The Three Essentials-Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur
The production of a spagyric, or plant tincture, is the first and easiest of all operations. It requires no special equipment and can be done by anyone anywhere, needing only patience and perseverance as its primary tools. Here is an example of a tincture made from lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), although any plant can be used. You must research plant toxicity prior to working with or ingesting any plant, herb, or part thereof. While often the entire plant can be consumed, in some instances there are plants whose leaves and seeds are safe but whose roots are toxic. Even though the herbs most commonly used are nontoxic, always check to make sure that the plant you are working with is safe to ingest and that you will not have any allergic reactions to working with it.
The Three Essentials-Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur
For each operation, you will need one ounce of dried herb. Unless otherwise stated, the bulk herb will consist of mostly leaves, some stem, and occasionally the roots of the plant. If you are unsure as to the content, either ask the herbalist you are purchasing it from or grow your own and pick it yourself. By growing your own herbs, you will know positively the identity of the plant. While very few people die each year from plant misidentification while wildcraft- ing (picking plants in the wild), it does one no good to chance being among those dozen or so who do make a fatal error. Be safe: buy it dried or grow it yourself from a well-identified seed or seedling purchased from a reputable supplier.
If dried herbs are not available, fresh plants may be substituted. Alchemists have personal preferences as to when and where to use fresh versus dried plants. Experience will help you sort this out later on. For this experiment, either will suffice.
In addition, you will need 4 to 8 ounces of pure grain alcohol. In some states, purchasing grain alcohol is illegal, and in others, very strong 190 proof, or 95% pure, alcohol is available. The more common 180 proof is sufficient and is often used in plant work for beginners. If neither of these is available, you can substitute vodka or distill alcohol from red wine or strong brandy. (Note: Distilling alcohol from wine may also be illegal in some states. Check if you think this may be a problem.)
You will need a wide-mouthed jar, such as one used in canning, along with its lid, plastic food wrap, aluminum foil, and a fine-mesh plastic filter, or coffee filters and a funnel. A mortar and pestle are optional but desirable. A coffee grinder is also helpful.
• 1 ounce of dried or fresh herb.
• 4 to 8 ounces of 180- or 190-proof alcohol (substitute vodka or distilled wine or brandy if not available).
• Wide-mouthed canning jar and lid.
• Plastic food wrap for sealing the lid.
• Aluminum foil for wrapping when completed.
• Fine-mesh plastic filter, or coffee filters and funnel.
• Mortar and pestle and/or clean coffee grinder.
• The plants you should have are horsetail (Saturn), lemon balm Qupiter), basil (Mars), eyebright (Sun), lady's mantle (Venus), fennel (Mercury), and watercress (Moon). An additional plant to have is sundew, especially for traveling, as it is said to contain the powers of all seven planets and thereby reduces the number of tinctures you will need to carry with you.
