When originally published in 1977, Herbal Alchemy broke new ground as the first straight-forward written presentation of Alchemy in a complete, practical form - as science, art, technique, philosophy, magic and spiritual practice. In this revised and updated edition, Phillip Hurley provides detailed information about the preparation of alchemical elixirs from plants, the application of astrology to herbalism, and reveals secrets of occult ritual practice in the Tantric, Hermetic, and Quabbalistic alchemical traditions. In 1984 Israel Regardie (former student and secretary to Aleister Crowley) released a massive 10 volume work titled The Complete Golden Dawn System Of Magic. In volume two, three important contemporary alchemists were highlighted by Hanz Nintzel. Nintzel was the founder of the Restorers Of Alchemical Manuscripts Society, was a practicing alchemist and student of Albert Riedel (aka FraterAlbertus). His extensive knowledge gleaned from studying manuscripts that few have ever seen, and his experience as a practitioner of the art made him one of very few people qualified to evaluate contemporary teachers and methods. He states "The writings of Paracelsus, Geber, Glauber, Vaughn, Sendivogius and Flamel are amongst those of the older writers that are particularly noteworthy. But there are even modern day writers such as Frater Albertus, Phillip Hurley and Archibald Cockren." It is no accident that Nintzel mentioned these three, as each possessed one of the three keys of the Emerald Tablet.