THE ALCHEMIST’S HANDBOOK

the student must always be certain that the herbal substance involved
is the desired one.
The next step in the procedure is the grinding of the herb. This may be
accomplished by rubbing between the hands or by grinding it in a mor-
tar with a pestle. The more minute the particles the easier the extraction.
The ground herb is now placed in a, flask, bottle, or container (preferably
glass) that can be well closed. Over the ground herb the menstruum is
now poured which will produce the extraction. The easiest way is to pour
some strong alcohol (NEVER use denatured alcohol or Methanol), or
preferably brandy, over the ground herb in the flask or bottle. Then it
should be closed tightly and put on top or near the furnace in the winter.
If warmth is provided by some other method, the temperature should
not exceed that required for the hatching of chicken eggs. One-half to
one-third of the container should be left empty above the menstruum,
in order that it will have room for expansion and to relieve some of the
pressure that may build up within the container.
After several days, the menstruum will be colored green. The shade
of green will depend on the type of Melissa used and the strength and
purity of the alcohol. When sufficiently macerated (this process is called
maceration), the liquid is to be poured off into a clean glass container.
The remaining herbal substance should be placed in a calcining dish
and burnt to ashes. The alcohol which has saturated the herb will ignite
immediately and bum the remainder of the herb, now called “feces,” to
black ashes. As this will cause smoke and a strong odor, care should be
taken not to do this in a closed room.
After the burning of the feces, as we shall now call them, they can
be incinerated in any fire-resistant dish until they become a light gray.
An occasional grinding in the mortar followed by further burning,
which we shall now call “calcination,” will gradually bring about a
lighter color. When this state has been reached, the feces should be
removed from the fire and, while still warm, placed into a flask which

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