Special Glassworks, Alchemy, Spagyria

Alchemy and Spagyria, beyond their philosophical content, are disciplines that express themselves through chemistry, medicine, physics. This is why they use the same tools as those used in the laboratory, evidently in the oldest and most 'traditional' versions. Most often these are distillers.
The goals of Alchemy have always been to achieve a profound knowledge of the sciences, and for this reason the laboratory has always been the ideal environment for research.
Curing illnesses, prolonging life, transmuting substances are all effects of alchemical study and are not far removed, albeit with different motivations and without the 'spiritual' aspect, from what is experienced in the laboratory.
Let us leave aside the spiritual and esoteric motivations, however, to concentrate on the tools that Colaver makes and that are used by those who wish to carry out this research.

Alchemy and Spagyria

In particular, distillation is the process that in Alchemy is interpreted in a symbolic sense.
The transmutation and purification of one's own consciousness is then corresponded in all the steps of matter that is purified through vapour.
The distillation in fact is the technique that allows the extraction of the essence from a substance following its transformation first into vapour and then into liquid by condensation. In these successive passages, the matter acquires new qualities until a final product is obtained that is more valuable than the one from which it started.
The same chemical principles obtained in the laboratory that for the alchemists also recalled a process of purification and inner transformation of man.
The gradual elimination of all the 'heavier' and cruder substances to obtain pure matter. The so-called Quintessence.

Some plant species in particular possess properties that are very useful for the human body. The extraction technique is carried out with the essential oil distiller.
Essential oil is that purified plant substance that contains all the properties of the species and is used for medicinal purposes.

The essential oil is the substance that is used for medicinal purposes.

Spagyria and spagyric preparation

Spagyria can be defined as the medical and therapeutic application of the principles of Alchemy.
In particular, Paracelsus, in the 16th century, developed the art of breaking down and reassembling materials to obtain more effective medicines.
Spagyric preparations are mainly galenic preparations for the extraction of substances from plants.
The aim is to be able to extract the active principles of the plant for therapeutic purposes. The preparations obtained by separation are then reunited using different methods to achieve the desired effect.

Distilling essential oils

These are the main separation steps that are performed:

separation of essential oils performed with the essential-oils-distiller;
fermentation of the remainder with yeast and sugars;
distillation of alcohol;
distillers-in-current-steam
water distillation achieved with the water distiller;
sublimation of the dry rest to extract the remaining alkaloids;
distillation of tars;
incineration of the remains;
extraction from the ash of soluble salts and their condensation;

It follows that many of these processes find application in Herbal Medicine and Pharmacy.
In this product group are all the glass apparatuses made almost exclusively to measure.
The form and function of the instruments are of ancient tradition and each one performs a particular process.