wˈʌn kæn dɪstˈɪŋɡwɪʃ æt lˈiːst θɹˈiː mˈeɪdʒɚ stɹˈændz, wˌɪtʃ ɐpˈɪɹ təbi mˈoʊstli ˌɪndᵻpˈɛndənt, æt lˈiːst ɪn ðɛɹ ˈɜːlɪɚ stˈeɪdʒᵻz: tʃaɪnˈiːz ˈælkəmi, sˈɛntɚd ɪn tʃˈaɪnə; ˈɪndiən ˈælkəmi, sˈɛntɚd ɔnðɪ ˈɪndiən sʌbkˈɑːntɪnənt; ænd wˈɛstɚn ˈælkəmi, wˌɪtʃ əkˈɜːd ɚɹˈaʊnd ðə mˌɛdɪɾɪɹˈeɪniən ænd hˌuːz sˈɛntɚ ʃˈɪftᵻd ˌoʊvɚ ðə mɪlˈɛniə fɹʌm ɡɹˈiːkoʊɹˈoʊmən ˈiːdʒɪpt tə ðɪ ɪslˈɑːmɪk wˈɜːld, ænd fˈaɪnəli mˈɛdɪˌiːvəl jˈʊɹɹəp.
One can distinguish at least three major strands, which appear to be mostly independent, at least in their earlier stages: Chinese alchemy, centered in China; Indian alchemy, centered on the Indian subcontinent; and Western alchemy, which occurred around the Mediterranean and whose center shifted over the millennia from Greco-Roman Egypt to the Islamic world, and finally medieval Europe.