Elixir of eternal life. Alchemy, the philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality. Well, in the meantime, scientists are studying and testing a new, untested technology; long-livers of the Caucasus are sharing their secrets, already proven over centuries

“I consider death before 150 years of age to be violent,” wrote academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov a century ago.

Photo:Wikipedia.org

Recent scientific research has shown that human DNA is designed for 440 years of reproduction. It turns out that this is the theoretical limit of life. And how can one not remember the legends and stories about 500-year-old Tibetan elders. Perhaps these are not myths at all.

For example, dozens of facts have been documented when new teeth begin to grow in people aged about 100 years. Here are just a few of them:

• Marya Tsapovalova was living in the Rehabilitation Center for the Elderly in Sochi when new teeth began to grow in her. Maria Andreevna was almost 100 years old at that time.
• The Iranian Bahram Ismailia began to cut his new roots at the age of 128 years.
• The doctors were also surprised by a resident of Tatarstan, Marya Vasilyeva. A long-liver from a small village became the owner of such unexpected teeth at the age of 104.

Dentists cannot explain this phenomenon in any way; they just shrug their shoulders and say it’s a phenomenon or an anomaly.

However, anthropologists have a version. They believe that old age is the stage of development of the body when self-renewal is observed. The luminaries of human science claim that the normal life expectancy of homo sapiens is 200 years, and cases of teeth renewal in old age are just another confirmation of the amazing reserves of the human body.

The search for the elixir of immortality, or at least longevity, has been going on for millennia. There are hundreds of recipes for “miracle potions” of varying degrees of delusion. And the victims of alchemists, false scientists and outright charlatans are innumerable.

• Find the Holy Grail. Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail to the site of Christ's crucifixion and collected blood from the wounds of the dying Jesus into it. The blood of Christ placed in the Holy Grail gives immortality.
• According to some Chinese beliefs, the elixir of life is easily prepared from the entrails of a turtle.
• In antiquity, the breath of virgins was considered a sure way to prolong youth. Some kings, in order to envelop themselves in such a breath, surrounded themselves in bed with young concubines.
• In 1610, Hungarian Countess Elzsbeth Bathory took “rejuvenating” baths from the blood of murdered young girls. For which she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Perhaps the only method of life extension that has truly proven its effectiveness was proposed by the biologist Ilya Mechnikov; it involves the consumption of fermented milk products that inhibit the activity of putrefactive bacteria, and this is one of the few effective ways to somewhat extend life.

Photo:Randomfilms. ru

But it turns out that the elixir of “eternal” youth already exists! Since 2005! And it was created by Russian scientists!

“Death is inevitable, but growing old is no longer necessary,” said the famous Soviet and Russian scientist Vladimir Skulachev, biochemist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The researcher has devoted the last 20 years to gerontology, the study of aging. And the scientist has already made some progress. A unique substance has been created that can increase the lifespan of mice.

“People should die not from old age, but from other reasons. Thousands of scientists have studied immortality throughout human history. They all have one thing in common - they all died. We will live much longer. We will look young if we stop the aging program in time. Today, before the age of 60, people die from causes independent of age. This is not suicide by aging program. But then the work of the aging program begins. We have proven that such a program exists. The task of pharmaceuticals is to find a substance that will stop it. We managed to synthesize such a substance in 2005. We started trying it... First on mice, then we tried it on fruit flies, then on crustaceans, on mushrooms, on plants. In all cases, there is a significant increase in life. From a young age we fed mice and rats this substance and watched what would happen to them. All the mice and rats that we fed this substance had an extended period of youth. Substances of this type have not yet appeared in world pharmaceuticals, so it is difficult to judge contraindications and other related circumstances. Literally nothing is known yet,” Skulachev said in an interview with our colleagues.

Well, while the new, untested technology is being studied and tested by scientists, the long-livers of the Caucasus are sharing their secrets, already proven over centuries.

Dagestani Paizulla Isaev plans to live to be 250 years old. This is not a joke, he assures. The pensioner is convinced that he will be able to become the oldest person on the planet. A Caucasian aksakal allegedly revealed the secret of longevity.

