Artists and craftspeople have used plant pigments as a source of color for millennia. Works of art and textile dyes using vegetable...

Earth of Chios is a white to gray powdery mineral soil or fine grained clay found on the Greek island of Chios. Earth of Chios or Chian...

Alchemy and astrology interact on levels of occult arts, principles of science and laws of nature. Just for fun, here are the twelve...

Lunar caustic ( lapis infernalis ), Höllenstein (hellstone) or silver nitrate ( argentinium nitrium ) is esteemed by alchemists of the...

Steam distillation develops from simple and fractional distillation techniques, and is first known to be documented among the Islamic...

Fractional distillation is a technique to separate components of a mixture based on their various boiling points. In this process, a...

Simple distillation is a technique of ancient and medieval alchemists. It can be a process on its own or part of a larger work, involving...

Distillation transforms substances through heating, cooling, and separating liquids from solids. It's for brewing spirits, and is an...

Aqua Vitae literally means Water of Life in Latin. It's also called Elixir Vitae or Elixir of Life. Alchemists from ancient Alexandria...

The Waters of Alchemy are ravenous acids, miraculous solvents and corrosive fluids vital to alchemical process. Not for children ....

Ten metals are used in alchemy since its ancient emergence. They are antimony, bismuth, copper, gold, iron, lead, quicksilver (mercury),...

Salts are ubiquitous in nature and play critical roles in sciences from biology to medicine. In alchemy, salts are standard ingredients....

Renegade physician Paracelsus is one of the most dramatic figures of the European Renaissance. Doctor, alchemist, astrologer,...

The alembic is an essential alchemical tool. It functions like a retort, which in lead, iron or copper form has been used through...

Benefactors of literature cultivate intellectual centers of creativity and innovation. Here are five powerful historical patrons whose...

Who said that? Pseudos are writers whose work is falsely attributed to a major figure. The real writer can be one or more. Many share...

Atomic theory first appears in the 5th century BCE. Later examination notes the atom is much like an egg. Atoms have an extremely small,...

Arnaldus de Villanova (1240 - 1311) is a prominent figure of medieval alchemy, literature and medicine. He comes from Spain, studies at...

Maria or Mary the Jewess c. 100 AD is considered the first true alchemist. In her works she mentions a clear white herb growing on small...

Displosis is the ancient practice of doubling gold. It's considered to be a skill of alchemists and early metal workers as well. If done...