Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history (259-210 before), took three thousand boys and three thousand boys into the sea for the immortal alchemist Xu Fu (one said "Xushi", the year of birth and death is unknown) , Went to Penglai, the abbot, and Yingzhou Sanshenshan for medicine for immortality, and never returned.
Since the first emperor of Qin, the emperors of all dynasties have been seeking elixir of immortality. What is golden pill? According to Ge Hong (281-341), a famous medical scientist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Baopuzi·Jindan", it is recorded:
"Fudan is a thing, the longer it is burned, the more subtle it changes; gold Into the fire, a hundred refining will not disappear, and the burial will be immortal. Taking these two things and refining the body can make people immortal."
Jiang Yan’s "Yin Changsheng Zan" also records:
"Day and night on the side of the famous mountain, get the Golden Core Road".
Judging from the above records, Jin Dan is a kind of pill made by alchemists putting gold or cinnabar into the fire. It is also said that Jindan is Hongdan (lead) pill or "red pill".
Among the ancient emperors of our country, there are many deaths due to taking golden pills.
According to historical records, the Northern Wei Daowu Emperor Tuobagui and Mingyuan Emperor Tuoba heir father and son, Tang Taizong Li Shimin are all He died from taking Jindan. Tang Gaozong Li Zhi was also poisoned by taking pills, his eyes dizzy and difficult to manage at the age of fifty. There were a lot of romantic affairs in the Tang Dynasty. Six people died due to accidental eating of golden pills. Many emperors died after proclaiming them for only one year. It is estimated that this is related to this medicine for immortality.
Taoism was very popular in the Ming Dynasty. Taoism believes that mortals can live forever as long as they eat golden pills. However, this kind of golden pill has not been found, so some Taoists refined it by themselves. As a result, alchemy was also popular for a while, so the dangers of golden pills to human life have been recorded from time to time. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, 4 died of Jindan (Hongdanwan).
The first is Ming Shizong Zhu Houhuang. He came to the throne in 1522, and he was reigned as Jiajing for 45 years. In order to make the elixir of immortality, he gathered more than three hundred girls in the harem to obtain It is mixed with water and other minerals to make pills. Later, he eventually died after taking this pill due to licentiousness.
The second Ming Muzong Zhu Zaiqi, he came to the throne in 1567, and he reigned for five and a half years. His life is corrupt, "long night drink, extremely sensual entertainment". "It is rumored that the harem is fortunately forever, and the princes are with you, and the cars behind are flooded." For the sake of extravagance and immortality, he accidentally ingested the golden pill offered by the alchemist-the red pill, and soon died.
The third emperor was Wanli Emperor Zhu Yigou, the emperor named Ming Shenzong, reigned for 48 years. He is well-equipped with four poisons: alcohol, sex, wealth, and qi, and in his old age he lived by smoking opium. In the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1602), he died violently on July 28 on the night of taking Hongdan pills.
The fourth place is Guangzong Zhu Changluo, whose reign is Taichang, who was enthroned on August 1, 1620, and died suddenly on September 1. During his reign, he was "indulged in drinking and indulgence", and he had many concubines in the palace. Once he contracted a disease, which was not cured for a long time, and Li Kezhuo, Cheng Li of Hongzhen Temple, said that he had a miraculous pill to cure the emperor's disease. This medicine is red, so it is called Hongdan Pill. Academician Liu Yi broke the news that there were two people in his town who took the same medicine. Guangzong refused to listen to his advice, so the ministers took the medicine in front of them. After Guangzong used the first pill, he warmed his limbs and thought about eating and drinking. Then he ordered another pill. The next day, there were five drums. An urgent decree came from the palace. He called the ministers to join the government as soon as possible. dead. Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, according to scholars' textual research, also died of Jindan poisoning.
The above is the record of the emperor's death by accidentally eating golden pills. As for folks who died from taking golden pills, there may be more. The novels include Jia Jing in "A Dream of Red Mansions" and Ximen Qing in "Jin Ping Mei", both of them died of eating golden pills by accident.
What exactly is Jindan Pill?
Why did I take the first pill without any problems, and the second pill, but died suddenly?
