The head of the expedition and the African elixir of eternal life. Elixir of immortality or recipes of medieval alchemists

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In accordance with Chinese tradition. The elixir of life is easily prepared from the entrails of a turtle.

"Recipe for New Russians". In antiquity, the breath of virgins was considered a sure means of prolonging youth. Some kings, in order to envelop themselves in such a breath, surrounded themselves in bed with young concubines.

Hungarian Countess Elzhbet Bathory: in 1610 she took "rejuvenating" baths from the blood of murdered young girls. For which she was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Marshal of France Gilles de Rais performed bloody rituals in the vicinity of his castles: he hung dozens of young men on the gallows. It was believed that from the seed of a hanged man, a mandrake is born - a magical root that gives immortality.

Without making any special efforts to buy the “food” of the gods from any gypsy. Ancient Greek - ambrosia. Ancient Indian - amritu. Ancient Iranian - haoma. In the absence of such, you can get by with the water of immortality of the Ancient Egyptian gods. All of them guarantee immortality and eternal youth.

More complex recipes follow.
requiring some effort to prepare them

You can get a philosopher's stone that gives immortality, according to the recipe of the English alchemist George Ripley given by him in The Book of Twelve Gates: “To prepare the elixir of the sages, or the philosopher's stone, take, my son, philosophical mercury and glow until it turns into a green lion . After that, bake it harder, and it will turn into a red lion. Disperse this red lion in a sand bath with acidic grape spirit, evaporate the liquid, and the mercury will turn into a gum-like substance that can be cut with a knife. Put it in a retort smeared with clay and slowly distill. Collect separately liquids of various nature, which will appear at the same time. You will get tasteless phlegm, alcohol and red drops. The Cimmerian shadows will cover the retort with their dark veil, and you will find the true dragon within it, for it is devouring its own tail. Take this black dragon, rub it on a stone and touch it with a hot coal. It will light up and, soon taking on a magnificent lemon color, will again reproduce a green lion. Have him eat his tail and distill the product again. Finally, son, undress mine carefully, and you will see the appearance of combustible water and human blood. This is the philosopher's stone that bestows immortality.

Recipe for the elixir of immortality owned by Nicolas Flamel and his wife who lived in 14th century France. Stated in their book The Grand Grimoire, in the chapter Secrets of the Magical Art: "Take a pot of fresh earth, add a pound of red copper and half a glass of cold water and boil it all for half an hour. Then add three ounces of copper oxide to the composition and boil for one hour; then add two and a half ounces of arsenic and boil for another hour. After this, add three ounces of well-ground oak bark and let it boil for half an hour; add an ounce of rose water to the pot, boil for twelve minutes. Then add three ounces of carbon black and boil until the mixture is ready. To find out if it is cooked to the end, you need to lower a nail into it: if the composition acts on the nail, remove it from the heat; if it does not work, this is a sign that the composition is not finished cooking. The liquid can be used four times. Unfortunately, the recipe does not say to take it hot or chilled.

It was in the 18th century. Once a servant of the legendary Count of Saint-Germain was asked if his master had really met Julius Caesar in person and had the secret of immortality. To which the servant calmly replied that he did not know, but over the past 300 years of his service with Saint-Germain, the count had not changed in appearance at all ...

Nowadays, the issue of immortality has not lost its relevance, and active work to find a way to gain physical immortality is being carried out in all industrialized countries of the world.

UNTIRETE COUNT

If we omit the mythological history of the biblical Adam, who lived, according to legend, for 900 years, the Eternal Jew Ahasuerus and Koshchei the Immortal, then the first popularizer of the elixir of immortality will be the same Saint Germain, a person, I must say, very mysterious. In the 18th century, folk rumor seriously claimed that the count was 500 years old, and in his castle there was a unique mirror in which one could see the future.

It was rumored that the count personally showed the headless body of his grandson in the mirror to Louis XV. In turn, the famous adventurer Count Cagliostro, who considered himself a student of Saint Germain, mentioned a certain vessel during interrogation in the Inquisition. In it, Saint Germain, according to Cagliostro, kept the elixir of immortality, made according to the recipes of the ancient Egyptian priests.

The most interesting thing is that people who personally met Saint-Germain in various parts of Europe described him as a man about 45 years old with a swarthy face. At the same time, over the course of decades, the graph did not change at all in appearance. He was rich, well-bred, and had a truly aristocratic manner. The Count spoke French, English, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Arabic equally well.

