What makes a Spagyric extract different from a conventional extract?
One of the primary differences with a Spagyric extract is it's addition of the Salt principle; the mineral salt profile of the plant. Although a small amount of soluble salts are obtained with a conventional extract using at least some water and/or vinegar, the vast majority of a plant's salts are left behind in what's called the marc-the pressed out herb mass 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. The Salt principle can be viewed as the grounding and "fixed" corporeal aspect of a Spagyric preparation.
In order to free these salts for their recombining with the Mercury (alcohol) and Sulphur (essential oil+active compounds), the marc must first be incinerated completely to ash, and then the ash must be further subjected to steady high heat. This process is called calcination. When calcination is completed, the salts are then leached out of the ashes and purified/recrystallized with a process using distilled water or sometimes the plant's hydrosol. They 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!
The salts obtained via calcination from plant sources are predominantly composed of Potassium, arguably the most important electrolyte for the human body. When this alkaline carbonate mineral is 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:
As mentioned before, there is still much to discover and re-discover concerning the art of Spagyria, but these points alone serve as a solid modern scientific understanding and reasoning for the tremendous additional benefits of utilizing this extraction technique in favor of conventional methods.
SOLVE ET COAGULA: Fixing the volatile, and volatilizing the fixed.
The Alchemical axioms of "fixing the volatile" and "volatilizing the fixed" provide much insight in regards to the re-introduction of the Salt and additional works to transform and evolve it. For example: when organic acids such as essential oils are neutralized by the alkaline salt, forming a carboxylic acid salt, the non-water soluble "volatile" oil has now been "fixed" so to speak, creating a more bio-available, deeper penetrating, specified and longer lasting effect. On the other end of the spectrum, the "fixed" salts of the plant can be volatilized through sublimation (turned into a gas, and then recrystallized) by unique distillation processes, or through acetylation using vinegar/acetic acid. These techniques enable substances that normally do not mix (such as oil and water or alcohol and salt) to reform into a single homogenous extract, readily available to the body to use on demand. Alchemically speaking, it allows for the combining and balancing of the normally incompatible and opposite Solar and Lunar principles, creating what's known as the Alchemical Child.
OUR PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
Although this list is not exhaustive, as our methods can be complex and ever changing, the following is a brief outline of our primary modi operandi:
DISCLAIMER
All information/product provided on www.secret-fire.com is for strictly educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or mitigate any disease, ailment or injury of any kind. These statements have not been reviewed/endorsed by Health Canada nor the FDA. Persons using the information/products provided on www.secret-fire.com agree to assume any and all responsibility/liability.
One of the primary differences with a Spagyric extract is it's addition of the Salt principle; the mineral salt profile of the plant. Although a small amount of soluble salts are obtained with a conventional extract using at least some water and/or vinegar, the vast majority of a plant's salts are left behind in what's called the marc-the pressed out herb mass 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. The Salt principle can be viewed as the grounding and "fixed" corporeal aspect of a Spagyric preparation.
In order to free these salts for their recombining with the Mercury (alcohol) and Sulphur (essential oil+active compounds), the marc must first be incinerated completely to ash, and then the ash must be further subjected to steady high heat. This process is called calcination. When calcination is completed, the salts are then leached out of the ashes and purified/recrystallized with a process using distilled water or sometimes the plant's hydrosol. They 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!
The salts obtained via calcination from plant sources are predominantly composed of Potassium, arguably the most important electrolyte for the human body. When this alkaline carbonate mineral is 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:
- Esterification of essential oils/active compounds
- Alkalization/neutralization of the end product
- Saponification of oils and other non-water solubles, rendering them water soluble
- Decarboxylation of organic acids
- Formation of carboxylic acid salts
- Formation of chelated minerals
As mentioned before, there is still much to discover and re-discover concerning the art of Spagyria, but these points alone serve as a solid modern scientific understanding and reasoning for the tremendous additional benefits of utilizing this extraction technique in favor of conventional methods.
