x Liferoot
• 30 x Kingsblood
• 35 x Goldthorn
• 10 x Wild Steelbloom
• 25 x Sungrass
• 45 x Khadgar's Whisker
• 10 x Blindweed
• 40 x Gromsblood
• 30 x Sorrowmoss
• 15 x Dreamfoil
• 45 x Golden Sansam
• 18 x Mountain Silversage
• 50 x Felweed
• 10 x Terocone
• 35 x Dreaming Glory
• 10 x Netherbloom
• 20 x Talandra's Rose
• 5 x Pygmy Suckerfish
• 75 x Goldclover
• 30 x Tiger Lily
• 25 x Adder's Tongue
• 20 x Icethorn
• 40 x Lichbloom
• 60 x Cinderbloom
• 10 x Stormvine
• 16 x Azshara's Veil
• 25 x Heartblossom
• 5 x Volatile Life
• 5 x Twilight Jasmine
• 100 x Green Tea Leaf
• 30-60 x Rain Poppy or Silkweed
• 60 x Snow Lily
• 25 x Fool's Cap