Sylvia Rose
Natural Colors: How to Extract Plant Pigments
Artists and craftspeople have used plant pigments as a source of color for millennia. Works of art and textile dyes using vegetable...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 194 min read
Steam Distillation in Ancient & Medieval Alchemy
Steam distillation develops from simple and fractional distillation techniques, and is first known to be documented among the Islamic...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 195 min read
Science of Alchemy: Simple Distillation Process
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 183 min read
Secrets of Aqua Vitae in Alchemical Science
Aqua Vitae literally means Water of Life in Latin. It's also called Elixir Vitae or Elixir of Life. Alchemists from ancient Alexandria...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 164 min read
Paracelsus: Renegade Renaissance Physician
Renegade physician Paracelsus is one of the most dramatic figures of the European Renaissance. Doctor, alchemist, astrologer,...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 155 min read
White Herb of Maria: Ancient Alchemy Secrets
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 123 min read
Galls & Gall Nuts: Black Ink, Dye, Medicine
Galls and gall nuts are growths on plants, particularly oak trees, used for a number of purposes throughout history. They form due to...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 115 min read
Alchemy of Mystical Herbal Elixirs & Cures
The alchemy of elixirs goes back to early mankind, when plants with known healing properties are combined, boiled or mashed. The mortar...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 108 min read
Alchemical Scientists: Secret Science of Alchemy
Alchemy reveals a world of penniless mystics, befuddled interpretation, arts of coloring metals and the quest for healing. Making gold...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 96 min read
Isabella Cortese: Renaissance Writer, Alchemist, Entrepreneur
Lady Isabella Cortese is born in the 16th century into a wealthy family in Italy. In Venice, she transcends conventional norms to shine...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 95 min read
Secrets of Renaissance Herbal Recipes
Renaissance herbal recipes focus on health and medicine, but can also include dyeing, coloring and pigment making. Botanical knowledge...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 83 min read
Moonwort (Botrychium Lunaria): Folklore, Magic and Medicine
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 75 min read
3 Islamic Alchemists & the House of Wisdom
Islamic alchemists and practitioners bridge the gap between the once-vibrant Alexandrian tradition and the friars of alchemy in medieval...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 63 min read
Turmeric (Curcuma longa): Ancient Uses & Medicine
A vibrant golden spice, turmeric captivates kingdoms, heals the sick and rules the routes of the spice trade. The humble root has a long...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 66 min read
Metal & Gemstone Dyeing in Alchemy
In alchemy, science and mysticism intertwine. Among the practical alchemical skills is dyeing of metals and gems. Alchemists from early...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 54 min read
Bolus (Bole) of Mendes: Ancient Egyptian Medicine
Mendes is an important city of ancient Egypt, in the Nile Delta. The bolus of Mendes or Mendesian bole refers to a medical preparation...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 55 min read
Zosimos of Panopolis: Father of Alchemy
Zosimos of Panopolis (c. 300 AD) is a pivotal figure in the history of alchemy . Born in Panopolis, ancient Egypt, Zosimos lives in the...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 33 min read
Science of Onion Tears: Demystifying Acids
What exactly causes onions to make a person cry? The answer involves a combination of chemistry and enzymes. The trigger behind the tears...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 297 min read
Question of Alchemy in Ancient Rome
Alchemy, a fusion of science, philosophy and mysticism, emerges in practice from the 1st century AD. Among the power civilizations of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 285 min read
Asphodel: Ancient Dye & Medicine Plants
Among the showy flowering plants, perennial Asphodelus is an elegant and adaptable beauty. A genus of the Asphodelaceae or aloe family,...
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