Often, in conversation with monarchs, Saint Germain referred to the rulers of bygone days, and in conversation he often claimed to have had personal conversations with many ancient rulers and philosophers, including Jesus Christ. Saint-Germain died either in 1784 in Holstein, or in 1795 in Kassel.

But his grave was never found. And many aristocrats who knew the count during his lifetime met him more than once after his official death! There is evidence of the appearance of Saint-Germain in Europe of the 20th century. Did the Count really possess the elixir? eternal youth, is it possible?

YOUTH FOR THE TYRANT

As you know, the most notorious sinners and satraps cling to life more than others. Historical sources claim that the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, the legendary Shi Huangdi, who lived in the 3rd century BC. e., was literally obsessed with the idea of his own immortality. From morning to night, his associates studied ancient treatises in the hope of discovering a recipe for eternal youth.

But in vain. As a result, the frustrated emperor issued a decree in which he forbade himself to die. But still he died. Subsequently, many emperors of China tried to find the elixir of eternal life, but apart from unique rejuvenation techniques, nothing was invented.

Medieval rulers also became famous for their search for a recipe for immortality. All the ways they invented bordered on a rare inhuman sadism. They say that Marshal of France Count Gilles de Ré, the prototype of Bluebeard, became famous in this field more than others. After being arrested during interrogations by the Inquisition, he confessed that he had killed several hundred young people in order to make an elixir of immortality from their genitals.

In the second half of the 16th century, the Hungarian Countess Elisabeth Bathory took baths from the blood of virgins to gain eternal youth and beauty. In total, 650 girls found their end in the castle of the countess.

BLOOD FOR THE LEADER

Like medieval aristocrats, the first Soviet leaders also wanted to live forever. In the 1920s, the famous revolutionary Alexander Bogdanov headed the world's first Blood Institute, in which the elderly leaders of Soviet Russia were tried to transfuse the blood of the young.

However, the matter did not work out. Lenin, unlike his sister, who underwent a rejuvenating procedure, refused a blood transfusion, calling it scientific vampirism. Perhaps the research would have been successful, but Bogdanov died unexpectedly during one of the experiments on himself. After his death, a disappointed Stalin ordered the experiments to be interrupted.

Half a century later, the leader successfully practiced the problem of gaining longevity through the transfusion of the blood of young compatriots North Korea Kim Il Sung. Having begun the procedures at the age of 65, the dictator lived to a very old age of 82, although he planned to stretch it to at least 120 years.

THE GENERATOR OF YOUTH EXISTS

AT modern world There are dozens of promising methods for extending human life. But humanity is not waiting for a unique diet, an expensive operation or cryofreezing of its own body, but the invention of a device that, in a few sessions, would help a person completely get rid of diseases and live an extra 40-50 years.

Oddly enough, but such an apparatus exists and operates on principles that are logically close to the cruel experiments of medieval rulers. However, now it is not about transfusing young blood to an old man, but about transplanting a young biofield.

One of the presentations of the technique took place in 1997 in St. Petersburg at the First International Congress "Weak and superweak fields and radiation in biology and medicine." A report on his unique technique was made by a scientist of Chinese origin from Khabarovsk, Yuri Vladimirovich Jiang Kanzhen. According to the scientist's theory, repeatedly confirmed by practical experiments, all living organisms exchange some genetic information invisible to the eye.

The process occurs with the help of electromagnetic waves of the microwave range. The device, invented by Dr. Jiang Kanzheng, can transfer the biofield of young organisms to old ones, rehabilitating their DNA and stimulating rejuvenation. Like a real scientist, Jiang Kanzheng experimented both on himself and on his father - the result was both the youthfulness of the scientist himself and the processes of regeneration of the body of his 80-year-old father.

It is interesting to note that, unlike many similar inventions, official science accepted and even issued patents for several inventions. So it is likely that in the foreseeable future every clinic will have a device capable of transferring the biofield of a young person to his elderly relatives, rejuvenating them. In this case, the duration of human life will almost double.

