Aqua vitae. Artist's representation of distillation apparatus for aqua vitae, from Liber de arte Distillandi, by Hieronymus Brunschwig, 1512. Aqua vitae /ˌeɪkwə ˈvaɪtiː/ (Latin for "water of vitality") or aqua vita is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. The term was in wide use during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, although its origin is undoubtedly much earlier, having been used by Saint Patrick and his fellow monks to refer to both the alcohol and the waters of baptism. This Latin term appears in a wide array of dialectical forms throughout all lands and people conquered by ancient Rome. Generally, the term is a generic name for all types of distillates, and eventually came to refer specifically to distillates of alcoholic beverages and liquors.[1] Aqua vitae was typically prepared by distilling wine; it was sometimes called "spirits of wine" in English texts, a name for brandy that had been repeatedly distilled.
See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] Spagyric. Etymology[edit] Origin: Greek: from spao = I collect and ageiro = I extract.[1] [2] It is a term probably first coined by Paracelsus. In its original use, the word spagyric was commonly used synonymously with the word alchemy, however, in more recent times it has often been adopted by alternative medicine theorists and various techniques of holistic medicine. Spagyrics in practice[edit] Spagyric most commonly refers to a plant tincture to which has also been added the ash of the calcined plant. The original rationale behind these special herbal tinctures seems to have been that an extract using alcohol could not be expected to contain all the medicinal properties from a living plant, and so the ash or mineral component (as a result of the calcination process) of the calcined plant was prepared separately and then added back to 'augment' (increase) the alcoholic tincture.
The three primal alchemical properties and their correspondence in spagyric remedy are: See also[edit] Alchemy. Iatrochemistry. Frontispiece to Thomas Willis' 1663 book "Diatribae duae medico-philosophicae - quarum prior agit de fermentatione", a treatise on fermentation as a mysterious key to transformations (from mash to beer or from health to fevers), engraved and published by Gerbrandus Schagen in Amsterdam Iatrochemistry (or chemical medicine) is a branch of both chemistry and medicine.
The word "Iatro" was the Greek word "doctor" or "medicine. " Having its roots in alchemy, iatrochemistry seeks to provide chemical solutions to diseases and medical ailments. This area of science has fallen out of use in Europe since the rise of modern establishment medicine. However, iatrochemistry was popular between 1525 and 1660, especially in Flanders. Its most notable leader was Paracelsus, an important Swiss alchemist of the 16th century. Iatrochemists believed that physical health was dependent on a specific balance of bodily fluids.
History in Europe[edit] History in South Asia[edit] References[edit] Allopathic medicine. Allopathic medicine is an expression commonly used by homeopaths and proponents of other forms of alternative medicine to refer to mainstream medical use of pharmacologically active agents or physical interventions to treat or suppress symptoms or pathophysiologic processes of diseases or conditions.[1] The expression was coined in 1810 by the creator of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843).[2] In such circles, the expression "allopathic medicine" is still used to refer to "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, evidence-based medicine, or modern medicine" (see the article on scientific medicine).[3] Etymology[edit] Allopathic medicine and allopathy (from the Greek prefix ἄλλος, állos, "other", "different" + the suffix πάϑος, páthos, "suffering") are terms coined in the early 19th century[4] by Samuel Hahnemann,[2][5] the founder of homeopathy, as a synonym for mainstream medicine.
History[edit] Current[edit] References[edit] Cortical homunculus. A cortical sensory homunculus A cortical homunculus is a pictorial representation of the anatomical divisions of the primary motor cortex (i.e., portion of the human brain responsible for the processing and integration of motor information) and the primary somatosensory cortex[1] (i.e., portion of the human brain responsible for the processing and integration of tactile information). The cortical homunculus is a visual representation of the concept of "the body within the brain"—that one's hand or face exists as much as a series of nerve structures or a "neuron concept", as it exists as a physical form.
This concept relates to many neuro-biological phenomena including phantom limb and body integrity identity disorder. The reason for the distorted appearance of the homunculus is that the amount of cerebral tissue or cortex devoted to a given body region is proportional to how richly innervated that region is, not to its size. Types[edit] Motor cortex[edit] Somatosensory cortex[edit] Dr. Mandrake (plant) The alkaloid chemicals contained in the root include atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. These chemicals are anticholinergics, hallucinogens, and hypnotics.Anticholinergic properties can lead to asphyxiation.
