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Dell' elixir vitae, 1624. In European alchemical tradition, the elixir of life is closely related to the creation of the philosopher's stone. According to legend, certain alchemists have gained a reputation as creators of the elixir. These include Nicolas Flamel and St. Germain. A work by Michael Scot speaks of gold as an elixir of life. [7]
Chinese woodblock illustration of a waidan alchemical refining furnace, 1856 Waike tushuo 外科圖説 (Illustrated Manual of External Medicine). Waidan, translated as 'external alchemy' or 'external elixir', is the early branch of Chinese alchemy that focuses upon compounding elixirs of immortality by heating minerals, metals, and other natural substances in a luted crucible.
For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal in alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, divine illumination, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as the Magnum Opus ("Great Work"). [3]
The Elixir of Life is a famous potion that aimed to create eternal youth. [32] During the Chinese dynasties, this elixir of life was often recreated and drunk by emperors, nobles and officials. [citation needed] In India, there is a myth of the potion amrita, a drink of immortality made out of nectar. [33]
Glauber's salt – sodium sulfate.Na 2 SO 4; Sal alembroth – salt composed of chlorides of ammonium and mercury.; Sal ammoniac – ammonium chloride.; Sal petrae (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/salt of petra/saltpetre/nitrate of potash – potassium nitrate, KNO 3, typically mined from covered dungheaps.
The Mirror of Alchimy appeared at a time when there was an explosion of interest in Bacon, magic and alchemy in England. The evidence of this is seen in popular plays of the time such as Marlowe's Dr. Faustus (c. 1588), Greene's Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (1589), and Jonson's The Alchemist (1610). [ 7 ]
An elixir is a sweet liquid used for medical purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's illness. [1] When used as a pharmaceutical preparation , an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orally.
Inner Garden Alchemy Research Group: a non-profit foundation that aims to transmit the alchemical tradition. Alchemy on In Our Time at the BBC; Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Alchemy; Book of Secrets: Alchemy and the European Imagination, 1500-2000 – A digital exhibition from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University