This article is an intresting read:
                                                                         What Alchemy gave Us…..the “Shamans of the Kitchen ”

The panacea , named after the Greek goddess of healing, Panacea, was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. It was sought by the alchemists as a connection to the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold.

Medical science, in some sense, continues to look for a "panacea" and an "elixir of life" of sorts. Aqua vitae (Latin: "water of life"), is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol.

The current focus may be on the immune system along with the role of genes and interplay of heredity and environment - but the desires to "cure all", to "retard the aging process", and to increase the "quality of life" are strong motivating forces.

The areas of scientific endeavor that research these first two "alchemical" goals cross several disciplines and sub-disciplines besides chemistry, i.e. molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, and immunology.

Spagyric, sometimes called herbal alchemy is the production of herbal medicine by alchemical procedures. These procedures involve fermentation, distillation and the extraction of mineral components from the “ash of the marc” .

Paracelsus ( born Phillip von Hohenheim – 1493 - 1541 ) stated that the true purpose of Alchemy was not for the vulgar purpose of gold making, but rather for the production of medicines. Paracelsus introduced in his treatise the “Doctrine of Signatures” , the concept that the Creator has placed his seal on plants to indicate their medicinal uses. Underlying Paracelsus’ treatise was the premise that nature was itself a living organism which must be considered an expression of “the One Life”, and that man and the universe are the same in their essential nature. In this book of nature, Paracelsus noticed how the qualities of plants so often reflected their appearance – that the seeds of skullcap, for example, resemble small skulls and, it transpires, are effective at curing headache. Similarly, the hollow stalk of garlic resembles the windpipe and it is used for throat and bronchial problems. By the same token, willow grows in damp places and will heal rheumatic conditions. Because of this, Paracelsus held that the inner nature of plants may be discovered by their outer forms or ‘signatures’.



He applied this principle to food as well as medicine, remarking that “it is not in the quantity of food but in its quality that resides the Spirit of Life” – a belief familiar to those who choose to eat organic food and share the common concern over Genetically Modified substitutes that they lack ‘life force’, or spirit.
According to Paracelsus, then, the appearance of a plant – or a food for that matter - is the gateway to its spirit or consciousness.
Shamans recognize the spiritual powers and qualities of plants and plant foods in many ways: the colors of the flowers, their perfumes, the shape and form of their leaves, where they are growing and in what ways, the moods they evoke, and the wider geographical, cultural, or mythological landscapes they occupy.
The doctrine of signatures treatise is not something known by indigenous shamans, but they understand the principles behind it well enough, that nature has spirit and communicates with us. These principles are not regarded as fanciful at all, but so important that they can save lives.

The term ‘Spagyria’ has been used by Paracelsus in his book 'Liber Paragranum', deriving from the Greek words 'spao' and 'ageiro', the essential meaning of which is to 'separate and to combine'.

He , and other alchemists , formulated that nature in itself was 'raw and unfinished' and man had the God-given task to evolve things to a higher level.

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This is the kind of stuff that gives permission to nutjobs to genetically mess with human beings, i.e., the master race, and discard the mistakes.

Dangerous philosophy in the wrong hands.

reminds me of the old Irish FOlk song derived from novel called Finnegans Wake in which the The Water of Life is actually Whiskey.  At Tim Finnegan's wake, whiskey accidentally spilled on him and he rose back to life.
Thats how the song went anyway.  Me not much of a reader.