Mahdihassan S
Am J Chin Med. 1984 Summer;12(1-4):32-42. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X84000039.
There had been a long use of Simples as drugs of longevity. Among these red substances predominated, red ochre and cinnabar as minerals, ephedra bearing red berries and pomegranate and peach as vegetable products. In China herbalism became a cult of longevity with its legendary founder as Emperor Shen Nung and with the god of longevity finally emerging from the peach as Shou-Sing. To excell simple drugs of longevity the first synthetic drug was prepared as brick red colloidal gold. It was called Chin-I. Gold-cum-herbal juice. Dialectally it was pronounced Kim-Iya, whence Alkimiya in Arabic, and finally alchemy. Chin-I was Herbo-golden drug and also gold-making-juice, a miraculous substance. But it was not blood-red. Now came Chin-Tan, Cinnabar-gold, red like blood. Its redness equalled blood and as such was soul, gold as its acceptor had an everlasting body. Chin-Tan was designed as the ideal drug of longevity. Alchemy started by making red gold but degenerated, trying to make bullion gold.
草药作为延年益寿的药物由来已久。其中红色物质占主导地位，如作为矿物的赤铁矿和朱砂，结红色浆果的麻黄以及作为植物产品的石榴和桃子。在中国，草药学成为了一种长寿崇拜，其传奇创始人是神农氏，最终长寿之神从桃子中诞生，即寿星。为了超越简单的长寿药物，第一种合成药物被制成砖红色胶态金。它被称为“金液”。金与草药汁的结合。方言发音为“Kim-Iya”，由此演变为阿拉伯语中的“Alkimiya”，最终成为“炼金术”。“金液”是草药金药，也是造金汁，是一种神奇的物质。但它不是血红色的。现在出现了“金丹”，朱砂金，红如血。它的红色等同于血液，因此是灵魂，作为接受者的金有不朽的身体。“金丹”被设计为理想的长寿药物。炼金术始于制造红色黄金，但后来堕落了，试图制造纯金。
