Intro to Alchemy

Snow's famous “Two Cultures” essay, in which he lamented the great cultural divide that separates two great areas of human intellectual activity, “science” and “the arts.” Snow argued that practitioners in both areas should build bridges, to further the

 progress of human knowledge and to benefit society.

from: https://www.evolvedalchemy.com/what-is-spagyrics

THE BASIC SPAGYRIC PROCESS

ALCOHOL EXTRACTION

EXTRACTION OF THE PLANT IS DONE VIA ORGANIC GRAPE ALCOHOL IN A SOXHLET EXTRACTOR FOR FAST, HIGH POTENCY TINCTURES (ALL DISTILLATIONS SHOULD BE DONE UNDER VACUUM SO NONE OF THE HEAT SENSITIVE COMPONENTS OF THE PLANT ARE DESTROYED). A JAR AND 40 DAY MACERATION CAN ALSO BE DONE INSTEAD OF THE SOXHLET METHOD. 

HERE THE ALCOHOL WILL DISSOLVE THE ESSENTIAL OILS OF THE PLANT ALONG WITH THE ALCOHOL SOLUBLE CHEMICALS. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY SOLVENT WHICH EXTRACTS THE PLANT'S CHEMICALS AT THE SAME RATIOS CONTAINED IN THE PLANT. ALCOHOL IS ALSO STRICTLY PRODUCED FROM PLANTS THEMSELVES. IT IS A SOLVENT MADE BY PLANTS FOR PLANTS.

IT WILL EXTRACT BOTH WATER AND OIL SOLUBLE COMPOUNDS. THIS IS ALSO A TERM TO REFERENCE THE ‘SOUL’ OF THE PLANT. IT IS SAID THAT THE SPIRIT OF PLANTS (ALCOHOL) WILL ALWAYS BRING A SOUL WITH IT…IN CHEMICAL TERMS, THE SPIRIT OR ALCOHOL IS DISSOLVING THE MEDICINAL COMPOUNDS OF THE PLANT - AKA THE SOUL OF THE PLANT.

MINERAL EXTRACTION

THE TINCTURE IS POURED OFF AND SAVED IN A DARK PLACE. THE LEFTOVER EXTRACTED PLANT MATERIAL IS THEN BURNED, AND CALCINED TO EXTRACT THE MINERALS CONTAINED WITHIN THE ASH. ONCE THE HERB IS BURNED TO A WHITE ASH, THE MINERAL SALTS WILL NOW READILY DISSOLVE IN WATER. THE ASH IS THEN MIXED WITH DISTILLED WATER TO DISSOLVE THE MINERALS. THE WATER IS FILTERED AND SLOWLY EVAPORATED TO CRYSTALLIZE THE MINERAL SALTS.

RECOMBINATION

THE WHITE SALTS ARE GATHERED AND RECOMBINED WITH THE TINCTURE OF THE PLANT THAT WAS MADE PRIOR. THIS COMPLETES THE SPAGYRIC PROCESS. THE TINCTURE NOW CONTAINS ALL THE ACIDS, OILS AND MINERALS THE PLANT ORIGINALLY HAD BUT NOW IN A MORE POTENT AND PURIFIED FORM. IN THIS WAY, THE ENERGETICS AND THE CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF THE PLANT ARE MAINTAINED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT. IT ALSO CREATES NEW COMPOUNDS SPECIFIC TO THE CHEMISTRY OF THAT PLANT AND ITS METHOD OF PREPARATION.

A LITTLE CHEMISTRY....

FROM A CHEMICAL STANDPOINT, THE MINERAL SALTS NEUTRALIZE THE ORGANIC ACIDS OF THE PLANT. THIS CONVERTS THE ACIDS OF THE PLANT TO THEIR ESTER FORM YIELDING SOAP-LIKE COMPOUNDS. WHAT WAS ONCE OIL SOLUBLE, IS NOW WATER SOLUBLE. THIS FORM IS MORE BIOAVAILABLE, MAKING THE PLANT'S COMPOUNDS MORE POTENT AND EFFECTIVE. 

THERE IS MUCH MORE TO THIS PROCESS THAT INCORPORATES MANY SPIRITUAL PRACTICES. AT EVOLVED ALCHEMY WE FOCUS MORE ON THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES THAT HAPPEN WITHIN THE SPAGYRIC PREPARATION. CHECK OUT OUR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPAGYRIC PREPARATION.