Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs [Paperback]

Manfred M. Junius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

A comprehensive alchemical guide to plant extractions and their health benefits

• Shows how spagyric methods “open” medicinal plants completely to release powerful healing properties

• Provides a history and philosophy of spagyrics that reveal why Western medicine fails to recognize the full benefit to health offered by plants

• Connects spagyrics to classical alchemical, hermetic, and ayurvedic traditions

The practice of spagyrics is the application of ancient alchemical working methods to the preparation of tinctures, essences, and other products from medicinal plants. While ordinary tinctures and infusions use only a part of the great curative potential of plants, spagyric methods “open” medicinal plants completely to reveal their more powerful healing properties. Drawing on the rich imagery and symbolism of ancient source materials, Manfred M. Junius describes these methods in great detail, showing readers how to prepare plant remedies alchemically for their own use as well as imparting a knowledge of the ideological world in which alchemistic and hermetic thought flowered. Spagyrics includes the Plant Magistery of Paracelsus and the Life Elixir recipe of Andreas Libavius among its historic techniques as well as a wealth of scientific information that demonstrates the greater efficacy of alchemical methods of plant essence extraction. This classic source text preserves the nearly forgotten but highly valuable methods of this true hermetic art for preparing natural remedies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Simply put, this is a classic text on plant alchemy, or spagyrics, for the modern practitioner. . . . Anyone serious about learning alchemy needs to have a copy.”
(Mark Stavish, director of the Institute of Hermetic Studies and author of The Path of Alchemy )

"What makes Junius's book so special is that it is a practical primer on the subject. Traditional methods are presented as well as more modernized suggestions, but all within the strict confines of tradition. . . . Highly recommended."
(Cauldron Brasil, May 2007 )

If  you've always been curious about the real nature of alchemy, this book will help you in that search. If you are looking for more holistic ways to heal, this book will supply many thought-provoking guidelines. It will be cherished by those already familiar with the subject matter, and represents a bold undertaking by its author." (
Barbara Bamgerger Scott, Curled Up With a Good Book, Oct 2008
)

"The word means 'to draw out' and 'divide,' a basic principle of alchemy. The techniques date back at least to Paracelsus and have been said to release powerful healing properties from plants."
(The American Herb Association, 24:4, February 2010 )

From the Back Cover

HERBS / ALCHEMY

“Simply put, this is a classic text on plant alchemy, or spagyrics, for the modern practitioner. . . . Anyone serious about learning alchemy needs to have a copy.”
--Mark Stavish, director of the Institute of Hermetic Studies and author of The Path of Alchemy

The practice of spagyrics is the application of ancient alchemical working methods in the preparation of tinctures, essences, and other products from medicinal plants. While ordinary tinctures and infusions use only a part of the great curative potential of plants, spagyric methods “open” medicinal plants completely to reveal their more powerful healing properties. Drawing on the rich imagery and symbolism of ancient source materials, Manfred M. Junius describes these methods in great detail, showing readers how to prepare plant remedies alchemically for their own use as well as imparting a knowledge of the ideological world in which alchemistic and hermetic thought flowered. Spagyrics includes the Plant Magistery of Paracelsus and the Life Elixir recipe of Andreas Libavius among its historic techniques as well as a wealth of scientific information that demonstrates the greater efficacy of alchemical methods of plant essence extraction. This classic source text preserves the nearly forgotten but highly valuable methods of this true hermetic art for preparing natural remedies.

MANFRED M. JUNIUS (1929-2004) was a professor of biology at the University of Calcutta and later served as the production manager for spagyrics for Australerba Laboratories in Australia. He was also head of the Australian School of Ayurveda in Adelaide, Australia. His Western alchemical knowledge was obtained through many years of personal instruction from Augusto Pincaldi in Switzerland.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Healing Arts Press (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594771790
• ISBN-13: 978-1594771798
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Title for "Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy", July 23, 2007

By 

D. Johnson (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs (Paperback)

This is an excellent book, but in case you already have 'The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy', then don't make the mistake of buying 'Spagyrics' (as I did) if you're looking for a different text. 'Plant Alchemy' just has a new wrapping.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars New cover and title to the Plant Alchemy book., November 17, 2007

By 

Daniel H. Schmidt (Temecula, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs (Paperback)

This is just a new title and cover page to the old book. If you have the original book on Plant Alchemy; you already have this book. This is a bit of sleight of hand reintroduction into the market. This is not a 2nd volume of new material. I think the marketing should have made that clear otherwise one would think this was a bit deceitful when it was marketed as a new book by Manfred M. Junius at pre-publication...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important book, April 7, 2010

By 

Michael S. Leadabrand - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs (Paperback)

This should be read by all doctors and others who are interested in healing themselves or other people. It is not new-age tripe, it is science with spirituality. It is a higher way of thinking.