At eighty-one, Paizulla Isaevich will give a head start to even forty-year-olds. He studied the works of Russian doctors and chemists, and studied American and British scientific works. And he even wrote down his method of slow aging in a thick book. We have squeezed out the most basic theses from this work.

• Seaside or mountain air. Here the pensioner is doubly lucky - he lives on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the nearest mountains are just a stone's throw away.
• Proper nutrition. The pensioner's diet includes only fruits, vegetables and selected meat. No white bread or sugar. Products are only natural.
• Absolutely clean water.“Deuterium-free monomolecular” - to put it simply, melted. Isaev freezes ordinary tap water. The resulting ice is then cleared of the top layer. According to Paizulla, all the “extra” chemical elements are collected there. Then the ice blocks should melt on the silicon stones. This is the only water the family of a potential centenarian drinks.
• Moderate physical activity. Isaev meets every sunrise on the seashore. Walking on sand and rocks barefoot is very useful, says the pensioner. And of course, we must not forget about morning exercises. The main thing is to stretch the spine and all joints. The elder developed his own unique exercises for the body.
• Positive emotional attitude. The absence of stress and complete confidence in your strengths and capabilities will definitely help you live a long and happy life.

But a 121-year-old aksakal from Ingushetia assures that genes play the main role in longevity. Three years ago, Appaz Iliev was recognized as the oldest person in Russia. Born in 1896. That is, in the century before last. He witnessed the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. It is interesting that the passport does not have an exact date with the day and month. The fact is that in those ancient times they only remembered the year of birth.

“They told me that I was born when they finished planting corn. Previously, we counted time this way,” says the elder.

The old man's health is excellent. Just a couple of years ago, Appaz Lorsovich was working in the field. Without difficulty, he mowed the grass, looked after the cattle and even rode a horse. Grandfather has 10 sons and daughters and more than 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Appaz Iliev has led an absolutely healthy lifestyle since childhood. I never smoked, drank alcohol, or neglected physical education in my life. The grandfather eats only fresh and natural products grown in his own garden.

“I eat fruits from the garden, vegetables from the garden, I love dishes made from corn flour. Dairy products and meat are also our own,” shares the pensioner.

Appaz Lorsovich did not set himself such goals as: “become a long-liver”, “see three centuries”, “see the flourishing of Russia”... Everything turned out by itself, the years passed, age increased, health remained excellent. It was then that Iliev realized that it was all about genetic heritage. The fact is that the father of the now living old man lived to be 100 years old, and the grandfather of Appaz Lorsovich died at the age of 120 years.

117-year-old grandmother Alimat Mislimova amazes not only with her age, but also with her good spirits, hard work, tirelessness and almost perfect health. Attention! She easily, without glasses, threads the thread into the eye of the needle. I didn't believe it until I saw it myself. Therefore, watch the video and applaud!

Video: Channel Five

The elderly mountain woman clearly does not look her age. She herself says that healthy food and mountain air are the key to good health. Alimat's husband was a shepherd, so they only had organic products on the table. The centenarian herself devoted herself entirely to her children and grandchildren. She raised 4 generations of the family: 10 children, 30 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

Grandma often gets bored. The young people are at work, everyone is busy with their own affairs. Alimat Mislimova is engaged in needlework. He knits socks and oven mitts, which he then gives to his numerous relatives. The 117-year-old pensioner admits that there is no secret to longevity.

“Everything is in the hands of the Almighty and only he will decide when my life’s journey will end,” says the mountain woman.

By the way, it is women who lead the oldest people in the world! Here are his first 5 lines:

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Zhanna Kalman, 122 years, 164 days

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Sarah Knauss, 119 years, 97 days

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Lucy Hannah, 117 years, 248 days

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Maria Louise Meyer, 117 years, 230 days

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Emma Morano, 117 years, 137 days

It seems strange that there is not a single Russian on the list of the 100 oldest centenarians in world history. But the compilers of the rating emphasize that only “verified” individuals were considered. We need proof. Documentary. And a lot. Our elders only have a passport in their hands with the signature of an employee of the local passport office.

