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Sweet, tart, astringent and bitter qualities

dulcia; acerba; austera; amara; Dulcis; acerbus; austerus; amarus

The quality list distinguishes sweet, tart, astringent, and bitter rather than presenting a single pleasant–unpleasant scale.

From the book

Nine Books on the Nature of Things

Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

The quality list distinguishes sweet, tart, astringent, and bitter rather than presenting a single pleasant–unpleasant scale. Sublimation and distillation are said to reverse these qualities in different directions. Their lexical value lies in the distinctions a historical operator is expected to notice; the examples do not authorize tasting unknown mineral preparations or identify modern chemical composition.

Places to read

  1. Book 7 · Transmutations · Passage 3Latin“acerba & austera vel amara”