Jiajing Emperor in the Ming Dynasty died from ingesting a lethal dosage of mercury in the supposed "Elixir of Life" conjured by alchemists. Many of these substances, far from contributing to longevity, were actively toxic. The most famous Chinese alchemical book, the Tan Chin Yao Ch’eh ("Great Secrets of Alchemy," dating from approximately 650 AD), discusses in detail the creation of elixirs for immortality (mercury, sulfur, and the salts of mercury and arsenic are prominent) as well as those for curing certain diseases and the fabrication of precious stones. Gold was considered particularly potent, as it was a non-tarnishing precious metal the idea of potable or drinkable gold is found in China by the end of the third century BC. The ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting precious substances such as jade, cinnabar or hematite would confer some of that longevity on the person who consumed them. In the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang sent Taoist alchemist Xu Fu with 500 boys and 500 girls to the eastern seas to find the elixir, but he never came back (legend has it that he found Japan instead). In Ancient China, various emperors sought for the fabled elixir with various results. In other cultures, alchemical philosophy would deem less or more elements (four in most of Europe, thirty-six in India).
No such potion has ever been discovered though alchemists in ancient China, India, and the Western world spent a great deal of time and effort on it.Īn elixir can be referred to as the 'Quintessence of life' or by other names - quintessence being reference to the five elements of Chinese alchemical philosophy or a theorized fifth element in European alchemy.
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