Practical Spagyric Plant Preparation: A Step-by-Step Guide

The work begins with the harvest. The practitioner is in a field at dawn, in the appropriate lunar phase, and the herb in question is one of the seven planetary herbs of the alchemical pharmacopoeia. The herb is cut with a clean blade, thanked, and placed in a clean vessel. By the end of the day it will be macerating in alcohol. Within a few weeks it will have been distilled, calcined, and recombined. The result will be a spagyric tincture — a plant medicine prepared according to the alchemical methods inherited from the Paracelsian and medieval traditions, and the most accessible of the alchemical arts for the modern practitioner (Principe, The Secrets of Alchemy, 2013; Smith, The Business of Alchemy, 1994; Junius, Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy, 1979). The accessibility is part of why the spagyric revival is the most visible part of the contemporary alchemical revival, and the accessibility is also why the work is worth taking seriously.

The theoretical basis

The spagyric preparation of plant medicines is grounded in the tria prima theory developed in the Paracelsian tradition. The theory holds that every plant contains the three principles of mercury, sulfur, and salt in some proportion, and the spagyric alchemist separates the principles, purifies each, and recombines them in a new unity. The result, in the alchemical framework, is a medicine that is more potent, more pure, and more balanced than the natural plant (Principe, 2013, pp. 88-95).

A note on dating, because it matters for the theory. The full tria prima — including salt — is a 16th-century Paracelsian development. The earlier Jabirian system has mercury and sulfur only, and the spagyric art as practiced today draws on both traditions. The spagyric art is in this respect a synthesis: Paracelsian in its explicit framework, Jabirian in much of its operative vocabulary, and medieval Latin in much of its laboratory practice (Principe, 2013, pp. 88-95; Newman, Promethean Ambitions, 2004).

The theory also holds that each plant is associated with a planetary principle. The seven planetary metals and the seven planets are the foundation of the alchemical theory of correspondences, and the seven planetary herbs are the foundation of the spagyric theory of plant medicine. The seven planetary herbs, in the standard list:

Sun: Sunflower or St. John’s Wort — for solar preparations, preparations of the heart, and preparations that work on the active principle.
Moon: Mugwort or Willow — for lunar preparations, preparations of the brain, and preparations that work on the receptive principle.
Mercury: Lavender or Fennel — for mercurial preparations, preparations of the lungs and the nervous system, and preparations that work on the spirit.
Venus: Rose or Mint — for venereal preparations, preparations of the kidneys and the reproductive system, and preparations that work on harmony and beauty.
Mars: Nettle or Thistle — for martial preparations, preparations of the blood and the muscles, and preparations that work on courage and action.
Jupiter: Dandelion or Sage — for jovial preparations, preparations of the liver and the digestive system, and preparations that work on expansion and growth.
Saturn: Comfrey or Hellebore — for saturnine preparations, preparations of the spleen and the bones, and preparations that work on structure and discipline.

The seven planetary herbs are the foundation of the spagyric pharmacopoeia. Familiarity with them gives the practitioner a working command of the basic spagyric art.

The basic procedure

The spagyric preparation of a plant elixir is a multi-stage process that involves the separation, purification, and recombination of the three principles. The procedure is more demanding than the standard herbal preparation, and the practitioner should plan for several weeks of work. The five stages, in the order most modern practitioners follow them:

Stage 1: Collection

The first stage is the collection of the plant material. The plant should be collected at the appropriate time of day, in the appropriate season, and in the appropriate lunar phase. The collection should be performed with attention to the planetary and zodiacal correspondences. The collected plant material should be processed immediately or dried carefully for later use. The collection matters more than most modern practitioners acknowledge. A plant harvested at the wrong lunar phase is, in the spagyric framework, a different plant from the same species harvested at the right phase, and the difference shows in the work.

Stage 2: Calcination

The second stage is the calcination of the plant material to produce the salt. The plant material is placed in a crucible or a calcination dish and heated gradually until the material is reduced to a white ash. The ash is the “salt” of the plant, the body, the principle of solidity and fixity. The ash is then dissolved in distilled water, filtered, and crystallized to produce a purified salt. The calcination is the most demanding of the spagyric operations, and the operation requires careful control of the temperature to avoid losing the volatile principles. Skill in calcination gives the practitioner command of the most material aspect of the spagyric art.

