I feel compelled to add that, though plenty of charlatans did abound, alchemy wasn’t always a get rich quick scheme but in fact the origin of modern chemistry. In this case, Culpepper, a medical astrologer, seems to be saying that the raw herb is no good, but a skilled alchemist can extract and purify a pharmaceutical grade of the same herb for medical use.
Lead to gold, though considered the apex of an alchemist’s physical work, is as much a metaphor as it is an aim; many alchemists were concerned mainly with turning raw herbs (“lead”) into their most refined and potent forms (“gold”) for the purpose of helping the sick. The lore within their art insisted that the true aim of success was the betterment of mankind. Nicolas Flamel—of Harry Potter fame—was a real person who, with his wife, was reported to have achieved the philosophers stone, and history reports that they spent the rest of their days funding orphanages and hospitals.
Annnnyway if you can’t tell I’m also a history and medieval nerd, so believe me when I say I LOVE your publication.
Thank you for that, I'm always eager to find out more on the various topics our wildflower names bring out. It is why the Substack community is so great, this wealth of knowledge we all share! Thanks again and so pleased you like flowerology 😃
To really fly my nerd flag here, I recognized Culpeper’s name mention from your article, because I have used his work as an astrological reference as I experimented with alchemical, herbal medicines in the past. Your research is so thorough, thank you for all that you do.
How fabulous is that! So interesting. I love the research, reading the old texts and trying to make sense of it in our modern time. It sounds like you enjoy the research too and take it a step further by experimenting. Wow!
I feel compelled to add that, though plenty of charlatans did abound, alchemy wasn’t always a get rich quick scheme but in fact the origin of modern chemistry. In this case, Culpepper, a medical astrologer, seems to be saying that the raw herb is no good, but a skilled alchemist can extract and purify a pharmaceutical grade of the same herb for medical use.
Lead to gold, though considered the apex of an alchemist’s physical work, is as much a metaphor as it is an aim; many alchemists were concerned mainly with turning raw herbs (“lead”) into their most refined and potent forms (“gold”) for the purpose of helping the sick. The lore within their art insisted that the true aim of success was the betterment of mankind. Nicolas Flamel—of Harry Potter fame—was a real person who, with his wife, was reported to have achieved the philosophers stone, and history reports that they spent the rest of their days funding orphanages and hospitals.
Annnnyway if you can’t tell I’m also a history and medieval nerd, so believe me when I say I LOVE your publication.
Carry on!!!
Thank you for that, I'm always eager to find out more on the various topics our wildflower names bring out. It is why the Substack community is so great, this wealth of knowledge we all share! Thanks again and so pleased you like flowerology 😃
To really fly my nerd flag here, I recognized Culpeper’s name mention from your article, because I have used his work as an astrological reference as I experimented with alchemical, herbal medicines in the past. Your research is so thorough, thank you for all that you do.
How fabulous is that! So interesting. I love the research, reading the old texts and trying to make sense of it in our modern time. It sounds like you enjoy the research too and take it a step further by experimenting. Wow!
It’s a lot of work, but so fun. I heard a phrase I love that really applies to people like us:
“Every day, I learn something old.”
Love it!