NMR ISSUE 19

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Magic and the Western Mind
On Distillation
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On Distillation

By John Baptista Porta

This is an excerpt from Of Distillation, volume 10 of Natural Magick, a set of 19, first published in London in 1658. Those interested in alchemy and its history should find much of interest. Most of the procedures discussed here should be easy to duplicate, especially with modern equipment.

What Distillation Is,
and of How Many Kinds

I will not try to dispute whether the learned ancients knew the art of distillation. Yet there is another kind of art to be read in Dioscorides than what we are use to. He says thus: There is an oil extracted out of pitch, by separating the watery part, which gathers towards the surface, like whey in milk: and hanging clean flocks of wool, in the vapor arising from it while the pitch boils; and when they are moist, squeezing them into some vessel. This should be done as long as the pitch is boiling.

Geber defines it thus: Distillation is the elevation of moist vapors in a proper vessel. But we will declare the true method of distillation elsewhere. He makes three sorts of it: by ascent, descent and by filtration. But I say: by ascent, descent and by inclination, which is a middle step between ascent and filtration, and is very necessary: for when a thing is unwilling to ascend we teach it by this to rise by degrees, by inclining the vessel; and raise it by little and little, until it becomes thinner, and knows how to ascend.

These are instructions for distillation: First, obtain a glass or brass vessel with a belly swelling out like a cupping-glass, and sharpened upward like a top or a pear. Fit it to the under-vessel like a cap, so that the neck of that lower vessel may come into the belly of the upper vessel. A pipe must run about the bottom of the cap, which must send forth a beaker. Under the beaker there should be another vessel, this vessel is called the receiver, for it receives the distilled water.

Stop up all the vents closed with strawmortar, or linen rags, that the airy matter might not pass through and escape. Place the fire under this still. The heat of the fire below will dissolve the enclosed matter. Turning the matter into a dewy vapor, which then ascends to the top of the vessel, where it flicks about having met with the cold sides of the head. There it is condensed by the cold, swelling into little bubbles, filling the roof and sides of the head with dew that looks like moist pearls. These run down as droplets of water through the pipe and nose and are thus gathered up by the Receiver. But both the vessels and receiver should be considered, according to the nature of the things to be distilled. For if they be of a flatulent vaporous nature, then they will require large and low vessels, as well as a large receiver. For when the heat shall raised up the flatulent matters as a vapor finding itself within the narrow cavities of the pipe, the vapor creating pressure will seek some other vent, and so tear the vessels in pieces (exploding), and being at liberty will save itself from further harm.

But if the things be hot and thin, you must have moderate size vessels. All of which the industrious man may easily learn by imitating nature. Nature has given angry and furious creatures (such as the bear and lion), thick bodies, but short necks. To show that flatulent humors would pass out of vessels of a larger bulk, and that the thicker part would settle to the bottom of the vessel. But then, there is the stag, the ostrich, the camil-panther—gentle creatures, and of thin spirits, having slender bodies and long necks. To show, that thin subtle spirits, must be drawn through a much longer and thinner passage or pipe; as well as being elevated higher to purify them.

There is one thing I must especially inform you of, which is, that there may be a threefold moisture extracted out of plants: 1) The nutritive, whereby they live, and all dried herds want; and it differs very little from fountain or ditch water; 2) The substantial, whereby the parts are joined together, which is of a more solid nature. 3) Finally the third is the radical humor, the fat and oil, wherein the strength and virtue lie.

There is another thing, which I cannot pass over in silence. Namely one of the principals of the art, which I have observed during many experiments. Which is, that some mixed bodies do exhale hot, thin vapors first, and after this a moist, thick vapor. On other hand, other substances exhale earthy and phlegmatic parts first. Then exhaling the fiery and hot parts, which being fixed in the innermost parts of the plant are expelled at last by the force and heat of the fire. Because there can be no constant and certain rule given for them, some experiments I will remark upon. In other experiments not touched upon here your own ingenuity must take the pains to observe.

