A spagyric is a liquid herb that keeps the whole plant in the bottle. It begins as an ordinary alcohol extract, a tincture. The spent herb is then dried and burned to a white ash, the plant's own mineral salts are drawn out of that ash, and they are returned to the extract. Tincture, essential oils and mineral salts, together. Ours are made by spagyrists trained within the lineage of the Paracelsus Research Society, and taken as a few drops in water.

What the word means

Spagyric comes from two Greek words, spao, to separate or draw out, and ageiro, to gather or bring together. The word was coined by Paracelsus, the Swiss physician and alchemist, in the sixteenth century. Separate, purify, recombine: the word is the method.

How a spagyric is made

The process is slow and has not changed in its essentials for four hundred years.

1. Maceration. The dried herb rests in spirit for weeks, the same cold, slow extraction as a tincture.
2. Separation. The liquid is pressed off and set aside. The spent herb, the marc, is kept.
3. Calcination. The marc is dried and burned, then heated further until the ash is pale. This is the step a tincture never takes.
4. The salts. The ash is steeped in water, filtered, and the water evaporated, leaving the plant's water-soluble mineral salts as white crystals.
5. Recombination. The salts are dissolved back into the extract, and the whole is left to rest, traditionally for a lunar month, before it is filtered and bottled.

Why burn the herb? An ordinary tincture throws the marc away, and with it the minerals the plant drew from the soil. The spagyric method recovers them. In the tradition this is spoken of as the three essentials, the tria prima: salt, the body of the plant, its minerals; sulphur, its soul, the essential oils; and mercury, its spirit, the alcohol that carries them. The makers of our range also time stages of the work to the planetary hours of the old tradition. We describe that as the tradition it is, not as a mechanism.

Spagyric vs tincture

A spagyric starts life as a tincture, so the two share most of their chemistry. The differences are the mineral salts, the longer process, and the serve: a spagyric is taken in drops where a tincture is taken in millilitres. A spagyric is the more complete preparation of the plant, alchemically refined, whereas a tincture, such as our 1:2 Botanical Concentrates, usually carries more herb and the targeted compounds. Whether one is better than the other has not been measured, and we do not claim it. It is a more complete preparation of the plant, made the slow way, and that is the reason people choose it.

Which to use? It is the question we are asked most in the shop, and Laura's own answer is this. She reaches for the Botanical Concentrate when something physical needs attention, and for the spagyric when what is going on seems to come from a subtler place. Blue Lily is her example: the spagyric is the one she meditates with, the Botanical Concentrate is the one she uses as an alcohol replacement. If in doubt, ask us on live chat and we will answer for your herb.

You will also meet the term spagyric essence. In the German and Swiss tradition an essence is made by fermenting and distilling the plant; an extract or tincture is made by maceration, as above. Ours are macerated extracts. A spagyric is not a homeopathic preparation: nothing is diluted or succussed, and every drop is whole-plant extract.

Where ours come from

The Paracelsus Research Society was founded in Salt Lake City in 1960 by Frater Albertus and taught the spagyric method in graded courses until his death in 1984. Our spagyrics are made by spagyrists trained within that lineage, and today by our own in-house spagyrist, from organic or wildcrafted herbs wherever possible, with nothing added beyond the plant and the spirit that extracts it.

How to take a spagyric

Follow the directions on each label. The preference is to take a few drops under the tongue and hold them there for as long as is comfortable, so the sublingual process can occur. If you prefer, the drops may be added to a little warm water. A 15 ml bottle holds roughly 150 drops, about a month at a serve a day; how long a herb takes to make itself felt depends on the herb and on the person taking it.

Spagyrics contain alcohol, a triple-filtered spirit used for extraction and preservation. The strength varies from one preparation to the next, and the forte spagyrics are stronger. The alcohol is there for a reason: it draws out what water leaves behind and carries it into the body, which is why it supports bioavailability. A serve of a few drops is a fraction of a millilitre. If you would rather take less, add the drops to hot water and let it stand a minute; much of the alcohol disperses. If you avoid alcohol entirely, a tea is the better form.

Safety

There are no safety studies of spagyrics as a category. The safety of a spagyric is the safety of the herb in it, plus the alcohol. Every herb in the range has a profile with its own precautions, and the blends list the herbs they contain so you can read each one. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, giving a herb to a child, taking medication or managing a health condition, speak with your health professional before using any herb, in any form. Taking two spagyrics together is a question about the two herbs, not about the method; the profiles will tell you.

Keeping them

Alcohol preparations keep well, and in the tradition a spagyric is said to mature rather than fade, the salts and the extract continuing to marry in the bottle. Store it in a cool place out of direct sunlight with the lid tight, and go by the best-before date on the label.

Choosing one

Single herbs are the place to start if you already know the herb you want in a form that needs no preparation. The blends bring together herbs with a shared history of use, for anyone still finding which herbs suit them. Every bottle links to the herb profiles behind it. We describe what a herb is used for, not what it will do.