Elixirs of long life and alchemical principles in some Middle English medical recipes

Abstract

From the 13^th century onwards, alchemical science and its theory on the elixir of long life became prominent within the studies on prolongatio vitae in England. The creation of the philosopher’s stone to transmute base metals into gold also became a means for obtaining a perfect medicine that could heal bodies and make them unalterable. Many alchemical experimentations for the production of the elixir of long life that spread throughout the 14^th and 15^th centuries were based on the connection between medicine and alchemy. Texts centred on remedies and plasters for healing the body that involved alchemical processes were produced by composers who for the most part remained anonymous. This work intends to analyse some 15^th-century medical recipes aimed at the creation of medicinal waters and ointments against ageing and for the regeneration of the flesh after wounds and sores, in order to investigate the relationship between alchemy and this particular field of medieval medicine.