The alchemist experiments
and repeats. See his bench:
alembics and crucibles,
tubes and mortars, bottles of alum,

cassia, aconite and nuxvomica.
Every compound starts simple:
herb, bark, or root. Take the healing
essence of fennel, saffron, rocket.

Then process: distill, sublimate,
evaporate, pulverize, strain,
cook, calcinate, condense.
The path to mastery is never straight.

He knows the quality of his drug
must correspond to the strength
of each disease. If the effect is not
replicable, it is accidental.

A good formulary evolves
because the Holy Prophet foretold:
God creates no malady
without also offering a cure.