Indian Alchemy: Sources and Contexts

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Dagmar Wujastyk (Associate Professor, Department of History, Classics, and Religion, Associate Professor, Department of History, Classics, and Religion, University of Alberta)

Indian Alchemy

Name: Indian Alchemy
Price: 245.95 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9780197805800

Sources and Contexts

Dagmar Wujastyk (Associate Professor, Department of History, Classics, and Religion, Associate Professor, Department of History, Classics, and Religion, University of Alberta)

$245.95

Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
28 March 2026

Asian history; Religion & science; Alternative belief systems; History of medicine; Biochemistry

Series: South Asia Research

Drawing on a selection of the most important Sanskrit alchemical works from the ninth to sixteenth centuries, Indian Alchemy: Sources and Contexts provides an introduction to South Asian alchemy, tracing and explaining alchemical thought as it developed on the Indian subcontinent. Carefully edited by Dagmar Wujastyk, the collected essays offer deep insight into the motivations and goals of Indian alchemists and illuminate the theories and methods they developed over time. The collection provides an overview of the genre of Sanskrit alchemical literature, examining how Indian alchemists portrayed and defined their discipline. Translations of excerpts from important Sanskrit alchemical works showcase the most common themes found in the literature--such as the framing of alchemy as a knowledge system originating from &Sacuteiva, a focus on mercury, and technical descriptions of making elixirs--and reveal the characteristic style of each work.

Indian Alchemy serves to expand readers' understanding of what it meant to practice alchemy on the Indian subcontinent. With its broad selection of examined themes, this collection offers a detailed and comprehensive investigation of the Indian alchemical idiom and the beliefs and practices of its practitioners.

Edited by: Dagmar Wujastyk (Associate Professor Department of History Classics and Religion Associate Professor Department of History Classics and Religion University of Alberta)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 237mm, Width: 164mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 585g
ISBN: 9780197805800
ISBN 10: 0197805809
Series: South Asia Research
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 28 March 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dagmar Wujastyk is Associate Professor of South Asian Studies in the Department of History, Classics, and Religion at the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research focuses on the history and literature of classical Indian medicine (Ayurveda), Indian iatrochemistry and alchemy, and yoga.