I know some of the long-livers of the Caucasus personally - as a reporter I did stories about them for television. Naturally, I also wouldn’t mind living to be 100, or even 150 years old. When communicating with older people, you understand that the key to excellent health is partly in nutrition and clean air. Of course, hereditary factors are also important. And yet, it seems, the main thing worth paying attention to is the philosophy of centenarians. Almost all of them try not to leave a state of emotional calm. They are not bothered by depression and stress. Elders are highly respected. Aksakals are wise and prudent. Young people come to pensioners for advice, they are listened to. Caucasians live leisurely lives, slowly enjoying every day they live. Maybe this is the whole secret?

Murad Magomedov

Historical site Bagheera - secrets of history, mysteries of the universe. Mysteries of great empires and ancient civilizations, the fate of disappeared treasures and biographies of people who changed the world, secrets of special services. The history of wars, mysteries of battles and battles, reconnaissance operations of the past and present. World traditions, modern life Russia, the mysteries of the USSR, the main directions of culture and other related topics - everything that official history is silent about.

Study the secrets of history - it's interesting...

Currently reading

In the winter of 1786, a tramp detained while crossing the Polish-Russian border was brought to the ruler of the Kyiv governorship. He called himself Vasily Baranshchikov and told an incredible story.

If the astronauts had not returned to Earth, the American government would have done everything to prevent the world from seeing the disaster that broke out in space...

By the early 1990s, the products produced by the automobile plant, which then proudly bore the name of the Lenin Komsomol (AZLK), ceased to meet the requirements of the time, both in aesthetic terms and in technical equipment. The enterprise, which for many years was one of the flagships of the Soviet Union, was steadily losing ground. It was necessary to put on the assembly line a new car that would meet modern fashion and technology. It was supposed to be the Moskvich-2143 Yauza, which designers and engineers called among themselves “a project for tomorrow.”

Millions of years ago, our distant ancestors came down from the trees. Then they were inferior to animals in almost everything. They did not have long claws, sharp teeth, or strong hooves, but they knew how to change the objects around them, creating devices for work, devices for defense and attack. What were the weapons of the Stone Age? And were ancient technologies really that primitive?

Since the founding of the state in Rus', a huge number of rulers have changed. We remember some of the brightest and most distinguished from school - Prince Vladimir, Ivan the Terrible, Peter I, Catherine II, others we heard something about somewhere - such as, for example, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, Alexander I or Peter III. Most of the names of Russian monarchs don’t tell us anything at all. But each of them is famous for something and left their mark on history! To fill this gap, we decided to prepare a series of articles and talk about each ruler of Rus', starting from ancient times. So now, having heard the phrase from the famous film “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession,” you can competently exclaim: “We know these Rurikovichs!”

Zaire, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is not only the largest, but also the richest natural resources African country: oil and gas fields, uranium, gold and silver mines, deposits of rare metals, unique climate, allowing you to harvest four crops per year. But she is still torn apart by internal conflicts. Some blame the dictator Mobuto Sese Seko, others curse the former white masters - the Belgians, while others believe that the country was plunged into chaos by revolutionaries who tried to push the Congolese towards the communist path of development in the mid-1960s.

There was a time when the name of Sergei Utochkin did not leave the pages of newspapers and magazines. The popularity of this bright red-haired, freckled stutterer could be the envy of any, even the most famous artist. “His whole life was colorful, active and brilliant in its own way,” wrote Alexander Kuprin. Utochkin showed himself in many sports, but most of all he became famous as an aviator.

Although the Lord said: “Thou shalt not kill,” people have killed at all times, and they were also proud of the effective murder weapons created in their country. In Russia, these were a three-line rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but among the Americans, perhaps the most famous weapon was the Oliver Winchester carbine, the famous “yellow guy,” or “yellow guy.” Many (and quite rightly!) consider it “the weapon that conquered the Wild West.”

