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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

A comparative study of greek and chinese alchemy.

According to an herbal cult of immortality in China, about 200 B.C., certain plants could make man immortal. Greek alchemy, the earliest record of which dated about 200 A.D., presents a similar version, was originally Chinese and was introduced by the Arabs who brought herbal drugs of longevity to Alexandria. The name of these drugs, Chin-I, dialectal Kim-Iya, was Arabicized as Kimiya and transliterated Chemeia by the Copts. Other terms were later influenced by Indians (Chumeia, 100 A.D.) and more directly by the Chinese (Chrusozomion, 200 A.D.). The 3 terms signify herbal elixirs of gold and the art related to them. Both early Chinese and Greek alchemies were not concerned with the making of bullion gold. In China the development of alchemy has been ruled by two theories: first, as like makes like, a perennial plant can make human life perennial: likewise, certain substances can prolong human life as they are rich in Life-force or Soul-content. From here, Blood was equated to Soul and later Redness to Soul. Jade, Cinnabar and eventually gold, more precisely Red-gold or Cinnabar-gold, a colloidal gold, became the ideal drug of immortality. Finally, alchemy can be defined as the art of making metal colloids as panaceae.

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PubMed1984

Outline of the beginnings of alchemy and its antecedents.

There had been a long use of Simples as drugs of longevity. Among these red substances predominated, red ochre and cinnabar as minerals, ephedra bearing red berries and pomegranate and peach as vegetable products. In China herbalism became a cult of longevity with its legendary founder as Emperor Shen Nung and with the god of longevity finally emerging from the peach as Shou-Sing. To excell simple drugs of longevity the first synthetic drug was prepared as brick red colloidal gold. It was called Chin-I. Gold-cum-herbal juice. Dialectally it was pronounced Kim-Iya, whence Alkimiya in Arabic, and finally alchemy. Chin-I was Herbo-golden drug and also gold-making-juice, a miraculous substance. But it was not blood-red. Now came Chin-Tan, Cinnabar-gold, red like blood. Its redness equalled blood and as such was soul, gold as its acceptor had an everlasting body. Chin-Tan was designed as the ideal drug of longevity. Alchemy started by making red gold but degenerated, trying to make bullion gold.

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PubMed1984

Tan, cinnabar, as drug of longevity prior to alchemy.

Alchemy as the art of gold making never existing and had no beginning. It arose as the cult of longevity using simples, like gold and cinnabar, as drugs of longevity. It became alchemy on making the first synthetic drug, Chin-Yeh, Gold-plus-herbal juice, and reached its ideal with Chin-Tan, Gold-plus-cinnabar. The former was red colloidal gold, the latter vermilion with traces of gold. As inscribed character Tan shows crude cinnabar, pulverized, lavagated and filtered on a rectangular piece of cloth.

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PubMed1988

Alchemy, Chinese versus Greek, an etymological approach: a rejoinder.

The theory generally accepted maintains that Alchemy arose at Alexandria as a child of Greek culture. It has two names, Chemeia as the earlier and Chumeia as the later. There is another theory that Alchemy arose in China. Its founder was the aged ascetic who longed after drugs of longevity. He first tried jade, next gold and cinnabar, but the ideal was a drug which was red like cinnabar and fire-proof like gold. But what was actually prepared was red colloidal gold or "calcined gold," by grinding gold granules in a decoction of an herb of longevity. It was called Chin-I; Chin = gold and I = plant juice. In Fukin dialect Chin-I = Kim-Iya. This was Arabicized, by pre-Islamic Arabs trading in silk with China, as Kimiya, whence arose Al-Kimiya and finally Al-chemy. It was first accepted by Bucharic speaking Copts in Egypt who transliterated Kimiya = Chemeia, pronouncing it as the Arabs did. With the increase of trade in silk the Chinese also went to Alexandria and helped the Greeks to translate Chin-I as Chrusozomion meaning, gold (making) ferment, instead of gold making plant juice. Consistent with this origin of the word Chemeia is the fact that the earlier Alchemists were not Greeks but probably Bucharic speaks Copts or Egyptians. The consumer of Chin-I or Chemeia became "a drug-made immortal" called Chin-Jen, Golden-Man. This was translated into Greek as Chrusanthropos. Thus the etymoloogy of two Greek words Chrusozomion and Chrusanthropos support the origin of the loan word, Chemeia as Chinese. To save space it is not proposed to discuss the origin of Chumeia.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Chinese alchemy: confluence and transformation.

The study of China's alchemical tradition can provide considerable insight into early Chinese medical theory, pharmaco-therapeutic practice and psychosomatic concepts. Chinese alchemy is a complex blending of philosophical, cosmological, physiological and natural scientific thought. This article presents a historical survey and analysis of some important aspects of Chinese alchemical research and theory.

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PubMed1989

Comparing Yin-Yang, the Chinese symbol of creation, with Ouroboros of Greek alchemy.

The universe was early divided into Earth below and Heaven above. These, two as one, gave the idea of opposites but forming a unity. Each opposite was assumed to be powerful and so was their final unity. For creation of the universe they projected reproduction to conceive creation. Now reproduction results in the union of two opposites as male and female. Correspondingly, the Chinese believed Light and Darkness, as the ideal opposites, when united, yielded creative energy. The two opposites were further conceived as matter and energy which became dual-natured but as one. The two opposites were yin-yang and their unity was called Chhi. Yin-Yang was treated separately in Chinese cosmology which consisted of five cosmic elements. Since Chinese alchemy did reach Alexandria probably the symbol Yin-Yang, as dual-natured, responsible for creation, was transformed into a symbol called Ouroboros. It is a snake and as such as symbol of soul. Its head and anterior portion is red, being the colour of blood as soul; its tail and posterior half is dark, representing body. Ouroboros here is depicted white and black, as soul and body, the two as "one which is all." It is cosmic soul, the source of all creation. Ouroboros is normally depicted with its anterior half as black but it should be the reverse as shown here. With the name Chemeia taken to Kim-Iya, the last word would take Ouroboros to Yin-Yang.

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PubMed1981

The tradition of alchemy in India.

The Aryan of ancient times was a nomad who lived mainly by hunting. The aged, incapable of partaking in such activity, were considered parasites and were exiled as lonely ascetics to the forest. The ascetic began searching for a strength-giving drug so that he could collect edible plants from the forest. He discovered ephedra or the soma plant as an energizer-cum-euphoriant. Feeling stronger and happier he entertained the idea of a drug of rejuvenation. The Aryan nomad as a hunter often over-exerted himself and became exhausted. He then took soma juice thrice daily to prevent exhaustion. With such benefits soma became a popular drink in the Aryan community as a whole. When the Aryans entered India soma became unavailable. Its need persisting, the ascetic substituted ephedra with a mixture of other drugs. If soma was Rasa, or the juice, the substituted medicament was called Rasayana, signifying "juice-incorporate". Rasayana again was geriatric medicine which promised rejuvenation. Later came contact with the Chinese and their use of mercurials. These proved to be efficient energizers and were accepted as Rasayana. Then Aryan medicine first extolled ephedra, next some herbal drugs, and finally mercurials. As energizers-cum-euphoriants, both ephedra and mercurials are anti-somnolents, a feature absent in intoxicants and nacrotics.

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