Of the Extractions of Waters

The extraction of waters, because it is common, I will dispatch in a few words. If you would extract sweet waters out of hot plants and such, as they are earthy and retain a sweet favor in their very substance, they, being cast into the still (vessel), without any art, and a fire made under them, yield their odors. You may draw sweet waters out of roses, orange blossoms, myrtle, lavender and other similar herbs and flowers with either cinders or in the Balneo Marie [hot water bath?]. But first be sure to kindle the fire by degrees of intensity, and observe the fire as it burns. Also in some plants there are sweet leaves, as in myrtle, lavender, citron, as well as many others, which, if you mix these leaves with the flowers, will in no way hinder or pervert the favor of the extract. But instead the leaves will add a pleasant odor to the waters as well.

In some places where flowers and blossoms cannot be easily obtained, I have seen very sweet waters extracted from out of the tendrils of them, especially when they have been set aboard a funnel in a sealed vessel several days before. There is a water, of no contemptible scent, drawn out of the leaves of basil, (especially, being aromatized with citron or clove) by the heat of a gentle water-bath, heightened by degrees, and then exposed to light and warmth of the sun for some time. Also there is a fragrant water extracted out of the flowers of azadaret, or bastard sycamore. The water is very thin and full of favor.

The way to find out whether the odor is settled in the substance of a plant, that is in the outward parts of the plant, is this: Rub the leaves of flowers with your fingers and if they retain the same scent found in the flower, or cast a more fragrant breath, then the odor lies in the whole's substance and can be found in the leaves as well as the flowers. On the other hand, if after rubbing the leave between your fingers, they do not only lose their natural scent, but begin to stink, it shows that their refined odor can only be found in superficies (flowers, fruit); which, if mixed with the other ill favored parts of the plant will not only abate, but become imperceptible. When distilling these, we must use another art.

For example, to extract sweet water out of gillyflowers, musk, roses, violets, jasmine, and lilly flowers, you first draw out the juice of some wild roses by gentle heat in the balneo. Then remove them and add others, for if you let them stand too long, the scent which refindeth in the superficies is not only consumed, but the dull or stinking vapor which lies in the inward parts of the plant is drawn forth. In the same water place fresh roses for a few hours. Be sure to seal the vessel closed preventing the sweet odor from dispersing in the air. Again remove the roses and add fresh roses. The more frequently you do this the sweeter the odor will be. And so you will have a most fragrant water of rose. The same can be done with Jasmine, crowtoes, lilies, violets and gillyflowers. If you are not willing to macerate these herbs in their own waters, the same may be done in rose water?

Because it happens that sometimes due to the negligence of the operator that the sweet water that has been made is infected with the stink of burning, I will teach you how to correct the stink of burning. Because the parts which lie close to the bottom of the vessel feel more heat then the top, the bottom may burn while the top is only warm. Thus this causes a stinking odor unpleasant to the nose. Therefore, distill the water in the balneo with a gentle fire, so that the pure clean water may ascend, while the dregs settle in the bottom with the oil that is the cause of the ill favor.

To draw a great quantity of water by distillation, fasten some plates of iron or tin around the top of the stillatory. Set these upright and let them be of the same height with it and fasten a spigot in the bottom. When the stillatory grows hot and the raising vapors are gathered into the cap, if the cap is hot as well, the vapors will fall down again to the bottom, hardly condensed as droplets. But if it is cold it will turn them into water. Therefore pour cold water between the metal plates, which by condensing the vapors, may drive down larger currents into the receiver vessel. When the cap and the water upon it begin to become hot, pull out the spigot so that the hot water may run out and fresh cold water be put in. The water should be changed frequently so that it is always cold. So you increase the quantity of water.