Onah-Taoists set as their goal unification with the fundamental principle of the world, Tao, and achieving immortality. For this purpose, special exercises and meditations were used, as well as the “golden elixir” kin-tan, the recipe for which the Taoists were able to obtain from the mysterious inhabitants eastern islands. Legend has it that the “golden elixir” included 999 components, including cinnabar, arsenic, crushed diamond, virgin sperm, mummy, incense, musk, “demon tears” (it is unknown what was meant by this name), etc. . Organic components were dissolved in water obtained from melting ice delivered from the highest mountain peaks. The mixture underwent 999 transformations over nine years. Only a person prepared with special exercises could be affected by kin-tan; for everyone else, the drink turned out to be poison. To become immortal, one had to renounce worldly desires, wealth and power. Therefore, the emperors had a choice - to remain on the throne or give up power and become immortal. A person who drank the drink turned into a crane and flew to the happy islands, where he became one of the immortal geniuses.

In one of the Taoist monasteries lived the elder Sun Ming, whose age exceeded five hundred years. It was he who visited the happy islands and learned there the recipe for the drink of immortality. If the Taoist had stayed with the geniuses, he would have gained eternal life, but Sun Ming chose to accomplish the feat and returned to China to tell the secret of the “golden elixir” to the Taoist monks. As a result, the hero lived for a very long time, but not forever.

During the Tang Dynasty in question, Sun Ming was already deaf and blind, had difficulty speaking and could not tell anything about the life of geniuses on the mysterious eastern islands.

History has not brought to us a single name of a representative of the imperial family who renounced the throne and gained immortality. The Taoists did not always enjoy the patronage of the Chinese authorities. Over time, they closed themselves off in their communities and revealed the recipe for kin-tan only to the initiated. Many tried to find out the secret of the drink from the monks. Before World War II, Hitler sent emissaries to Tibet; What they were doing there is still not completely clear; perhaps they were looking for a recipe for a magical elixir.

In the mid-70s, reports appeared in the press about two Frenchmen who set out to find out an ancient secret. They went to one of the remote Chinese monasteries and kidnapped a monk. The adventurers decided to torture the Taoist to find out the recipe for the “golden elixir.” He chose to die, but did not betray the memory of Sun Ming. A few months later, the French were found dead in a hotel in Shanghai. They died in terrible agony, poisoned by a poison of unknown origin. Nearby they found a golden bottle with traces of a liquid with a strong odor. Perhaps the rogues stole an elixir made in one of the monasteries and drank it, not knowing that for an unprepared person it would turn out to be poison. Chinese authorities they were not particularly zealous in finding out the causes of death of foreigners, and the golden vessel disappeared during the investigation.

Now in Chinese People's Republic There is an Association of Taoist Believers. Perhaps its members know the secret of the drink of immortality.
The secret of the order's healers


Chronicles tell how, to maintain strength, the crusaders ground amber, mixed the powder with wine and drank. Later, in 1525, the Master of the Crusader Order gave the famous church reformer Martin LUTHER, who suffered from cholelithiasis, a spoon carved from “white amber.” One of the leaders of the Kaliningrad Institute of Amber and Regional Resources, Sergei PETROV, is convinced that back in the 12th century, medieval doctors guessed that amber activates metabolic processes in the body with a sharp increase in the release of cellular energy and has a bactericidal effect. In Germany, a variety of varnishes and succinic acid were obtained from centuries-old resin. It is no coincidence that at one time there was a law in the country according to which a person caught stealing amber from quarries was to be executed by hanging.
Laboratory as a front line



One must think that the Teutonic chronicles in late XIX centuries were carefully studied by German doctors. In any case, even before the start of the First World War, pharmacies in Germany were briskly selling the Lammerwein drink. This healing potion, in which succinic acid (succinate) was dissolved in a special way, was considered almost an elixir of immortality. However, after Hitler came to power, the Nazi intelligence services paid attention to the stimulating properties of succinic acid and classified all work in this area. The fact is that in the 30s of the last century, German science worked almost entirely for military needs. In particular, doctors were looking for means that would dramatically increase the endurance of soldiers. By the way, in the USSR such a cola-based drug was obtained by 1943 and made it possible to maintain high performance around the clock by taking a special half-gram tablet once every 4 hours. However, it was not recommended to take such drugs for more than 36 hours.

