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

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,...

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

Zinc (Zn) is an essential metal of life and one of the four components in the Tetrasomia of Maria in alchemy. The 30th element on the...

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...

The alchemy of elixirs goes back to early mankind, when plants with known healing properties are combined, boiled or mashed. The mortar...

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

Botrychium lunaria, lunary or common moonwort has a long history of use in folklore and medicine. It's found in the alchemy of Maria the...

In alchemy, science and mysticism intertwine. Among the practical alchemical skills is dyeing of metals and gems. Alchemists from early...

Bolos of Mendes (Bolus of Mendes) is a Neo-Pythagorean writer of the Nile Delta in the 3rd century BCE. He publishes several works under...

Baphomet is a unity of opposites. The mysterious figure emerges from the mythology, esotericism, and dramatic history of medieval Europe....

Venetian Red, also called Mars Red, is a non-toxic iron oxide pigment used by dyers, painters and craftspersons since the early days of...

What exactly causes onions to make a person cry? The answer involves a combination of chemistry and enzymes. The trigger behind the tears...

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

Goethite is common but like hematite a remarkable iron oxide mineral. In geology and mineralogy, goethite has piqued the interest of...

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...

Make non-toxic iron oxide pigments for painting, dyes, glazes, artistic to industrial uses. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) or rust exists on Earth...