SCIENCE DOES NOT STAND

To comment on the possibility of creating a technique that significantly prolongs human life, he agreed to us Doctor of Medical Sciences, Academician of the VAKB Dmitry Valerievich GLUKHOV:

- The elixir of eternal youth really has a right to exist. But not in the medieval sense. All over the world, research is being actively conducted in the field of rejuvenation techniques, there are significant successes in this area. In Russia alone, more than 10 rejuvenation systems and more than 30 rejuvenation techniques have been commercialized, not counting a variety of dietary supplements and pharmacological preparations.

Most of the work is carried out in the field of cosmetology and correction of the human immune system. Every year there are new methods based on advanced, promising technologies. So, nanotechnology gave impetus to a new direction of rejuvenation - supramolecular chemistry. Development is proceeding rapidly, and, perhaps, in the near future, one of the researchers will show the coveted bottle with a cloudy liquid.

Today, the technologies of electromagnetic transformation, or modification of the human genome, have advanced farthest in this direction. Again, many scientists are working in this direction in Russia. In my opinion, the work of Jiang Kanzheng looks quite promising. It is impossible not to mention Professor Zakharov with his cell therapy and revitalization, Goryaev, Komrakov and other researchers.

In case of their success and the mass introduction of methods, the average life expectancy of a person can increase from the current 65-70 years to 140-160 years. True, in this case, a person will have, among other things, to lead a relatively healthy lifestyle.

Dmitry SIVITSKY

People have always been looking for a way to achieve immortality or at least extend their lives. Legends of gaining eternal life have been passed down from generation to generation. Scientists of antiquity and the Middle Ages created many amazing recipes for longevity - from tincture of dried and powdered bats to rubbing the body with the tears of virgins. And, according to the surviving documents, some means gave an amazing result.

Cinnabar or meditation?

The earliest available handwritten evidence of the elixir of eternal youth dates back to China in the 1st millennium BC. e.

As they say historical chronicles, Taoist monks owned the secret of preparing medicines that were able to prolong life. The most important component of their preparations was cinnabar, or sulphurous mercury (mercury quenched with sulfur), which, due to its color, was associated with blood. The manuscripts cite the example of a scientist named Chufu, who took refined cinnabar along with saltpeter for thirty years - as a result, he looked like a teenager, and his hair turned bright red.

By the beginning of the new era, Chinese alchemy was divided into external and internal (that is, recognizing the influence from outside or from within). The first scientific direction proceeded from the fact that immortality can be achieved by taking special drugs, and the second - that it occurs due to the forces of the body itself, which must be activated with the help of special breathing exercises, diet, exercise and meditation.

Gradually, internal alchemy supplanted the external one. It is known that Genghis Khan, having heard about the Taoist monk Chang Chun, who owned the secret of eternal youth and lived for 300 years, sent messengers to China to deliver the magician with honors to Samarkand. But Chang Chun, who arrived, instead of creating an elixir of immortality for the great khan, began to tell him about the benefits of abstinence and a healthy lifestyle.

Medicines with elements of cannibalism

Some rejuvenating medicines and potions have been associated with the blood and flesh of both living people and their remains.

Here is a recipe from an ancient Persian text: to feed a red-haired and freckled person with fruits for up to thirty years, then lower him into a stone vessel with honey and other compounds and hermetically seal it. After 120 years, the body will turn into a mummy, which must be taken in parts as a means of granting immortality.

AT Ancient Rome believed that the source of longevity is the blood - especially young people. After the end of the gladiator fights, many old men ran out into the arena and washed themselves with the blood of the wounded and killed.

Pharmacists of the 12th century used a powder made from mummies stolen in Egypt as a cure for old age. Magical magical properties were attributed to him - just like other remains of the dead.

The Hungarian Countess Bathory (1560-1614) took baths from the blood of virgins to preserve her youth. According to historians, after the death of the countess, more than 600 skeletons of young girls were found in the basement of her castle.

Elixir of manure

Tips for achieving longevity are also found in the works of ancient Greek, Egyptian and Persian authors. For example, the writings of Aristotle mention Epimenides, a priest and poet from the island of Crete, who in 596 BC. e. at the age of 300 he was invited to Athens to participate in sacrificial ceremonies, and Pliny the Elder wrote about a certain Illyrian who was able to live to be 500 years old.

Rejuvenating drinks made from the fruits of eternal youth appear as medicines in these works. Ancient Greek ambrosia and ancient Iranian haoma were considered such elixirs.

