The Art of Distillation - Morning Myst Botanics

THE SPIRIT OF ANY VEGETABLE MAY SUDDENLY AT ANY TIME
OF THE YEAR BE MADE THUS
Take of what herb, flower, seeds, or roots you please. Fill the head of the still therewith
and then cover the mouth thereof with a coarse canvas and set it on the still, having first
put into it sack or low wines. Then give it fire.
If at any time you would have the spirit be of the color of its vegetable, then put of the
flowers thereof dried a good quantity in the nose of the still.
TO MAKE ANY VEGETABLE YIELD ITS SPIRIT QUICKLY
Take of what vegetables you please, whether it be the seed, flower, root, fruit, or leaves
thereof. Cut or bruise them small and then put them into warm water. Put yeast or berm
to them, and cover them warm and let them work three days, as does beer. Then distill
them and they will yield their spirit easily.
TO REDUCE THE WHOLE HERB INTO A LIQUOR WHICH MAY
WELL BE CALLED THE ESSENCE THEREOF
Take the whole herb with flowers and roots and make it very clean. Then bruise it in a
stone mortar and put it into a large glass vessel so two parts of three may be empty.
Cover it exceeding close and let it stand in putrefaction in a moderate heat the space of
half a year, and it will all be turned into a water.
TO MAKE AN ESSENCE OF ANY HERB, WHICH BEING PUT INTO
A GLASS AND HELD OVER A GENTLE FIRE, THE LIVELY FORM
AND IDEA OF THE HERB WILL APPEAR IN THE GLASS
Take the foregoing water and distill it in a gourd glass (the joints being well closed) in
ashes, and there will come forth a water and an oil and in the upper part of the vessel will
hang a volatile salt. Separate the oil from the water and keep it by itself. With the water
purify the volatile salt by dissolving, filtering, and coagulating. The salt being thus
purified, imbibe with the said oil until it will imbibe no more. Digest them well together
for a month in a vessel hermetically sealed. And by this means you shall have a most
subtle essence, which being held over a gentle heat will fly up into the glass and represent
the perfect idea of that vegetable whereof it is the essence.
THE TRUE ESSENCE OR RATHER QUINTESSENCE OF ANY HERB
IS MADE THUS
When you have made the water and oil of any vegetable first calcine or burn to ashes the
remainder of the herb. With the ashes make a lye by pouring its own water thereon. When
you have drawn out all the strength of the ashes, then take all the lye, being first filtered,
and vapor it away and at the bottom you shall find a black salt which you must take and
put into a crucible and melt it in a strong fire (covering the crucible all the time it is
30