Researchers of the Third Reich worked in a different direction. In particular, they gave up caffeine-based substances, which first invigorate and then make them depressed. We were looking for a physiological, natural remedy for the human body and settled on succinic acid. Soldiers who took the new drug became stronger, more resilient, and acquired a “truly Aryan fighting spirit.” Succinic acid increased the oxidation of fatty acids and carbohydrates, increasing the body's resistance to stress: physical, chemical, biological. The whole thing was spoiled only by a small nuance - banal diarrhea, which, after taking the pills, engulfed true Aryans.

However, this misfortune was easily overcome, but the Germans were prevented from completing the work by the surrender of the Reich in May 1945.
Research during the Cold War
During the Cold War between the United States and Russia, scientists persistently searched for secrets eternal life.Some of them managed to achieve results. However, they were faced with the fact that, as it turns out, this is a rather dangerous activity. Those scientists who approached the solution to the secret of life faced inevitable death. One by one, scientists died in different situations. Some of them from heart attacks, some were killed. Someone really didn’t want the elixir of immortality to be officially found, perhaps the one who possessed it. All research, work, and records of scientists were destroyed or simply disappeared.
Nowadays, everything is becoming quite transparent and we see that the Illuminati, the world rulers, are slowing down the development, standard of living and population on Earth. They may be right in their thinking, but they have no right to act against humanity.
Let us understand what will happen if the elixir of immortality appears.
1. In 20 years, there will be 60% fewer old people on the planet, but there will also be fewer young people. But a large number of middle-aged people will appear.
2.

The number of rich people will increase. Accordingly, the working class will stop disappearing. There will be no one to work. This will lead to famine, crisis, wars.
3. The number of people on the planet will begin to grow uncontrollably. How much can our mother Earth feed? Again, famine, wars. An increase in food production will be required. An increase in production by several thousand percent will completely destroy the ecology of the planet. It is unlikely that our planet will last even a hundred years with this population. The ozone layer will be destroyed, and the Earth will turn into a second Mars.
4. Increasing the number of smart people. Nobody needs smart people. Good workers are needed. The ratio of bosses to workers cannot be 10 to 1.
5. The resources on the planet will run out, and humanity may turn into “nomadic gypsies” who, like locusts, in space will look for scraps of minerals and shelter for a normal life.
There are quite a lot of examples that can be given, but I think the main meaning is conveyed.

The elixir of immortality has existed for a long time. It is owned by initiates. These are the world elite, the smartest people on the planet. They will be granted eternal life. The rest will face the fate of cultivated toadstool mushrooms, which will be uprooted after some time.
All you can get are stem cells. This option, according to the Illuminati, is safe, since it involves a sacrifice. Life at the expense of death. Everyone knows that now newborns are cut alive and given rejuvenating injections from them to those who are able to pay for it "pleasure." They are absolutely not concerned about other people's lives.
Let's live honestly, eat right, lead a healthy lifestyle, read books and watch less TV, and then our short life will not be lived in vain.

Alchemy is a game like cards, where you can, having set a person on fire, cheat him.
Ben Jonson. Alchemist

When talking about the search for this stone, people usually remember the mysterious art of alchemy. Today, alchemy is considered by many to be a primitive form of chemistry, but it was something more, since it extended much beyond protochemistry into the realm of mystical and occult knowledge. Just as astrology studied the dependence of human life on the stars, so alchemy explored the connection of man with earthly nature, combining chemistry and magic. Alchemists used chemistry as a metaphor for human relationships, just as astrologers used the stars. The ancient Greeks, Chinese, and Indians commonly referred to alchemy as an Art, or, speaking of the primary purpose of alchemy, alteration or transmutation in the broadest sense: chemical transformations capable of transforming common metals into gold, a precious metal highly prized for its color and ability not to rust. even after lying in the ground for hundreds of years. Transmutation also involved physiological changes from disease to health: alchemists believed they could use the stone to create an elixir that could turn dead tissue into living flesh. For the Chinese and Indians, transmutation also meant a transition from the earthly state to the spiritual world.

