Rotifers live in complex microbial water worlds like ponds. These tiny organisms help maintain the health of aquatic environments....

Culinary oils are teeming with microbial life such as bacteria, molds, yeast and other fungi. Popular oils like olive oil, vegetable oil,...

The rotten egg sulfur smell is associated with hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a colorless gas. The stench can arise in water supplies, foods and...

Methane (CH4) is a familiar gas emanating from cow dung. Methane's creators are invisible creatures known today as methanaogens,...

Talc or hydrated magnesium silicate is a naturally occurring mineral, primarily composed of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. With its...

Carbon is the ubiquitous element. Art, beauty, science and health pivot around the life force of carbon. Here's the nature of carbon, its...

Fermentation is among the oldest of alchemical processes. It's used intentionally by c. 8000 BCE to create honey mead, a blend of...

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...

Myrtle, Rose, Scammory and Flowers of Brass are four infused wines used medicinally in the ancient world. Infused wine in medicine often...

Portrimpo is a pagan Baltic sea god. Also known as Autrimpo he rules the sea, earth, grain and crops. One of the Old Prussian gods,...

Honey bees create honey, beeswax and folklore. First domestication of the honeybee is c. 8000 BCE, in the Neolithic Age. At this time...

Honey mead is likened to ambrosia , nectar of the Greek Gods, with qualities of immortality and divine transcendence, beloved by bears...

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. A saline soda lake, it's fed by numerous mountain streams. Van lacks a water outlet, making it...

Pistacia is a shrub or tree prized for food , resin, tannins, oils and natural turpentine for thousands of years in the Mediterranean...

Mugworts are used in folk medicine of India, China, Europe, America and other regions. A member of Artemisia , mugwort is also called...

Neolithic farmers in Britain and northern Europe are the first to drink milk. Early humans are lactose intolerant but consume dairy...

Broad beans ( Vicia faba ), faba or fava beans are cultivated as a crop from pre-Neolithic times to present day. Among the earliest...

Watercress ( Nasturtium officinale ) grows in fresh water. With hollow stems, it floats and is easily gathered from the water's surface....

Nigella sativa or kalonji is a blackseed plant with healing properties. Use in cooking and folk medicine is documented by the 2nd...

Phosphorus is the first element not known since ancient times. This glowing substance is discovered by German alchemist Hennig Brand in...