One of the recipes for longevity included the following ingredients of a miracle remedy: honey from Africa, gentian from Crete, four types of live vipers from Sparta, healing roots from Galia, Scythia and Macedonia, as well as centaur hair.

In addition, the elixirs of youth for Mediterranean scientists of those times were associated with the use of unusual products - for example, dried snakes or toads, dead mice, and human and animal excrement.

Breath of young girls

In biblical times, one of the options for returning youth was considered the breath of children or young girls who lay next to the elderly at night. It is known that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra constantly surrounded herself with babies at night.

Over time, this technique became widespread in France in the 18th century, where some companies rented young innocent girls to the elderly rich for the night. The course of treatment was calculated for 24 days, while intimate services were not provided, but as a result of such procedures, the vitality of the elderly increased and even certain diseases disappeared.

Already today, studies have shown that human skin is very sensitive to thermal fields emanating from other people - these findings are a strong argument in favor of the healing factor of gentle touches and their use for therapeutic purposes.

Healing Basic Instinct

Intimate relationships were also recognized by ancient healers as an effective anti-aging agent. An indication of this can be found in drawings relating to the civilizations of India, the Middle East and China that existed more than 2,000 years ago, as well as in classic treatises on love, such as Plato's Phaedrus and Feast (4th century BC). .), "The Art of Love" by Ovid (I - century), the Indian "Kama Sutra" (III-IV centuries), "Necklace of the Dove" by Ibn Hazm (II century) and others.

They not only contain information about the technique of love contacts, but primarily focus on the rejuvenating effect of sexual relations. This is also indicated by the works of ancient physicians of antiquity, in particular Hippocrates and Avicenna.

Burn the black dragon

In the Middle Ages, alchemists were engaged in theories of rejuvenation. Their ideas were based on the works of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, according to which all objects and living beings in the Universe in different proportions consist of four elements: fire, air, earth and water. Immortality, according to Aristotle, can give the yet unknown fifth element - the quintessence.

The main goal of the alchemists was the search for such an element, also called the philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality. At the same time, scientists of the Middle Ages believed that, in addition to giving eternal life, the philosopher's stone could turn lead or iron into gold and silver, that is, they drew a parallel between the chemical changes in metals and the rejuvenation of the human body - since, in their opinion, metals grow in the womb of the Earth in exactly the same way. like a child growing in a mother's womb.

The main material with which scientists worked in the Middle Ages was mercury. Being both a metal and a liquid, it was perceived as a kind of ideal substance, from which, with the addition of sulfur, other metals can be obtained and, most importantly, the philosopher's stone, which grants immortality.

The recipe of the English alchemist George Ripley (XV - century), published in his "Book of Twelve Gates", said that to obtain the elixir of eternal life, mercury should be heated and evaporated in a solution of grape alcohol until it turns into a solid, and then distilled in a clay retort . Then a black dragon will appear inside the retort, which should be ground on a stone and burned, and the combustion products should be distilled again. The result will be a substance similar to human blood - this is the drink that gives longevity.

Gold could also be a component of a magical elixir, because it is not subject to chemical changes, which means, according to the logic of alchemists, it personifies immortality.

A recipe compiled by the personal physician of Pope Boniface VIII (XIII - century) has been preserved: take gold, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones mixed in crushed form, ivory, sandalwood, deer heart, aloe root, musk and amber.

Plus 60 years is not the limit?

The reader is probably wondering: did the recipes of medieval alchemists help someone? What do we know about the long-livers of those times?

In church books there is a mention of Bishop Allen de Lisle, who died in 1278. It is claimed that he knew the composition of the elixir of immortality - or at least a significant life extension. When he was already dying of old age at an advanced age, taking this elixir helped him extend his life by another 60 years.

The famous philosopher Roger Bacon, in one of his writings, spoke about a man named Papalius, who spent many years in captivity with the Saracens and there he learned the secret of making a magic potion, taking which he lived to be 500 years old.

As you can see, in ancient historical documents there are often references to the elixirs of eternal youth. On the one hand, the effectiveness of such drugs seems unlikely. But we must not forget that it was alchemy that became the ancestor of modern pharmacology. Many scientists argue that the human body is designed for a much longer life span - and the fact that people are not yet able to take advantage of this may indicate the loss of recipes for longevity, which nevertheless were discovered, but have not reached our days.

