Collectanea Chemica (c. 1893) - Various Authors

What secrets did the old alchemists believe were hidden in gold, blood, fire and the very substance of life?

Published in London in 1893, Collectanea Chemica brings together six remarkable treatises on alchemy and Hermetic medicine, attributed to Eirenaeus Philalethes, George Starkey, Dr Francis Anthony, Sir George Ripley and anonymous authors.

Within these pages, readers encounter the legendary Alkahest — a universal solvent said to dissolve matter without losing its power — alongside drinkable gold, the Philosopher’s Stone, the preparation of philosophical mercury and the mysterious transformation of metals.

One of its most arresting passages searches for a ‘Balsam of Life’ in the salts of human blood and urine. Elsewhere, elaborate laboratory instructions reveal the extraordinary lengths to which early alchemists went in pursuit of nature’s hidden virtues.

Drawn from a manuscript once held in the celebrated occult library of Frederick Hockley, this collection offers a fascinating glimpse into the world where experimental chemistry, medicine, symbolism and spiritual philosophy intertwined.

Inside this volume

• The Secret of the Immortal Liquor Called Alkahest
• Aurum Potabile
• The Admirable Efficacy of the True Oil of Sulphur Vive
• The Stone of the Philosophers
• The Bosom Book of Sir George Ripley
• The Preparation of the Sophic Mercury

Publication: London, James Elliott & Co., 1893
Authors: Various historical alchemical writers
Format: Digital PDF, 166 pages

A captivating addition to any collection devoted to historical alchemy, Hermetic philosophy and the forgotten traditions of medicine.