Judging from the minister’s notes at the time, the main ingredient of Hongdan Pill is lead, followed by ginseng and velvet antler. It is a rejuvenating essence, and now it is a sexual stimulant.. Secondly, from the analysis of the raw materials for manufacturing Jindan, it can be roughly divided into two types:
The first type, the main raw material is cinnabar.
Cinnabar, also known as cinnabar, is named after its place of production. Its chemical name is mercury sulfide (HgS). It is trigonal crystal, vermilion, translucent, and has diamond luster. It often coexists with iron antimony ore and is used for smelting mercury (mercury The main raw material of) can also be used as paint for painting. It is commonly used in Chinese medicine as a calming and convulsive medicine. It is used to treat madness, palpitations, and insomnia, but it is poisonous after fire. Ancient alchemists did not understand the physical and chemical properties of mercury. They thought that they had made an elixir that was outside the prescription, and then added honey, ginseng and other heat tonic medicines. This is the mystery of the so-called elixir of immortality. This substance is poisonous and endangers human life.
The famous novel "Dream of Red Mansions" in the Qing Dynasty of my country described in detail the scene of Jia Jing's poisoning by eating the golden pills. "Dream of Red Mansions" Sixty-three:
"Shouyi Hong Qunfang has a night banquet, and the golden pill is alone in the funeral" said: "Suddenly I saw a few people in the East Mansion run in panic and said:'Master Bintian Everyone was shocked when they heard it, and they all said in a hurry, "I have no disease, so how come I died." The family said: ‘Master practicing cultivation every day will surely be consummation and go to immortality’. Then again: When doctors see that someone is dead, where do they get the pulse? Suzhi Jia Jing’s art of guiding the qi is always imaginary, and even participating in star ritual battles, guarding Gengshen, serving Lingsha, etc., acted vainly, was too laborious, and therefore hurt his life. Now although he is dead, he is in the belly. Hard as iron, face and lips, burnt purple crimson and cracked, he replied to his wife: "In the Profound Sect, he swallowed gold and served sand, burned and died. The Taoist priests replied in panic:'It was the secret dansha that was eaten badly. When something happened, the little Taoist priests also persuaded: "Kung fu has not come, and you can't accept it." Don't expect that the master quietly accepted it when he was watching Gengshen tonight, and he went to the immortal. This is a pious experience and a sea of suffering. The skin is taken off.”
The second main raw material is arsenic
The common name arsenic, the chemical symbol is As, and there are three allotropes of yellow, gray and dark brown. Exist in sulfide mining, such as realgar (AsS4), orpiment (As2S3) and arsenopyrite (FeAss). The above-mentioned minerals become arsenic or arsenic compounds after being fired, which is highly toxic. Oral arsenic can cause Acute arsenic poisoning and sudden death in severe cases. The ancient alchemist put the poisonous arsenic compound produced by the fire, ebony water, and the menstrual period of the virgin in gold and silver vessels to make Hongdan pills, or red pills. Some Hongdan pills were also mixed with ginseng and deer antler. Waiting for the heat tonic medicine is very harmful to the human body. This is the mystery of the rejuvenating essence Jindan that the emperor took to death.
The book "Sixteen Emperors of the Ming Dynasty" says:
"Red lead (dan) pill is a woman's meridian through water, the yang in the yin, the essence of pure fire. After taking one pill, I refreshed my spirits. After taking the two pills, my vitality is said to have become a disease.”
If analyzed by modern science, the four emperors of the Ming Dynasty mentioned above all died of arsenic poisoning. Our country has a long history. There are so many types that I can't say in detail, just examine the two kinds of golden pills that are the most harmful to human health and life.
However, the alchemy of Taoist alchemists applied many chemical laws. International chemists generally believe that modern experimental chemistry originated from European alchemy in the Middle Ages, while European alchemy originated from Arab alchemy in the Middle East. Surgery. The alchemy of the Arabs came from the alchemy of Taoism in China. Especially Baopuzi-Ge Hong discovered the reversibility of the chemical reaction in the process of alchemy, that is, dansha (mercury sulfide) can be heated to produce mercury (mercury), and mercury and sulfur can be combined into dansha. Alchemy provided the ancients with an opportunity to explore nature, and ultimately provided useful experimental and thought materials for modern experimental chemistry from both positive and negative aspects.