SOLVE ET COAGULA: Fixing the volatile, and volatilizing the fixed.
The Alchemical axioms of "fixing the volatile" and "volatilizing the fixed" provide much insight in regards to the re-introduction of the Salt and additional works to transform and evolve it. For example: when organic acids such as essential oils are neutralized by the alkaline salt, forming a carboxylic acid salt, the non-water soluble "volatile" oil has now been "fixed" so to speak, creating a more bio-available, deeper penetrating, specified and longer lasting effect. On the other end of the spectrum, the "fixed" salts of the plant can be volatilized through sublimation (turned into a gas, and then recrystallized) by unique distillation processes, or through acetylation using vinegar/acetic acid. These techniques enable substances that normally do not mix (such as oil and water or alcohol and salt) to reform into a single homogenous extract, readily available to the body to use on demand. Alchemically speaking, it allows for the combining and balancing of the normally incompatible and opposite Solar and Lunar principles, creating what's known as the Alchemical Child.
OUR PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
Although this list is not exhaustive, as our methods can be complex and ever changing, the following is a brief outline of our primary modi operandi:
- *MACERATION: Often a first step of our extraction processes, the herb being worked upon is digested by an all natural and plant based solvent. Fresh or dried plant materials are mixed with an appropriate solvent for the work, and then enter into a warm incubation period of 2-6 weeks on average. Solvents used include ethyl alcohol, vinegar/acetic acid and saturated solutions of Potassium Carbonate. These three menstruums as they are traditionally called, cover the full spectrum of Ph; neutral, acid and alkali.
- *CALCINATION: After the desired Mercurial and Sulfurous principles have been extracted, any remaining plant matter is incinerated first and then subjected to steady heat in order to liberate the Salt for extraction with distilled water, hydrosols, vinegar etc. An arduous but essential step of Spagyrics.
- *DISTILLATION: Distillation has a variety of uses in Spagyric preparations including essential oil extraction, sublimation of salts, distillation of alcohol/vinegar and general potentiating/concentrating of extracts. The basics include a heated vessel containing the substances being worked with, condensers to cool vapors/gasses back into a liquid state, and a receiving vessel to catch the distillate.
- *CIRCULATION: Known as refluxing in modern chemistry, this is a form of distillation where a flask containing the substance being worked with is heated and distilled vertically into a condenser, and then the distillate is returned repeatedly back into the original flask instead of a second receiving flask as with regular distillations. In modern chemistry reflux distillations are most often performed with high heat for short periods of time, in comparison to the Spagyric method where gentle heating for weeks or even months is preferred. This technique acts as a catalyst for many different reactions and maturation's of our extracts.
- *FERMENTATION: Fermentation is a metabolic process where sugars are converted to alcohol, acids and gasses when deprived of oxygen. This process is used to produce ethyl alcohol from any plant, but generally plants with a high sugar content such as Grapes or Cane are used, Grape being the preference of ancient and often modern Alchemists/Spagyrists as well. Unfortunately due to strict regulations, Secret Fire Apothecary is restricted to using only licensed sources of alcohol.
- *ASTROLOGY: Although a subject of much skepticism and debate, Secret Fire Apothecary uses multiple Astrological systems to guide our every move, from planting and harvesting to all steps of processing our extracts. It is of our opinion that using the multi-layered, ever changing and undulating calendar of the macro-cosmic movements of the Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars, Planetary Hours, Astrological Houses and more allows for an intimate connection to the micro-cosmic rhythms and patterns of Nature down here on Earth. "As above, so below".
DISCLAIMER
All information/product provided on www.secret-fire.com is for strictly educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or mitigate any disease, ailment or injury of any kind. These statements have not been reviewed/endorsed by Health Canada nor the FDA. Persons using the information/products provided on www.secret-fire.com agree to assume any and all responsibility/liability.