The idea of ​​the elixir of immortality belongs to the Chinese Taoists, who, among other things, were looking for ways to achieve immortality. Founded in the 6th century BC by the sage Lao Tzu, this combination of religion, philosophy, magic and primitive science gave rise to all areas of practical chemistry: sophisticated methods of preserving dead bodies (an example is the tomb of a woman at Ma Wandui with a hermetic chamber sealed with kaolin clay); rigor in the execution of procedures and measurements; the use of a variety of devices, furnaces, forges, vessels for reactions and distillation; and, of course, the belief that the elixir could somehow stop aging - the search for it began around the 4th century BC. It was believed that the strongest form of such a substance should be a solution containing a metal resistant to corrosion, "drinking gold", then it was believed that the immutability of this noble metal should be transmitted to the person who drank it.

One scientist gave more than 1,000 names for the elixir, where gold was not the only ingredient. For example, the book "Great Secrets of Alchemy" by Song Qimiao (581-673 AD) describes formulas based on the use of mercury, sulfur and arsenic. According to the English historian Joseph Needham, it is possible that some Chinese emperors even died as a result of poisoning with such “elixirs of immortality.” Hundreds of years later, the failure of the Chinese alchemists became obvious, since they strictly adhered to their only goal - finding the elixir of immortality, unlike their Western colleagues, who along with this sought to discover a way to obtain gold. It is believed that this was one of the reasons why Chinese alchemy did not achieve any significant results compared to European; another reason is that the Chinese adopted Buddhism, which offered a safer path to immortality.

Western alchemy originated in antiquity, during the heyday of classical Greek civilization, beginning roughly with the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) until the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BC. Bolos of Mend, a Hellenized Egyptian who lived in the Nile Delta in the 1st century BC, wrote a book On Nature and Mystery, which contained secret recipes for the preparation of gold and silver. Most of these recipes ended brief description transmutation: “One essence will be revealed in another essence, one essence will prevail over another essence, one essence will subjugate another essence.”

In Alexandria, Egypt, early alchemy flourished thanks to centuries of experience in the forging and processing of gold, as vividly illustrated by the stunning gold artifacts preserved in the tombs of the pharaohs. It was from this experience that a discussion arose among the philosophers of the day about how the base metals could be converted into gold. The Stockholm and Leiden papyri, which date back to the 3rd century AD, describe how to make fake gold look like real gold using a mixture of sulfates, salts and iron alum. Based on the work of Zosimus of Panopolitan, who lived in the 3rd century AD, it can be assumed that alchemical theory concentrated on the invention of a tincture that could cause transmutation instantly, and it came to be called the philosopher's stone.

Later, the focus of alchemy turns to a complex set of semi-religious and quasi-magical ideas - from astrology with alchemy to numerology and other occult sciences - which seem to have originated in the Egypt of Moses under the influence of the belief in the god Thoth. They are called the "hermetic body" or "hermetic", after the Greek counterpart of Thoth - Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Greatest). Other components of the Hermetics come from the Kabbalah, the Jewish doctrine of the secret, mystical interpretation of the Old Testament.

Only a select few were able to look into the magical world described in the hermetic. Nicholas Flamel, one of those who had access to the "Hermetic Art", appears in the first Harry Potter book. Flamel actually lived in the 14th century and is said to have created the philosopher's stone. According to Lawrence Principe of Johns Hopkins University, an expert on alchemy, "The Harry Potter books introduced millions of readers to a legendary character in the history of chemistry. Otherwise, people would probably never have known about him."

This classic story is one of the most famous inspiring myths of alchemy. Flamel was born in 1330, apparently in Paris, from a lower class background and became a clerk and bookseller. The story goes that an angel appeared to Flamel in a vivid vision and gave him a book on the Hermetic art, saying: “Read this book carefully, Nicholas. At first you will not understand anything from it, neither you nor anyone else. But one day you will see in it something that no one else can see."