Of Extracting Aqua Vitae

The extraction of Aqua Vitae is done as follows: Take strong rich wine of grapes growing in dry places as on Viseunius, commonly called Greek wine. That is the tears or first runnings of the grape. Distill the wine in a glass retort with cinders, or in the balneo, or else in a long necked still. Draw out one third of the wine, reserving the rest, for it is this which is turned into a perfect sharp vinegar; there remaining only the carcass of the wine itself: for the life and tenuous part is taken out. Then distill the same wine again, and a third time, always drawing off but a third part.

Then prepare the vessel with a longer and straighter neck about sixty inches in length, and distill the wine once again. At last put it into the mouth of the vessel. Then cover it with parchment and set the cap on the stillatory. Kindle the fire. The thin spirits of wine will then pass through all and fall down into the receiver vessel. The phlegm cannot get passage into the receiver and settles instead to the bottom. The phlegm should then be place upon a copper plate and burned so that no trace of moisture can be found in its ashes. Note that success depends on the security of the vessel, that the mouth of the vessel be carefully stopped closed so that no spirit may find vent and escape into the air. The first thing to stop them with is an Ox's bladder, or the bladder from some other beast. For when it is cut into broad fillets, and while they are wet, rolled and tied about the mouths where the vessels join, this alone will keep in the expiring vapors of the wine and you may observe this in the distillation of the wine.

The coals being hot causing the vessel to boil and a most burning spirit of the wine shall raise through the neck of the vessel. It is hot below and at the top until it reaches the cap. Then encountering the cold it turns into water and runs down through the nose into the receiver vessel. What was a long time ascending, then, in a small interval of time, flows down again into the under-placed glass vessel. Then the cap being cold sends down that quality through the into the very belly of the stillatory, until the spirit, being separated from the phlegm, works the same effect again. I usually suffer the wine to ascend, so long as the spirit runs invisible into the receiver vessel. For when the phlegm ascends, small bubbles will appear in the cap, and streams, which will run into the water through the nose. Then I separate the dead carcass of the wine and pour fresh wine in the vessel to extract the spirit of that wine in the same way?

How to Draw Forth Oil by Expression

We have treated the subjects of sweet waters and now we will speak of oils and later of essences. These require the industry of a most ingenious man: for many the most excellent essences of things do remain in the oil, as a radical moisture, so close, that without the greatest art, wit, cunning and pains, they cannot be brought to light. So that the entire art of distillation depends on this. The chief means is by expression; which, though it is different from the art of distillation, it is still very necessary, and so mention will be made of it here.

The most common way of it is this: Take the seeds, out of which you would draw oil. Blanch them and strip them of their upper coats, either by rubbing them in your hands or by picking them off with your nails. When they are clean, cast them into a marble mortar and beat them with a wooden pestle. Then sprinkle them with wine and place them into a lead mortar, set them on the fire and stir them with a wooden spoon. When they begin to yield forth a little oiliness, take them from the fire, and prepare in readiness two plates of iron of a finger's width. Heat the plates so that you can barely touch them, or if you prefer, until the plates hiss when you cast water upon them. Then wrap the almonds (seeds) in a moist linen cloth and squeeze them between these plates in a press. Save the expression (that which has been drawn out: oil) and sprinkle more wine on the pressed almonds or seeds. After a few minutes (place them in the lead mortar and) set them on the fire again, stir them, and squeeze them until their oil has been drawn out. Others sometimes put the seeds once they have been bruised and heated, into a bag so that no oil can strain through. And by twining two sticks about press them. Then they draw the oil out of them once they have settled.

To Draw Oil of Nutmegs: Beat the nutmegs carefully in a mortar. Place them in a skillet and warm them. Then press out the oil which will presently congeal. Wherefore, to make it fluid and apter to penetrate, distill the oil five or six times in a retort. Then it will be as you desire. Or else cast some burning sand into it, and mix it, and make it into rolls; which, being put into the neck of a retort, and a fire kindled, for the first time will remain liquid.