Ingesting mandrake root is likely to have other adverse effects such as vomiting and diarrhea. The alkaloid concentration varies between plant samples, and accidental poisoning is likely to occur.[1] Two references to דודאים (dûdã'im)—literally meaning "love plant"—occur in the Jewish scriptures. The Septuagint translates דודאים (dûdã'im) as μανδραγόρας (mandragoras), and Vulgate follows Septuagint. A number of later translations into different languages follow Septuagint (and Vulgate) and use mandrake as the plant as the proper meaning in both Genesis 30:14–16 and Song of Solomon 7:13. Others follow the example of the Luther Bible and provide a more literal translation. The final verses of Song of Songs (Song of Songs 7:12–13), are: Mandragora plant "...
My Antony is away. " Chinese alchemy. Chinese alchemy is a part of the larger tradition of Taoist body-spirit cultivation that developed from the traditional Chinese understanding of medicine and the body. According to original texts such as the Cantong qi, the body is understood as the focus of cosmological processes summarized in the five agents, or wu xing, the observation and cultivation of which leads the practitioner into greater alignment with the operation of the Tao, the great cosmological principle of everything. Therefore the traditional view in China is that alchemy focuses mainly on the purification of one's spirit and body in the hopes of gaining immortality through the practice of Qigong and/or consumption and use of various concoctions known as alchemical medicines or elixirs, each of which having different purposes.
According to J.C. Process and purpose[edit] By refining bases into gold, the alchemist believed that immortal life would be delivered if the "fake" or synthetic gold was ingested. Origins[edit] Rasayana. Rasāyana, रसायन is a Sanskrit word, with literal meaning: Path (āyana) of essence (rasa). It is a term that in early ayurvedic medicine means the science of lengthening lifespan, and in later (post 8th-century) works sometimes refers to Indian alchemy.
History[edit] Significant progress in alchemy was made in ancient India. Will Durant wrote in Our Oriental Heritage: An 11th-century Persian chemist and physician named Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī reported that "They have a science similar to alchemy which is quite peculiar to them. Since alchemy eventually became engrained in the vast field of Indian erudition, influences from other metaphysical and philosophical doctrines such as Samkhya, Yoga, Vaisheshika and Ayurveda were inevitable. The aim and types of Rasayan[edit] Types of Rasayana[2] Kamya Rasayanas are promoters of normal health. In pursuit of these matters, herbal prescriptions with many herbal substances, preserved in ghee and honey are given. Rasayana formulae[edit] References[edit] Hermes Trismegistus. Hermetica. Scope[edit] The term particularly applies to the Corpus Hermeticum, Marsilio Ficino's Latin translation in fourteen tracts, of which eight early printed editions appeared before 1500 and a further twenty-two by 1641.[2] This collection, which includes the Pœmandres and some addresses of Hermes to disciples Tat, Ammon and Asclepius, was said to have originated in the school of Ammonius Saccas and to have passed through the keeping of Michael Psellus: it is preserved in fourteenth century manuscripts.[3] The last three tracts in modern editions were translated independently from another manuscript by Ficino's contemporary Lodovico Lazzarelli (1447–1500) and first printed in 1507.
Extensive quotes of similar material are found in classical authors such as Joannes Stobaeus. Parts of the Hermetica appeared in the 4th-century Gnostic library found in Nag Hammadi. Character and antiquity[edit] Later history[edit] Standard editions[edit] Contents of Corpus Hermeticum[edit] I. (II.) II. III. IV. V. Aqua regia. Freshly prepared aqua regia to remove metal salt deposits. Freshly prepared aqua regia is colorless, but it turns orange within seconds. Here, fresh aqua regia has been added to these NMR tubes to remove all traces of organic material. Aqua regia (Latin and Ancient Italian, lit. "royal water"), aqua regis (Latin, lit. "king's water"), or nitro-hydrochloric acid is a highly corrosive mixture of acids, a fuming yellow or red solution. The mixture is formed by freshly mixing concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid,[1] optimally in a volume ratio of 1:3.
Applications[edit] Aqua regia is primarily used to produce chloroauric acid, the electrolyte in the Wohlwill process. Aqua regia is also used in etching and in specific analytic procedures. Due to the reaction between its components resulting in its decomposition, aqua regia quickly loses its effectiveness (yet remains a strong acid), so its components are usually only mixed immediately before use. Chemistry[edit] Dissolving gold[edit] Philosopher's stone.