Later, a stranger came to his store, who urgently needed to sell an old book, as he was desperate for money. Flamel immediately recognized a volume with a copper cover with strange engraved patterns and letters in an ancient language, like those that the angel had shown him. He was able to find out that this book was written by Abraham the Jew. Flamel was familiar with the alchemical works of his contemporaries and knew something about transmutations, but it still took him twenty-one years to decipher the mysteries of the hermetic corpus.

Since parts of the corpus were written in Hebrew, Flamel's wife Pernelle suggested that he seek advice from some Jewish rabbi who studied mystical Kabbalistic texts. Knowing that many Jews were forced to move from France to Spain, Flamel rushed there, to Santiagoda-Compostella, along with pilgrims to the Church of St. James, hoping to meet the right person along the way. Already on way back he met the Jewish sage Kanches, who was able to shed light on the secrets of this mysterious manuscript and gave Flamel the key with which he was able to decipher the entire contents of the book.

Flamel returned home to his wife, and after three years their efforts were crowned with success. Around noon on Monday, January 17, 1382, they turned half a pound of mercury into silver using the white philosopher's stone. Then at five o'clock in the afternoon on April 25, 1382, they turned mercury into gold using a red type of stone. Flamel and Pernel continued their work and received the stone several more times.

In the end, they began to say that Flamel managed to prepare the coveted elixir of immortality. However, this elixir apparently did not help him much, since he died in 1417 (or March 22, 1418, according to another source), having lived to be eighty-seven or eighty-eight years old. Today his tombstone is in the Cluny Museum, where it was transported from a Parisian grocery store where it was used as a cutting board.

However, some believe that Flamel staged his funeral. This view is confirmed in the first Harry Potter book, where Flamel and his wife have a much happier fate, living to the ages of 665 and 658 or so, living a quiet life and making pottery in Devon. How did they do it? Perhaps the answer lies in Flamel's most famous book, An Explanation of Hieroglyphic Figures, or His Secret Book of the Blessed Stone, Called the Stone of the Philosophers, where, with the help of various figures supposedly carved on a crypt that Flamel acquired in a local parish, he encrypted the method of making stone Like other alchemists, he kept the nature of the stone secret and spoke of his work only in the most vague and figurative terms, giving no clues as to what he was doing.

According to one theory, Flamel announced the creation of the stone to hide the real source of his wealth, which was acquired through dubious transactions. Some sources note that Flamel indeed became a very rich man, so much so that he was able to found and finance fourteen hospitals, seven churches and three cathedrals in Paris alone and even more in Boulogne.

However, upon closer examination, Princip discovered that Flamel's story was not supported by facts. "In the world of alchemy, as in the world of magic, things often seem not to be as they are." The Flamel couple actually lived at that time, but modern historians have been unable to find evidence that they ever practiced alchemy; the first mention of their interest in the philosopher's stone appeared in 1500, long after their death. Flamel's most famous book, “Hieroglyphic Figures,” was published in 1612 and, as research has shown, was written at the end of the 16th century. All other alchemical texts attributed to Flamel were created after his death.

“Archival documents show that Flamel’s fortune was not as enormous as the stories would have us believe, and it was born not through the transmutation of metals, but through a clever game on the Paris real estate exchange and was supplemented by the fortune that Pernelle inherited from previous marriages,” - says Princeipe. Nevertheless, after his death, the story about Flamel continued to acquire details and details. Early evidence speaks of his enormous wealth, and in the 18th century there was talk of extending life, no doubt with the help of the philosopher's stone.

In 1712, one traveler met with a “learned dervish from Asia Minor,” who had recently seen the Flamel couple, healthy and strong, already over 375 years old, living in India. Half a century later they find themselves at the Paris Opera. “This interesting detail is also quoted in the Harry Potter book, where Rowling calls Nicholas an opera aficionado and mentions his age as 665 years old (this was in 1995 or 1996),” says Princip.

