I decided I wanted to spend a few hours leveling up my character (actual character level, not any one skill level). Smithing Dwarven stuff usually helps get the level meter up quick, but I was fresh out of ingots. Since I have a huge load of ingredients in my barrel at Riverwood, I took a huge stash of as much as me and my follower could carry and headed off to the alchemy shack. After concocting many potions with various ingredients, I noticed that my character's level meter wasn't really going up that much, although my alchemy skill was jumping levels like mad.
I have no real interest in alchemy in and of itself since the only potions I use are the ones that I find. That said, is it possible for alchemy to yield better results when it comes to raising my character's base level?