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...

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...

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...

Iosis and ios relate to the final stage of the the alchemical process, or rubedo in Latin. It can be called the reddening or purpling....

Basil Valentine or Basilius Valentinus is an enigmatic medieval Benedictine monk of Germany. It's thought to be a pseudonym, although the...

Divine Water, oil of vitriol or sulfuric acid, scientifically denoted H₂SO₄, is commonly used in alchemy experiments. A mineral acid, it...

The Alexandrian alchemists, as philosophers of nature steeped in Greco-Egyptian thinking, define the properties of metals as living...

Galls and gall nuts are growths on plants, particularly oak trees, used for a number of purposes throughout history. They form due to...

Aisha bint Abi Bakr (c. 613 – 678 AD) is a medieval Islamic woman, a royal daughter, and the wife of the Prophet Muhammed. One of the...

Renaissance herbal recipes focus on health and medicine, but can also include dyeing, coloring and pigment making. Botanical knowledge...

Powerful Medici, Borgia, Sforza, Gonzaga and Este families rise to prominence in the Renaissance. Behind the vast artistic innovations...

Cosimo Ruggeri is an Italian astrologer , alchemist, haruspex , favorite and advisor to the queen regent of France, Catherine de Medici....

Congelation is transformation of matter by freezing and crystallization. It's a straightforward process with many nuances. In spiritual...

The Sulfur-Mercury theory, an ancient cornerstone of alchemical thought, exemplifies the duality inherent in alchemy. The relationship...

After the 642 AD Islamic conquest of Egypt, the center of alchemy moves to Muslim lands. Medieval Arab alchemists study and expand upon...

Iron is abundant in Earth's crust and one of the seven metals of antiquity . Essential for life, iron can form various oxides and change...