WHAT IS SPAGYRICS?
Re-ignited in Europe by Paracelsus, an early 16th century physician and father of modern toxicology, a new branch of Alchemy sprouted up through what he titled Spagyrics.
Spagyrics draws from the framework and practices of both laboratory and philosophical Alchemy. It forges a methodology of holistic medicine-making and clinical assessment based upon a concept known as the Tria Prima; Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury. This triune concept is otherwise understood as representing the Body, Soul, and Spirit, the three “primes” of all things in the manifest world. Not only do these terms refer to material components, but perhaps even more importantly to the Philosophical truths of this trinity. In essence, the matter associated with each of the three primes simply acts as a carrier of the philosophical qualities which animate and give meaning to them.
The title Spagyric, is derived from the ancient Greek words spao (to draw out) and agerio (to gather). The word highlights the basic techniques underlying the many forms of Spagyric medicines.
Chemical Vehicles of the Tria Prima
In regard to the most basic "wet path" of Spagyria (a method using liquid menstrua/solvents), when working with plants and fungi the three essential physical carriers to be separated, purified and recombined include the:
- Mineral salt profile (Salt/Body)
- Essential oil and active compound profile (Sulphur/Soul)
- Alcohols, ketones and acetic acid potential through fermentation/oxidization/distillation (Mercury/Spirit)
The Philosophical Marrow of the Tria Prima
Briefly described above, the extremely important point was made that physical compounds merely act as hosts of the even more essential Philosophical principles of the Tria Prima.
Mercury for example is not literally alcohol, it represents the most lofty and universal spirit of all things. It can be understood as undifferentiated consciousness, yet to be determined by a unique body. Mercury is neutral energetically, and often is referred to as the Divine Hermaphrodite. It is associated with the planet Mercury and is the great messenger, trickster and teacher, ruling over information, language, magic, science and Alchemy itself.
Salt represents the individual body, the receptive element which is enlivened by Mercury. It is the most substantial component of the Tria Prima, and it has a feminine (not to be confused with biological sex) and passive energetic pattern. It is cooling in nature, is negative in polarity and represents the whole of the material plane. It is associated with the Moon, the Mother and the Queen.
Sulphur is the soul, the active element of the Tria Prima. Sulphur is the direct result of the universal animating principle of Mercury (consciousness) becoming encapsulated in a unique body (matter). It is the unique expression and experience afforded by this union of consciousness embodied in matter. Sulphur is masculine (again, not a matter of biological sex) and is active energetically. It is heating, positive in polarity and represents the energy which enlivens everything. Sulphur is associated with the Sun, the self, the Father and the King.
A simple analogy for this triune concept is a packet of matches: the match is the Mercury, the strike pad the Salt, and the flame created the Sulphur.
What makes a Spagyric extract different from a conventional extract?
One of the primary differences with a Spagyric extract is its addition of the Salt principle; the mineral salt profile of the plant or mushroom. Although a small amount of soluble salts may be obtained with a conventional extract using at least some water and/or vinegar, the vast majority of a plant/mushrooms's salts are left behind in what’s called the marc.
The marc is the post-extracted biomass after macerating in alcohol, water, vinegar, glycerine etc. These “trapped” salts so to speak are still confined by organic materials, unreachable no matter how long you macerate for.
Calcination
The Salt principle can be viewed as the grounding and “fixed” corporeal aspect of a Spagyric preparation. In order to free these trapped salts the marc must first be completely incinerated to ash, and then the ash must be further subjected to steady high heat (400-650C). This process is called calcination. When calcination is completed, the salts are then leached out of the fine white ashes, and are subsequently crystallized.
This purification, extraction and crystallization process uses distilled water or sometimes the plant’s hydrosol to extract the mineral salts from the calcined ash. These salts are then ready to be recombined in a variety of different ways with their counterparts of Sulphur and Mercury… and this is where the real magic of Spagyria begins!
What's in these salts?
The water-soluble salts obtained via calcination from plant sources are predominantly composed of Potassium (from land-based plants), or Sodium (from sea-based plants) - the two most important electrolytes for the human body. When these alkaline carbonate minerals are re-introduced to the alcohol, essential oils and other active compounds, a variety of chemical reactions start to occur. These reactions include but are not limited to:
- Alkalization/neutralization of the final product
- Saponification of fatty acids
- Decarboxylation of organic acids
- Formation of metal-organic compounds
Largely, these chemical changes are the result of what's known as an acid-base reaction in modern chemistry; the minerals are alkalis and the active compounds and oils primarily acids. To summarize the tangible benefits of such changes catalyzed by the Spagyric method, many of the identifiable resultant compounds are known to have improved bioavailability, potency, stability, and potentially even reduced side effects.
Of all these chemical reactions, perhaps most important and interesting is that of the formation of metal-organic compounds, as it gives a physical marker of the Philosophical concept of the Alchemical Child, the offspring of the Sun (organic Sulphur) and Moon (inorganic Salt), formed in the marriage bed of Mercury. This is one example of an ultimate Truth, which requires perfect coherence of Philosophy and physicality.
As exciting as all this is, viewing this age-old practice through a modern lens, there is no doubt much more to discover and rediscover concerning the art of Spagyria and Alchemy as a whole. However, these points alone serve as a solid modern scientific understanding and reasoning for the tremendous additional benefits of utilizing this extraction technique in favour of conventional methods...alongside its ultimate gift of exploring the meaning in matter.