To Extract Oil out of Citron Seeds: We must use the same means as before. Blanch and clean them. Golden colored oil will flow out from the citron seed. They yield a fourth part and it is a powerful antidote against poisons and (evil) witchcraft. It is the best menstruum to extract the scent of musk, civet and amber, and to make sweet ointments from, as it will not grow rank quickly.

Oil of Poppy Seed: The oil of the poppy seed is extracted in the same way as the almond or citron seed. It yields a third part of a golden colored oil. This oil is useful in dormitive medicines. Oil of Coloquintida Seed: The fairest yield a sixth part of a golden colored oil. It is useful to kill worms and to expel them from children. To do this rub the oil on the mouth of their stomach?

Oil of Nettle Seed: An once and a half of oil may be extracted out of a pound and a half of nettle seeds after they have been blanched and cleaned. It can be used to dye women's hair a golden blond color.

Oil of Eggs: To extract the oil out of an egg is done after another art. Take fifty or sixty eggs and boil them until they are hard. Then peel off their belly and take out their yolks. Set them over warm coals in a tinned posnet, until all their moisture has been consumed, still stirring them unceasingly. Increase the heat but be sure that you stir them constantly so that they do not burn. You will begin to see the oil of the eggs begin to sweat forth. When all the oil has come forth, take the eggs away from the fire and skim off the oil. Or, when the oil begins to come forth in a sweat, as I have said before, put the eggs into a press and squeeze them very hard. This method will yield you more oil but of a lesser quality.

How to Extract Oil with Water

Now I will declare how to extract oil without Expression out of spices, seeds, leaves, sticks, or any thing else for that matter. Oil drawn out solely by the violence of fire is inapt to ascend because it is dense. Considering also that the aromatic seeds are very subtle and delicate, so that if they be used too roughly in the fire, they will stink of smoke and burning. Therefore, that they may endure a stronger fire and be protected from burning, we must take the assistance of water (probably refers to a water bath).

Those kinds of seed, as I have said before, are endured with an airy, thin and volatile essence; and by the propriety of their nature, elevated so high; so that in distillation they are easily carried upward (ascend), accompanied with water (steam). When being condensed in the cap of the stillatory, the oil and the water vapors run down together into the receiver. Choose your seeds when they are of full ripeness, being neither too young nor too old. Beat them and macerate them in four times their weight of water; or so that the water may arise the breadth of four fingers above the seeds or herbs. Then place them in a brass pot that they may endure a greater fire. Kindle your coals unto a vehement heat that the water and oil may ascend and flow down. Separate the oil from the water as you may easily do. For example:

How to Draw Oil out of Cinnamon: If you distill the water you intend to use two or three times you will be able to draw forth more oil with it. For it is made more subtle and better able to penetrate the cinnamon. It pierces the cinnamon, drawing out the oil more forcibly from its retirements. Therefore take 135 pounds of fountain water and distill it in a glass alembic. Once forty pounds has been drawn forth, distill that until fifteen flow out. Then cast away the rest of the water. Then drawn five pounds of water out of the fifteen. This being done, macerate one pound of cinnamon in five pounds of water and distill them both in the retort or alembic. First a milky water will flow out with the oil, next clear water. Cast the water in over the oil and separate them, as we shall teach you. Of a pound of cinnamon you will receive a drachm of oil.

How to Draw Forth a Greater Quantity of Oil out of Cinnamon: Provide a descendatory out of the bath (the making of which I will show later). After you have beaten the cinnamon in a mortar, place the cinnamon in a glass retort. Set it in its proper place and put some water into the bath. The heat of the fire by degrees will draw a little water over many days, receive it carefully and pour it back with the cinnamon that it may re-imbibe its own water. Let it remain a while. Afterwards, kindle the fire and you shall receive a little water and oil. Do this a third and fourth time and you will receive once again a large quantity of oil and water. You may try this same method with other herbs, flowers, etc.