History[edit] Mention of the philosophers' stone in writing can be found as far back as Cheirokmeta by Zosimos of Panopolis (c. 300 AD).[2] Alchemical writers assign a longer history. Elias Ashmole and the anonymous author of Gloria Mundi (1620) claim that its history goes back to Adam who acquired the knowledge of the stone directly from God. This knowledge was said to be passed down through biblical patriarchs, giving them their longevity. The legend of the stone was also compared to the biblical history of the Temple of Solomon and the rejected cornerstone described in Psalm 118.[3] Middle Ages[edit] The 8th-century alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan (Latinized as Geber) analyzed each classical element in terms of the four basic qualities. In the 11th century, there was a debate among Muslim world chemists on whether the transmutation of substances was possible. Renaissance to Early Modern period[edit] In Buddhism and Hinduism[edit] Properties[edit] Names[edit] Appearance[edit] Creation[edit]
Numerology. Numerology is any belief in the divine, mystical or other special relationship between a number and some coinciding events. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics or pseudoscience by modern scientists.[1][2][3] Today, numerology is often associated with the paranormal, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts.[4] Despite the long history of numerological ideas, the word "numerology" is not recorded in English before c.1907.[5] The term numerologist is also used derogatorily for those perceived to place excess faith in numerical patterns (and draw scientifically unsound inferences from them), even if those people do not practice traditional numerology.
History[edit] Modern numerology has various antecedents. Methods[edit] Number definitions[edit] أ=1 ب=2 ج=3 د=4 ه=5. The Essentials of Buddha Dhamma in Meditative Practice. Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta — Impermanence, suffering and Egolessness — are the three essential characteristics of things in the Teaching of the Buddha. If you know Anicca correctly, you will know Dukkha as its corollary and Anatta as ultimate truth. It takes time to understand the three together. Impermanence (anicca) is, of course, the essential fact which must be first experienced and understood by practice.
Mere book-knowledge of the Buddha-Dhamma will not be enough for the correct understanding of Anicca because the experiential aspect will be missing. To understand Impermanence (anicca) one must follow strictly and diligently the Eightfold Noble Path, which is divided into the three groups of Sila, Samadhi and Pañña — Morality, Concentration and Wisdom. Whether a Buddha has arisen or not, the practice of Sila and Samadhi may be present in the human world. For progress in Vipassana Meditation, a student must keep knowing Anicca as continuously as possible.
This is the age of science. Classical element. Segment of the macrocosm showing the elemental spheres of terra (earth), aqua (water), aer (air), and ignis (fire). Robert Fludd. 1617. Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything can consist or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of everything are based.
Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient concepts which some science writers compare to the modern states of matter, relating earth to the solid state, water to liquid, air to gaseous and fire to plasma.[1][2] Historians trace the evolution of modern theory pertaining to the chemical elements, as well as chemical compounds and mixtures of chemical substances to medieval, and Greek models. Many concepts once thought to be analogous, such as the Chinese Wu Xing, are now understood more figuratively. Ancient[edit] Cosmic elements in Babylonia[edit] Greece[edit] Medieval alchemy[edit] Egypt[edit] India[edit]
Sulfur. Sulfur occurs naturally as the pure element (native sulfur) and as sulfide and sulfate minerals. Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their distinct, brightly colored polyhedron shapes. Being abundant in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times, mentioned for its uses in ancient India, ancient Greece, China and Egypt. Fumes from burning sulfur were used as fumigants, and sulfur-containing medicinal mixtures were used as balms and antiparasitics. Sulfur is referred to in the Bible as brimstone (burn stone) in English, with this name still used in several nonscientific tomes.[3] It was needed to make the best quality of black gunpowder. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier helped convince the scientific community that sulfur was a basic element rather than a compound.
Elemental sulfur was once extracted from salt domes where it sometimes occurs in nearly pure form, but this method has been obsolete since the late 20th century. Characteristics[edit] Corpuscularianism. Salt (chemistry) Alchemy. Alchemy 3, Gold, The Philosopher's Stone, The Elixir. Mercury (element) Quicksilver: a history of the use ... - Richard M. Swiderski. Alchemy Electronic Dictionary: Find Out the Meaning of Arcane Words and Ciphers Instantly!