It always seemed to a person that the period of life allotted to him was too short. Many have tried to fix things, looking for ways to prolong life or even make it infinite. Some have almost succeeded...

"Mahabharata" - the epic of Ancient India - tells about the juice of some mysterious tree, prolonging a person's life up to ten thousand years. But where exactly to look for him, and remained a mystery. Ancient Greek historians also knew about the “tree of life”, however, they already claimed that it was not juice, but the fruits of some overseas tree that could restore youth to a person, but not give immortality. Russian epics sing of "living water", the source of which was in the middle of the ocean on the island of Buyan. But no one has ever found either the "tree of life" or the source of "living water".

Nevertheless, the search for the means of eternal life continued. When Christopher Columbus discovered unknown new lands in the West in Atlantic Ocean, hopes of finding, finally, the source of immortality were also transferred there. Some even believed that he had already been found, and gave the exact coordinates. Thus, the Italian humanist Pedro Martyr, a close acquaintance of Columbus, wrote to Pope Leo X:

“To the north of Hispaniola, among other islands, there is one island at a distance of three hundred and twenty miles from it, as those who found it say. On the island there is an inexhaustible spring of flowing water of such miraculous properties that an old man who drinks it, while observing a certain diet, after a while will turn into a young man. I beg Your Holiness, do not think that I say this out of frivolity or at random: this rumor has really established itself at court as an undoubted truth, and not only the common people, but many of those who stand above the crowd in their intelligence or wealth, too believe him."

It is not known how many expeditions went in search of mysterious island with its magical source. It is only known that as a result of one of these expeditions, America was once again discovered: a noble Spanish nobleman, in search of “living water”, reached the New World and, believing that there was another island in front of him, dubbed the land Florida (“blooming”). But he still didn't get immortality.

But today it is no longer from fairy tales, but from the results of scientific research that water really affects the life expectancy and health of people. The human body is seventy percent water, and he is by no means indifferent to what kind of water nourishes his tissues. The inhabitants of some Caribbean islands look much younger than their European peers and explain this phenomenon rather casually:

We have such water from springs on the island that rejuvenates a person.

Inhabitants central regions Sri Lankas have excellent health and also look younger than their years - due to the climate and water from mountain sources. Many highlanders surprise with their longevity and excellent physical condition. So the search for the elixir of immortality is not as hopeless as it might seem. Man, of course, will not cease to be mortal, but he is quite capable of living twice as long as he lives now. In any case, our skeleton has a "margin of safety" for one hundred and twenty years of active (!) Life, so there is clearly an unused natural reserve.

But back to the search for the elixir of immortality. In addition to magic water, there were many "man-made" recipes. Only those that clearly did not give the desired result have reached us. For if someone ever managed to create such an elixir, its recipe, of course, was kept in the deepest secret. How would you like this tool:

“You need to take a toad that has lived for ten thousand years, and a bat that has lived for a thousand years, dry them in the shade, grind them into powder and take them.”

Everything would be fine, but how to find out the date of their birth from cute little animals? This is not mentioned in the recipe.

In general, information about the successes that people have achieved in the search for immortality is scattered and unconvincing. It is known more or less reliably about two people who died already in our century, having lived a very long life. This is a Chinese who died in 1936 at the age of ... 246 (according to official documents), and an Indian who died in 1956 at the age of 186. An Indian at the age of fifty retired to the Himalayas, where he took up yoga. Apparently, a combination of special exercises, diet and some other means made it possible to significantly lengthen the life span allotted to him. You can believe these two facts, you can not believe it, but for all the fantastic nature of such phenomena, we are not talking about immortality. And the search for it did not stop and does not stop: there are always people who are ready to devote years, decades, all their lives to them ...

One of these people was Alexander Cagliostro. In addition to the mystery of its origin and unknown source of great wealth, Count Cagliostro had an exciting secret:

"They say wrote one of his contemporaries. - Cagliostro discovered the secret of making the elixir of life. His young-looking and charming wife is already over forty years old, and, according to her, the count has the secret of returning youth.