Oil of Cloves: The oil of cloves may be extracted in the same manner as the cinnamon was. To every pound of cloves you must add ten pounds of water. Distill them both as before. Again you shall receive both water and oil and it will yield a twelve part. The oil is a good medicine and the water has many uses as well.

Liquid Oil of Nutmeg: If you bruise them and put them with the water into a vessel, and distill them as before, you will receive a sixth part.

Oil of Mace and Pepper: The oil of mace or pepper is drawn in the same way as the cinnamon. The water and oil is much stronger, though you receive a much smaller quantity.

Oil of Fennel: When the seeds of the fennel are ripe and fresh they have a large quantity of oil. Extract the oil from the seeds in the same manner as with the cinnamon.

Oil of Coriander: Little oil can be extracted from coriander seeds and extracting the oil is quite difficult. A drachm is all that is drawn forth from one pound of coriander seeds. And to be short, in the same fashion are extracted the oil out of the seeds of carrot, angelica, marjoram, rue, rosemary, parsley, smallage and dill.

Oil of Lavender and Rosemary flowers: Put the flowers into a receiver and seal the container tightly. Set the bottle in the hot sun for about one month. They will dissolve into liquor and rise and gather about the sides of the glass. Then being condensed again, they will fall down and macerate in themselves. Add water to them and distill them. So shall you draw forth along with the water a most excellent and sweet oil.

The oil of juniper and cypress wood may be drawn out by the same method as before. Be sure to macerate them in their own water (as talked about earlier) or in distilled water for a month. Then distill this in the same manner as before. The oil will come forth in drops with the water. The oil will have a strong scent with excellent virtues. These methods I have tried and the rest I leave to you.

How to Separate Oil from Water

When we extract oils they run down into the receiver together with the water. Therefore they must be separated. The phlegm, when mixed with the oil does weaken the virtue therein. Therefore to obtain the full vigor of the virtue they must be purified by distillation and separation. Thus, put the water and oil mixture into a retort or broad still and over a gentle heat the water will run out. The remaining liquid will be the pure oil alone.

This work of separation is difficult and requires a lot of labor. But there are artificial vessels that have been invented which can be used so that all the water and phlegm may be separated from the oil. So prepare a glass vessel that is broad towards the top and grows narrow towards the bottom until it comes to a point. Put the distilled water that contains the phlegmatic water and oil, into this vessel and let this stand for a while. The oil will swim to the surface and the water will sink down to the bottom. Stop the mouth (narrow part) of the vessel with your finger, so that while removing it away, the water will run out first and the oil consequently run to the bottom. As the water runs through the mouth and as the oil nears your finger, be sure to save the water in a bottle for later use. Stop the mouth of the vessel and empty the oil into another small bottle.

There is another very ingenious instrument that can be used to separate water from oil. It is a bottle with a large belly and a narrow neck with a small hole in the middle, on the side of the vessel. You pour the oil and water mixture into the bottle and let it stand for a while. Once the water has settled towards the bottom and the oil is floating on top of the water near the hole in the neck, slowly add a small quantity of water to the mixture so that the oil rises close to the hole and exits through the hole and through a tube into a separate container. When you have emptied out some of the oil add a bit more water, until all of the oil has been poured away.

But if the oil settles to the bottom and the water floats on top of it as it often does. Then empty the mixture into a large bowl. Gently lay a cotton cloth over the bowl allowing the water to be absorbed into the cotton. Thus only the pure oil remains.

If you want to try any of these experiments, it would be wise to follow the advice in Tim Scott's Modern Practical Alchemy (New Moon Rising, 2:5, 2:6 and 3:1). Modern laboratory tools and techniques for distillation and separation, as described in many chemistry texts, should be easy to adapt to Porta's procedures. Be sure to observe safety rules and beware of toxic substances. This should in no way interfere with the experience of recreating 17th century alchemical experiments, or adapting them to your own use.