I know a while back they said they would actually make this passive worth something but it hasn't happened yet. Currently its worthless and even though skill points are not in short supply I would ne…
If you included negative effects in your potions perhaps positive effects duration should increase a bit. So you can have a a balance and then the passive is helpful
Alchemy takes 20 minutes to level. Did it on 14/15 characters, with all properties discovered along the way. Most people will level it for Medicinal Use anyway. So there's not much of a grind associs…
I would agree it is virtually useless but that does not mean it should be replaced. Just do not put points in it. Very simple solution that works for the rest of us.