This mysterious person visited Russia. In St. Petersburg, his appearance made a splash. And the story of the failed duel with the court physician Roberts added new brilliance to his name. Annoyed by Roberts' attempts to denigrate him in the eyes of the court, Cagliostro offered him an original duel - "on poisons." Both opponents had to drink the poison prepared by the other, and then take any antidote. The count insisted, but the frightened doctor flatly refused: too persistent rumors that Cagliostro had the secret of the elixir of immortality circulated around the capital.

Alas, these were just rumors. Cagliostro was captured by the Inquisition and died in its dungeons. All his personal papers were burned, and only a copy of one note taken in the Vatican miraculously survived. It describes the process of "regeneration", or the return of youth:

“After taking two grains of the drug, a person loses consciousness and speechlessness for three whole days, during which he often experiences seizures and convulsions, and perspiration appears on his body. Waking up from this state, in which, however, he does not experience the slightest pain, on the thirty-sixth day he must take the third, and last, grain, after which he falls into a deep and calm sleep. During sleep, the skin slides off it, teeth and hair fall out. They all grow back within a few hours. On the morning of the fortieth day, the patient leaves the room, becoming a new person, having experienced complete rejuvenation.

Everything would be fine, but the recipe for the drug has not been preserved. And - was he at all?

The interrogation protocols of Cagliostro preserved curious information about another mysterious person - Count Saint-Germain. Cagliostro claimed to have seen a vessel in which the count keeps ... the elixir of immortality. They did not believe him: Count Saint-Germain died ten years before the death of Cagliostro himself, in 1784. But then strange things began to happen.

The count appeared in Paris in 1750, not only having no past, but even no plausible history of it. However, he preferred not to talk about himself at all, only sometimes - either on purpose or by accident - he let slip about his conversations with Plato or Seneca or one of the apostles. Of course, they did not believe him too much, but ... When someone asked the earl's coachman whether it was true that his master was four hundred years old, he answered ingenuously:

I do not know exactly. But in the one hundred and thirty years that I have served my master, his lordship has not changed a bit.

Of course, the coachman could be trained. But how to explain the fact that elderly aristocrats in best houses did you recognize in Saint-Germain a man who visited their grandmothers' salons half a century ago? Moreover, the elderly matrons swore that he had not changed a bit during this time. Moreover, if we compare the descriptions of people who knew the count well at different times, it turns out that he was seen in England, known in Holland, remembered in Italy. He changed names and titles - the Marquis of Montfert, the Comte de Bellamy, and a dozen others. And just as suddenly as he appeared, the Comte Saint-Germain disappeared from Paris and arose in Holstein. From there came the news of his death. But none of the tombstones in the vicinity of his castle bear the name of Saint-Germain. But it is on the list of Freemasons, whose meeting took place in Paris a year after the "death" of Saint-Germain. It is authentically known that three years later the French envoy in Venice saw the count, and not only saw, but also talked with him for a long time. And two years later, Saint-Germain ended up in one of the prisons where the revolutionaries kept aristocrats. Then traces of him were lost. Died on the guillotine, like many in those years? It turned out not.

Thirty years after the "imaginary death" of the count, on the sidelines of the Congress of Vienna, he was met by an old, kind friend - Madame de Genlis. He did not change a bit, but he tried not to drag out the unexpected meeting, and the very next day he disappeared from Vienna as mysteriously as he had in his time from Paris. Fifteen years later, when almost no one who knew Saint-Germain personally was left alive, the count reappeared in Paris under the name of Major Fraser. He posed as an Englishman, had unlimited funds of unknown origin, but lived rather closed. He was recognized by an elderly dignitary who miraculously survived the revolution, exile and everything connected with them. I recognized it, but unlike Madame de Genlis, he did not share this discovery with anyone, but tried to get close to "Major Fraser", since his years had changed beyond recognition.

The acquaintance took place, and the dignitary gradually learned that his interlocutor was well aware of everything that happened at the French court ... two hundred years ago. He spoke with such details that could not be read anywhere else. Even when he spoke about very distant times and distant countries, one got the impression that he was really present there and then. The old dignitary could not stand it, he mentioned that at one time he met with such a person as the great Saint-Germain. His interlocutor just shrugged his shoulders and started talking about something else, but ... the next day he disappeared from Paris.

Then he was allegedly seen there already in the mid-thirties of our century. But since there was no one personally acquainted with the count, these reports can hardly be considered reliable. Although if we take it as an axiom that he really invented the elixir of immortality, then his behavior seems quite logical. Wanting to keep his secret, he had to either move from place to place and change names, or fake his death and continue to live under a different name. Otherwise, he would not have rest from those who are eager to penetrate his secret.

