Sylvia Rose
Celandine: Plant Toxins & Medicine
Celandine (Chelidonium majus) is a popular medicinal plant in the ancient world, also appearing in gold-making recipes of alchemists. Use...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 55 min read
Writing in Letters of Gold: Ancient Alchemy
Want to write in letters of gold? These ten alchemy recipes are from the Leyden Papyrus c. 250 AD. None are recommended unless there's a...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 294 min read
Theriac: Miracle Snake Venom Potion
Making a proper theriac takes months. The recipe calls for plants collected in season, and the distillation or fermentation of herbs,...
13 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 273 min read
Panacea: Goddess of Universal Health
In Greek mythology, Panacea is a healing goddess with a large family. Her father is Asclepius, god of medicine and son of visionary god...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 263 min read
Natural Magic of the Renaissance
Natural magic is a type of Renaissance magic, working directly with forces inherent in nature, as in physics, compared to ceremonial...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 263 min read
Alkanet: Ancient Dye Magic & Medicine
Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) is a plant related to borage, also a popular medicinal herb. Alkanet is used in folk magic, alchemy, natural...
23 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 234 min read
Galena: Silver Lead Ore of Metallurgy
Galena (PbS) is the primary lead ore for centuries. Lead can be smelted from galena in a regular wood fire. Some galena deposits contain...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 236 min read
Hair Loss: 9 Natural Cures of Physician Dioscorides
Hair loss and baldness ( alopecia ) is a fear in ancient times, if hair is a sign of status, youth or virility. First century AD Greek...
33 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 205 min read
Natural Health: Paracelsus & Hermetic Principles
Innovative Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus is strongly influenced by the 7 principles of Hermeticism and a holistic approach to...
59 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 193 min read
Jabir ibn Hayyan: Alchemy of Islam
Jabir ibn Hayyan is a medieval Islamic figure. Alchemy, magic, philosophy and religion come together in a vast corpus of writings. As his...
43 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 25 min read
Rasayana: Alchemy & Health of India
Rasāyana focuses on rejuvenation, longevity, and vitality, aiming to promote well-being and balance. In Vedic alchemy, the term rasa has...
28 views
Sylvia Rose
Jul 26 min read
Chinese Alchemy: Mind Body Spirit
Chinese alchemy is already in practice in the early centuries BCE. Ancient texts like the Cantong qi explain the body is central to...
21 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 293 min read
Spagyria: Botanical Science of Alchemy
Spagyria is the alchemy of plants. In the quest for the Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of Life, alchemists work with the nature of...
48 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 153 min read
Shennong Primordial Farmer & Healer
Shennong is one of the Three Sovereigns of ancient Chinese lore. Also called the Divine Farmer, he's strongly associated with...
26 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 135 min read
Asclepius: Greek Medicine Snake God
Asclepius (Aesculapius) is a Greek hero and Divine Physician, god of medicine in ancient Greek myth. Son of Apollo, he learns healing...
31 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 125 min read
Baltic Amber in Folklore and Myth
Amber mythology, amber origin legends, magic and folklore include the undersea castle of Baltic lore, and the death of Phaëton, son of...
27 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 35 min read
Wolfsbane (Aconitum) Ancient Poisons
Wolfsbane, monk's hood (Aconitum) delivers a lethal dose of poison. In the ancient world, poison plays a vital part, from death by elixir...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 24 min read
Chun Yuyan & Death of Empress Xu
Chun Yuyan (Chunyu Yan) is a Chinese court official in the 1st century BCE, during the Han Dynasty. As obstetrician and gynecologist to...
21 views
Sylvia Rose
May 174 min read
Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts
The Aetsi are a north Germanic-Baltic group described by Roman Tacitus in 98 CE. With strong connections to the trade of coveted amber,...
14 views
Sylvia Rose
May 45 min read
Opium Poppy (Papaver somnifum)
Opium poppy (Papaver somnifum) is the common source of opium and derivatives such as morphine or heroin. All poppies produce the narcotic...
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