Anatomia sambuci, or, The anatomy of the elder cutting out of it plain, approved, and specific remedies for most and chiefest maladies : confirmed and cleared by reason, experience, and history / collected in Latine by Dr. Martin Blochwich ...

CAP. V.

Of the Salt and its Spirit.

I. The SALT.

SAlt is prepared not only of the flowers and leaves after the distilla∣tion of waters, and expression of juice; but of the bark and whole tree For all are to be dryed, burned in a clear and open fire, reduced to ashes; of these ashes make a Lie with pure and clean water, still pouring on firesh water, till all the saltishnes be ex∣tracted; boyle the Lie, being filtrate, in an earthen vessel on a soft fire, till the water exhale, and the salt be left; which by a reiterate solution, filtra∣tion, and coagulaion, is to be purified.

The most gallantway of purifying such like Salts, by the means of the spirit or Oyl of common Salt, is set down in the 19 Chapter of Finckius Enchirid. Hermet.

Some praise this process, R. of the burned ashes of Elder and Sulphure, equal parts, being mixt, calcine them with a reverberatory fire, or in a Pot∣ters Furnace; after extract a Lie with the water of the flowers of the Elder; which being filtrate and boyled to a half on a slow fire, is to be placed in a Celler, that the salt may run in Chri∣stals.

II. The Spirit of the Salt of the Elder.

R. Of the Salt of the Elder, lib. 1. of common Bole lib. 3. being well powdered and mixt together, put them in well Luted Retort, fit to it an ample Recipient, and having closed the commissures, add fier by degrees. First there shall still a waterish liquor, then the spirits shall follow; augment the fire, and keep it in the same de∣gree, lest the spirits remit, so long till no more spirits flow, and the reci∣pient become clear; the vessel being cold, and the clay that luted them together

being with a wet cloth for an hour to∣gether softened, that the recipient may be separate without breaking the glasses, you shall find the spirit of the Elders salt, which is separate from its phlegme by distilling in Balneo.

The Lute, for arming your glasses, and luting them to their recipients, is set down by Begwine, l. c. 6. Tyrocin. Chym. By Libavius l. 1. Epist. 24. E∣pist. Chymicarum, and others.

Others use other ways of distilling the spirits of vegetable salts, which the famous Senart. mentions by the by, Instit. Medic. pag. 1215. but we may use all things we use in distilling the spirit of common salt: of which see Sennert. and Begwine, l. 2. c. 6. Tyros. Chymio. and others.