Alchemy & natural philosophy / Early modern natural philosophy
Nettle Oil by Expression
Della Porta / oils by expression
Blanch nettle seeds in wine. Warm them in a brass mortar. Wrap them in linen. Put them between heated iron plates. Apply unreasonable pressure.
Source
Giambattista della Porta research stream.
Question
What did expression mean in practice, do nettle seeds give up a usable oil this way, and what kind of yield do you get after doing everything the hard way?
Materials
Method
- Blanch nettle seeds in wine.
- Warm them in a brass mortar.
- Wrap them in linen.
- Press them between heated iron plates.
- Use a 4 x 4 inch screw press built for the experiment.
Observations
- Apparently buying nettle oil would miss the point.
- Work in progress. Yield and material character are not finalized.
Result
Uncertainty
- Work in progress. No final result yet.
References
Next
- Record the exact source instruction, plant part, preparation, pressure method, and resulting material.