Pharmacy of Herbs.
By
Ivor Hughes
Spagyric
Pharmacy
The Spagyric Method of Pharmacy, was instituted by Paracelsus. He
revolutionised medicine and also
introduced the use of minerals. He was an alchemist who declared, "The
Purpose of Alchemy is to produce medicine." The word Spagyric was coined by
him. The root is from the Greek, which means to draw out. Modern day
Spagyric Pharmacists make use of many items of laboratory paraphernalia, and
of course the improved methodology. Many of the methods, and of course the
equipment used by Orthodox Galenic Pharmacy are linked by direct decent with
those methods instituted by Paracelsus.
| The major differences are in 5 areas. | |
| (1) | In the preparation of the solvents. |
| (2) | The Astrological correspondence. |
| (3) | Longer Maceration times. |
| (4) | Extraction of the soluble salts from the Marc. |
| (5) | The Exaltation of the extract. |
Homoeopathic Pharmacy
Doctor
Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann the father of Homoeopathy was born April 1755 in
Meissen, Prussia at a time when the theoretical basis for the
systematic practice of medicine was not yet laid. Hahnemann was contemporary
and knew personally such figures as Goethe, Schiller and Hufeland, the
father of 'Macrobiotics'. This was at a time when European intellectual
vigor was in full flood.
Dr. Hahnemann achieved that elusive great synthesis. At a time when others declined to do so, he built a single theoretical foundation for the practice of medicine which is delineated by precise principles in the preparation of remedies. Like Paracelsus before him, he insisted on a single remedy maintaining that 2 or more substances taken at the same time produced a confused picture that resulted in palliation rather than cure.
His foreseeing penetration of the nature of disease is clearly seen in the doctrine of 'miasm'. The use of 'serial dilution' followed by 'succussion' was unique to Western medicine and moreover produced some startling cures for otherwise intractable conditions. Surely Hahnemann was a man of his time but he was also 'out of time' in the same way that Paracelsus was
|
The major differences between Homoeopathic
Pharmacy, and Galenic Pharmacy are; |
|
| (1) Serial dilution and succussion of the remedies if in liquid form | |
| (2) Triturations which are usually performed on salts or minerals. | |
With regard to Spagyric Pharmacy, one may clearly see the link between the exaltation of the product and the potentising of a remedy. And of course Paracelsus insisted on the use of a single herb or mineral.
Orthodox
Galenic Pharmacy.
As an art
and science it is moribund. In the course of a conversation with a NZ, North
Island Pharmacist, he said, " In this room, my father made all of his
medicines from the basic raw materials. Today, I just peddle pills." In
terms of the core methodology, Galenic Pharmacy is very similar to the
other two. However it was chemically orientated rather than having a
spiritual basis to its philosophy. Moreover the philosophy of active
principle which was reflected in its adjustments of a single substance,
totally destroyed the synergy of the herb.
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