I die very quickly, and I've no idea how to get potions as I have ingredients but no bases.

I cant help but have you looled in the witcher subforum

It's that first thing in the swamp right? I remember back when i had first bought the witcher i got stuck there too. It actually bother me that much that i rage quit and never looked back...But after i'm finished with the witcher 2 i will try again ;)

Don't accept the quest yet and level up a bit more? Try different times of the day, since it is possible that some enemies won't appear? Gear up your character a bit better? For potion base, you need alcohol. I think you may be able to find a few bottles in the swamp village, otherwise you'll have to go back to the town. Since you do need to meditate to make potions, this isn't an option if you've already started the escort quest.

P.S. Use the game specific forums for game specific questions, and if you don't get an answer in a reasonable time frame (2-4 days) then repost your question in the general forum.