Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning
Toxic effects from Chinese immortality elixirs containing metals and minerals.
The keyword for Chinese immortality elixirs is dān 丹, meaning "cinnabar; vermillion; elixir; alchemy"[1] Tang emperor Xianzong (r. 805–820) indirectly lost his life due to elixir poisoning, with records stating he ingested gold elixirs and his behavior became very abnormal.[2] Emperor Xuānzong (r. 846–859) also died of elixir poisoning, though he initially tried vegetable-based elixirs after his nephew's death.[3]
Quick Facts
- First emperor likely poisoned
- Qin Shi Huang (d. 210 BCE)
- Last emperor poisoned
- Yongzheng Emperor (d. 1735 CE)
- Duration of practice
- circa 4th century BCE to 18th century CE
Facts from the source article.
What the research sources say
The 6th-century Taiqing shibi ji described side effects like itching, swelling, nausea, and headaches as proofs that the elixir was dispelling latent disorders.[4] The 8th–9th century Zhenyuan miaodao yaolüe lists 35 common mistakes in elixir preparation, including cases where people died from eating elixirs made from cinnabar, mercury, lead, and silver.[5] The c. 850 Xuanjie lu, the world's oldest printed book on a scientific subject, recommends a herbal composition called Shouxian wuzi wan as both an elixir and an antidote for elixir poisoning.[5] The late Tang or early Song Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue states that later disciples suffered loss of life from taking elixirs, unlike ancient masters who attained longevity.[5]
Li Shizhen's 1578 Compendium of Materia Medica concludes that the human body cannot sustain heavy substances like gold and minerals in the stomach and intestines.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Obed Simon Johnson, A Study of Chinese Alchemy, page Shanghai, Commercial, 1928. rpt. New York: Arno P, 1974. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tr. . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Needham Ho Lu Wang 1976, p. 74 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tr. .; Needham Lu 1974, p. 283 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Needham Ho 1970, p. 316 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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