But just because it’s interesting doesn’t mean it is intended for human consumption. For them, it suggested the metal had some spiritual significance. They were fascinated by it because it was a liquid metal at room temperature. One of the favored additions, however, was mercury. The alchemists mixed different organic and inorganic compounds, since there was no set recipe for creating an elixir of immortality. 'Putting the miraculous elixir on the tripod' from Xingming guizhi (Pointers on Spiritual Nature and Bodily Life) by Yi Zhenren, a Daoist text on internal alchemy published in 1615 (3rd year of the Wanli reign period of Ming dynasty). In many cases the elixirs, which contain extremely poisonous elements, (ironically) were responsible for the deaths of those who consumed them.” The ingestion of such elixirs, however, certainly did not allow them to live forever. “who would provide them with some sort of substance that would supposedly give them immortality. Wu Mingren has written that several ancient Chinese emperors and members of the nobility sought out Taoist alchemists, While those ingredients probably are not the best options for making an elixir meant to grant the drinker immortality, they are not the most surprising ingredients in ancient Chinese recipes for eternal life either. Alunite has also been used as a type of potash (fertilizer). Today, potassium nitrate is primarily used in fertilizers, fireworks, gunpowder, and rockets. These two ingredients were staples in a Taoist elixir of life recipe. Lab results showed the liquid contains potassium nitrate and alunite. But it was something far more interesting. Xinhua reports that the heady alcohol aroma led archaeologists to think the liquid was some kind of liquor when they found it last October. Perhaps the family had strong faith in the power of the liquid.Ībout 3.5 liters of the liquid, now said to be an ancient Chinese elixir of life, were found in a bronze bottle. And archaeologists have recently found a real example of an ancient Chinese elixir of life in Luoyang, Henan Province.Īccording to CGTN, Shi Jiazhen, head of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Luoyang, told reporters that this is “the first time that mythical 'immortality medicines' have been found in China.” About 3.5 liters of the liquid were found in a bronze bottle in a noble family’s Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-8 AD) tomb. While most would agree today that those stories are nothing more than fairy tales, things were different 2,000 years ago. It was written about in several ancient texts, and legends and myths suggest some people even achieved the goal. Who wants to live forever? This has been a dream for many people all around the world for a very long time.

Elixir of immortality recipe