16th century Paracelsus Among its many philosophical and spiritual preoccupations,
Hermeticism also concerned itself with
panaceas—remedies supposed to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Later, an emergent Latin alchemy, associated with
European humanism, transmuted itself into a new, more modern medical and pharmaceutical philosophy, reformed by a better understanding of
human physiology. Philippus Paracelsus (1493–1541), who gave his name to the
early modern school of medical theory known as
Paracelcism, first made mention of the alkahest as a chemical which could fortify the liver, and—in instances where the liver failed—could act as a substitute for its functions. Paracelsus's own recipe for alkahest was made of
caustic lime,
alcohol, and
carbonate of potash; however, his recipe was not intended to be a "universal solvent".
17th century Alkahest became very popular in the 17th and 18th centuries through
Jan Baptist van Helmont. Its prevalence in the 17th and 18th centuries, despite its otherwise absurd and extreme qualities, was likely due to the popularity of alchemy at the time and the lack of an adequate alternative theory of chemistry.
George Starkey Colonial American alchemist
George Starkey (1628–1665) described alkahest as a circulated salt that is neither acid nor alkali. According to Helmont and Anglo-Irish scientist Robert Boyle (1627–1691), the alkahest had a "microstructure", meaning it was composed of extremely small, homogeneous
corpuscles. hence, a hypothetical container made of a pure element (say, lead) would not be dissolved by alkahest.
Herman Boerhaave – alkahest and the philosopher's stone Paracelsus believed that alkahest was, in fact, the
philosopher's stone. Dutch chemist and physician
Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), in his textbook
Elementa Chymiae (1732), did not think alkahest was the philosopher's stone, but of greater importance and value than the stone. After the 18th century alkahest was taken less seriously over time. == Modern usages of the term ==