By the way, there is another person who has achieved immortality, but not with the help of the elixir, but in a completely different way. According to legend, when Jesus Christ was led to the place of execution, he wanted to lean against the wall of one of the houses for a minute to rest. But the owner of the house did not allow him to do so.

Go, go! Nothing to rest, - he allegedly shouted.

Christ parted his parched lips:

Good. But you, too, will go all your life. You will wander forever, and you will never have peace or death ...

The owner of the house was called Ahasuerus. But he is better known under the nickname "Eternal Jew", and there are several interesting testimonies about him. future fate. In 1223 he was met at the Spanish court by the Italian astrologer Guido Bonnati. Five years later, he was mentioned in one of the papers of an English abbey visited by the archbishop of Armenia. The archbishop, according to him, was personally acquainted with Ahasuerus, talked with him more than once and was absolutely sure that it was this man who had been cursed by Christ. In 1242, Ahasuerus appeared in France, and then disappeared for two and a half centuries.

In 1505 he was seen in Bohemia, and in 1547 in Hamburg. Bishop Paul von Eytheen met him there, who in his notes mentions that this man spoke all languages without the slightest accent, led a secluded and ascetic life, and had no property. If he was given money, he immediately distributed it to the poor. In 1575, Ahasuerus appeared in Spain, in 1599 - in Vienna. From there he intended to go to Poland and then to Moscow. And there is vague evidence that he really visited Moscow and talked to some people. But his appearance in the German city of Lübeck in 1603 is more than documented - an entry in the city chronicle made by the burgomaster, historian and theologian in Latin:

“Last year, on January 14, a famous immortal Jew appeared in Lübeck, whom Christ, going to be crucified, doomed to redemption.”

Mentions about this mysterious personality met at a later time. The last one is dated 1830. You can believe it, you can reject it. And you can take the point of view of one medieval doctor who wrote:

“There is nothing that could save the mortal body from death, but there is something that can postpone death, restore youth and prolong the short human life.”

Modern science is also looking for the elixir of immortality. But, first of all, scientists have found that a human cell has a strictly defined life span - 50 divisions. The only difference is how fast this process takes place. For someone it takes sixty years, for someone it takes more than a hundred. But after that, the cell dies, and all attempts by scientists to increase the number of divisions were unsuccessful. And the experimenters chose a different path - cell rejuvenation. Some manage to achieve a positive effect, but no one has yet found the elixir. Although there are interesting results of experiments on mice.

The introduction of industrial preservatives into the mouse body, those that prevent spoilage of the oil, lengthened the life of the animals by almost one and a half times. Reducing his diet by a third lengthened his life by half. And a special diet generally rejuvenated the caudates: two-year-old individuals, that is, old men, began to behave like three-month-old youths. However, everyone knows that you need to eat right. Although not everyone does it ... for some reason. Yes, and so the man is arranged that he prefers to dream of a miraculous drug of instant action: he slammed a glass - and again he is healthy and young.

But in fact, if someone had achieved immortality, then sooner or later he would have to ask himself the question - why live an endless life? Even the most exquisite pleasures become boring, even the most favorite activities can get boring. Yes, and immortality itself can be abandoned, as did, according to legend, the wisest of the wise - King Solomon. When he was offered the elixir of immortality, he refused to accept it, because he did not want to outlive those who were close to him and whom he loved...

There is, after all, such a view of immortality.

Nevertheless, the search for the means of eternal life continued. When Christopher Columbus discovered unknown new lands in the West in the Atlantic Ocean, hopes of finally finding the source of immortality were also transferred there. Some even believed that he had already been found, and gave the exact coordinates. Thus, the Italian humanist Pedro Martyr, a close acquaintance of Columbus, wrote to Pope Leo X:

It is not known how many expeditions went in search of the mysterious island with its magical source. It is only known that as a result of one of these expeditions, America was once again discovered: a noble Spanish nobleman, in search of “living water”, reached the New World and, believing that there was another island in front of him, dubbed the land Florida (“blooming”). But he still didn't get immortality.

We have such water from springs on the island that rejuvenates a person.

