Arcanum Joviale is an alchemy medicine made of metal salts, taken to induce sweating. While the term sudorific is introduced in 1626, the induction of sweat for medical or ritual purpose goes back to prehistory. Through the ages it's considered healthy to work up a sweat.
In medieval alchemy, Arcanum joviale is a medical remedy made by combining mercury and tin, which are then processed with spirit of niter. Arcanum means secret, while joviale refers to the god Jupiter (Jove) associated with planet Jupiter and metal tin.
Spirit of niter is nitric acid (HNO3), the Queen of Acids and a component of the infamous aqua regia, or royal water. Nitric acid is first recorded in early medieval period. Spirit of niter is produced in alchemy by boiling sodium nitrate (saltpeter) with sulfuric acid.
This produces sodium bisulfate, an acid salt formed by neutralization of sulfuric acid, and vapors of HNO3, which are collected as nitric acid. It's removed from the arcanum joviale through distillation.
Removing nitrates in medieval alchemy is typically done by distillation. Other methods used today, such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange, need machinery not known in ancient and medieval or Renaissance alchemy.
Distillation is a the common method of water purification and significantly decreases nitrate levels in the distillate. In this process, water is boiled to create vapor. This is condensed in a collector flask, separating it from impurities. Niter concentration in original mixture increases.
After removing the niter from the arcanum, the substance left behind is moistened with spirit of wine (aqua vitae). Aqua vitae is typically made by distilling wine. It's also called ardent spirits or spirits of wine, a name applied to repeatedly distilled brandy.
The moisture is allowed to evaporate. The moistening process is repeated multiple times until the strong taste disappears. The resulting product is used for similar purposes as antihecticum poterii (anti-hectic power), generally as a means to induce sweating.
In ancient medicine, antihecticum poterii is a chemical remedy prepared by first melting tin and chalybeated (iron-containing) regulus in a crucible, then adding potassium nitrate. Regulus is the metallic form of a substance, obtained by smelting or reduction.
When reaction is complete, the product is washed with warm water to eliminate remaining potassium nitrate salt. This medicine is considered highly effective, known for its ability to penetrate even the smallest passages, including nervous cells.
Arcanum joviale and antihecticum poterii are used to treat a variety of afflictions and symptoms including:
heaviness of the head, dizziness
vision problems related to apoplexies and epilepsies
internal abdominal issues
jaundice
persistent chronic disorders (managing)
Induced sweating may be perceived as flushing out of impurities. Analysis of sweat shows no toxins, thus sweating is not considered a detoxifying process, although it's still used by believers.
Sweat & Sweat Glands
Sodium and chloride are the main electrolytes of sweat. The body has two types of sweat glands, eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine sweat glands occur over most of the body and open directly onto the skin's surface.
Apocrine glands open into the hair follicle, leading to the surface of the skin. Apocrine glands develop in areas with many hair follicles, such as on the scalp, armpits and groin.
The apocrine sweat gland secretes oily fluid of proteins and lipids. Before microbial activity this sweat is odorless. It appears on skin surface mixed with sebum, as sebaceous glands open into the same hair follicle.
Sebum, a viscous substance made of various fat molecules, is meant to hydrate and protect skin. It can be a factor in greasy scalp or hair. Eccrine sweat glands produce continuously, while apocrine glands release fluid intermittently.
Eccrine sweat is clear, odorless, and composed of 98–99% water. It also contains salt NaCl, fatty acids, lactic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, urea, and uric acid, many of which can be found in alchemical practices.
Saunas or sweat baths are used as cleansing or purification therapy / rituals by ancient civilizations from Mayans to Romans. The sweating treatment is used to ease pain, reduce stress and improve cardiovascular health.
Removing nitrates in medieval alchemy is typically done by distillation. Other methods used today, such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange, need machinery not known in ancient and medieval or Renaissance alchemy.
Distillation is the common method of purification and significantly decreases nitrate levels in the distillate. In this process, water is boiled to create vapor. This is condensed in a collector flask. Niter concentration in original mixture increases and can be used in other processes.
Human sweat is made primarily of water. It also contains small amounts of minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium; metabolites such as lactate, ammonia, uric acid and urea, and unmetabolized pharmaceutical drugs.
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