Stage 3: Distillation

The third stage is the distillation of the plant material to produce the mercury. The fresh or rehydrated plant material is macerated in a mixture of alcohol and water, and the mixture is distilled. The distillate is the “mercury” of the plant, the spirit, the principle of volatility and liquidity. The distillate is often redistilled to produce a more purified mercury. A small copper alembic on an iron tripod, with a water-cooled condenser, is the standard apparatus, and the apparatus is one of the visual signatures of the spagyric laboratory.

Stage 4: Extraction

The fourth stage is the extraction of the plant material to produce the sulfur. The residue of the distillation is extracted with alcohol, and the extract is concentrated by evaporation. The extract is the “sulfur” of the plant, the soul, the principle of combustibility and color. The extract is often further purified by filtration and concentration. The sulfur of a well-prepared spagyric tincture is the most aromatic and the most colored of the three principles, and the practitioner can judge the quality of the work by the appearance of the sulfur.

Stage 5: Recombination

The fifth stage is the recombination of the three principles to produce the spagyric tincture. The purified salt is dissolved in a small amount of distilled water, and the dissolved salt is added to the purified mercury (the distillate). The sulfur (the extract) is then added to the mixture, and the mixture is allowed to mature for a period of weeks or months. The mature mixture is the spagyric tincture, the perfected medicine. The maturation is not a stage the practitioner can rush, and the practitioner who rushes it will notice the difference.

Dosing and use

The spagyric tincture is taken internally in small doses, often a few drops at a time, diluted in water or in a small amount of alcohol. The dosing is typically much smaller than the dosing of the equivalent herbal preparation, because the spagyric tincture is much more concentrated and potent than the natural plant. The spagyric practitioner is more like a homeopathic prescriber than an herbalist in the dosing habits, and the analogy is useful.

The spagyric tincture is typically taken according to the planetary correspondences of the preparation. A solar preparation, for example, is best taken in the morning, during the day, in the sign of Leo. A lunar preparation is best taken in the evening, during the night, in the sign of Cancer. The planetary timing is a real part of the spagyric practice, and the practitioner who ignores it is not getting the most out of the preparation.

Safety

The spagyric preparations are generally safe when prepared correctly and taken in the recommended doses, and the safety is one of the more attractive features of the art. The spagyric preparations are more concentrated and potent than the natural plants, however, and they should be used with care and with attention to the recommended dosing. Some spagyric preparations can be toxic, particularly preparations of plants that contain toxic compounds. The spagyric preparation of toxic plants should be performed only by experienced practitioners, and the preparations of toxic plants should be used with great care.

The spagyric practitioner should also be aware of the legal status of the spagyric preparations in the relevant jurisdiction. Some spagyric preparations are regulated as medicines, dietary supplements, or other categories, and the spagyric practitioner should be aware of the relevant regulations. The regulatory landscape is different in different jurisdictions, and the practitioner is responsible for compliance.

The place of the spagyric preparation in the alchemical tradition

The practical spagyric preparation is the most accessible of the alchemical arts, and the practice is one of the most important expressions of the modern alchemical revival. The modern spagyric practitioners, working in the tradition of Paracelsus and the later alchemists, are continuing a tradition that goes back to the Hellenistic period, and the modern spagyric practice is a living part of the contemporary alchemical inheritance (Junius, 1979; Smith, 1994). The spagyric preparation combines the practical, the theoretical, the religious, and the philosophical dimensions of the alchemical work, and the combination is a model for the contemporary practice of the alchemical art.

The spagyric preparation is also a complement to the modern herbal tradition, and the spagyric preparations can be integrated with the modern herbal practice. Skill in the practical preparation gives the practitioner a set of tools that are valuable in the modern herbal context, and the spagyric preparations are a useful addition to the modern herbal pharmacopoeia. The integration is the direction I think the spagyric revival is most likely to develop in the next few decades, and the direction is the one most worth watching.