The inhabitants of the central regions of Sri Lanka have excellent health and also look younger than their years - due to the climate and water from mountain sources. Many highlanders surprise with their longevity and excellent physical condition. So the search for the elixir of immortality is not as hopeless as it might seem. Man, of course, will not cease to be mortal, but he is quite capable of living twice as long as he lives now. In any case, our skeleton has a "margin of safety" for one hundred and twenty years of active (!) Life, so there is clearly an unused natural reserve.

“You need to take a toad that has lived for ten thousand years, and a bat that has lived for a thousand years, dry them in the shade, grind them into powder and take them.”

Everything would be fine, but how to find out the date of their birth from cute little animals? This is not mentioned in the recipe.

One of these people was Alexander Cagliostro. In addition to the mystery of his origin and the unknown source of his enormous wealth, Count Cagliostro had a disturbing secret:

“They say,” wrote one of his contemporaries. - Cagliostro discovered the secret of making the elixir of life. His young-looking and charming wife is already over forty years old, and, according to her, the count has the secret of returning youth.

This mysterious man also visited Russia. In St. Petersburg, his appearance made a splash. And the story of the failed duel with the court physician Roberts added new brilliance to his name. Annoyed by Roberts' attempts to denigrate him in the eyes of the court, Cagliostro offered him an original duel - "on poisons." Both opponents had to drink the poison prepared by the other, and then take any antidote. The count insisted, but the frightened doctor flatly refused: too persistent rumors that Cagliostro had the secret of the elixir of immortality circulated around the capital.

Everything would be fine, but the recipe for the drug has not been preserved. And - was he at all?

I do not know exactly. But in the one hundred and thirty years that I have served my master, his lordship has not changed a bit.

Of course, the coachman could be trained. But how to explain the fact that elderly aristocrats in the best houses recognized in Saint-Germain a man who visited their grandmothers' salons half a century ago? Moreover, the elderly matrons swore that he had not changed a bit during this time. Moreover, if we compare the descriptions of people who knew the count well at different times, it turns out that he was seen in England, known in Holland, remembered in Italy. He changed names and titles - the Marquis of Montfert, the Comte de Bellamy, and a dozen others. And just as suddenly as he appeared, the Comte Saint-Germain disappeared from Paris and arose in Holstein. From there came the news of his death. But none of the tombstones in the vicinity of his castle bear the name of Saint-Germain. But it is on the list of Freemasons, whose meeting took place in Paris a year after the "death" of Saint-Germain. It is authentically known that three years later the French envoy in Venice saw the count, and not only saw, but also talked with him for a long time. And two years later, Saint-Germain ended up in one of the prisons where the revolutionaries kept aristocrats. Then traces of him were lost. Died on the guillotine, like many in those years? It turned out not.

There is, by the way, another person who has achieved immortality, but not with the help of an elixir, but in a completely different way. According to legend, when Jesus Christ was led to the place of execution, he wanted to lean against the wall of one of the houses for a minute to rest. But the owner of the house did not allow him to do so.

Go, go! Nothing to rest, - he allegedly shouted.

Christ parted his parched lips:

Good. But you, too, will go all your life. You will wander forever, and you will never have peace or death ...

The owner of the house was called Ahasuerus. But he is better known under the nickname "Eternal Jew", and there are several interesting testimonies about his future fate. In 1223 he was met at the Spanish court by the Italian astrologer Guido Bonnati. Five years later, he was mentioned in one of the papers of an English abbey visited by the archbishop of Armenia. The archbishop, according to him, was personally acquainted with Ahasuerus, talked with him more than once and was absolutely sure that it was this man who had been cursed by Christ. In 1242, Ahasuerus appeared in France, and then disappeared for two and a half centuries.

“Last year, on January 14, a famous immortal Jew appeared in Lübeck, whom Christ, going to be crucified, doomed to redemption.”

Mentions of this mysterious person were also found at a later time. The last one is dated 1830. You can believe it, you can reject it. And you can take the point of view of one medieval doctor who wrote:

“There is nothing that could save the mortal body from death, but there is something that can postpone death, restore youth and prolong the short human life.”

There is, after all, such a view of immortality.

The head of the expedition and the African elixir of eternal life. Elixir of immortality or recipes of medieval alchemists

More complex recipes follow. requiring some effort to prepare them

More complex recipes follow.
requiring some effort to prepare them