Even though his practice of alchemy was dubious, not to mention the fact that he allegedly found the philosopher's stone, Flamel's work had a great influence on famous 17th-century alchemists such as Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton. Newton had a copy of Flamel's work and wrote a seven-page review entitled "An Explanation of the Hieroglyphic Figures of Nicholas Flamel, Year 1399," attempting to show the real ancient alchemy of which the modern idea is distorted.

The desire to find a stone did not seem too dubious an undertaking in an era bordering magic and science. The idea that metals consist of a collection of elementary substances was very popular at that time, and this idea itself originates from ancient Greek philosophy and science. Empedocles, and then Aristotle, developed the theory that all things are composed of four elements - air, earth, water and fire. Thus, if an alchemist could find a way to change this mixture, then it is logical to expect that it would be possible to change one metal into another.

As Princip says, at the beginning of the modern era, alchemists, as a rule, isolated various primary substances. Like any self-respecting scientist of antiquity, they noticed that Aristotle’s recipes could not be repeated in their laboratory. The widespread idea that all metals consist of only two elementary substances, sulfur and mercury, in different proportions and different purities, arose around the 9th century, and only then came to Europe.

However, by “sulfur” and “mercury” they did not mean the elements themselves, but their properties: “sulfur” was usually considered as the primary element of combustion and color, and was believed to be present in metals, since they change into an earth-like substance under exposure to fire. "Mercury", a metallic primordial substance, was attributed such properties as fusibility, malleability and luster. Thus, if you combine the yellow color of sulfur with the metallic luster of mercury, you get a yellow metal. With the right recipe, you can create gold.

As the history of Flamel shows, there were two types of philosopher's stone, or perhaps two degrees of perfection: one for the transmutation of "imperfect" metals into silver - the white stone, and the other for the creation of gold - the red stone, or "powder of transmutation". In the first Harry Potter book, Voldemort is hunting for a stone that is as red as blood.

Usually the elixir of immortality is described as a solution of stone in wine, reviving the flowering of youth. How does he work? Just. In the words of Paracelsus (the Falstaffian character and pioneer in the field of chemistry, also known as Theophrastus Philip Aurelius Bohm-bastfon Hohenheim, 1493-1541): “The philosopher’s stone cleanses the human body of all impurities by introducing new and younger forces that join to his nature."

The human body is 70% water. It is not for nothing that one famous biologist figuratively called living beings “animate water.” Obviously, for a person’s health and longevity, it is not indifferent what kind of water nourishes the tissues of his body.

Indeed, in recent years it has become known that water varies significantly not only in chemical impurities, but also in isotopic composition and other features. Many properties of water change, for example, if it is passed between the poles of a magnet. Water can be more biologically active, and this affects the aging process of the body. But we still don’t know much about the properties of water - an important component of our body.

In any case, today it is no longer vague legends or ancient legends, but scientific research that speaks about the influence of water on the health and life expectancy of the inhabitants of different regions of the Earth.

Where do people live longer?

It is known that residents of some Caribbean islands, such as Guadeloupe, look much younger than their European peers. When they are asked how they manage to remain young for a long time, the answer usually follows: “On our island, such water flows from springs that rejuvenates a person...” The inhabitants of the central regions of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) are also distinguished by excellent health. Residents of Sri Lanka consider the climate and water of mountain springs to be the reason for their health. Apparently, it was no coincidence that the ancients tried to look for life-giving water on this island.

Some scientists associate the longevity of the mountain people and a number of peoples of the North with the water they drink. This is the so-called “melt water effect”, which has a beneficial effect on metabolism and thereby, as it were, “rejuvenates” the body.

Today, searches are not conducted on distant islands or unknown lands. They are carried out in dozens of laboratories of the largest scientific centers world, studying the properties of water and its effect on the human body.

People who were extremely concerned about maximizing their lives were, for the most part, endowed with wealth and power. They were looking for the shortest route. And such a path seemed to exist. The most ancient traditions and legends mentioned it as the “elixir of immortality”, which the gods tasted. It was called differently in different countries. The gods of the ancient Greeks used ambrosia, which gives eternal life, the Indian gods used amrita, the gods of the Iranians used haoma. And only the gods of Ancient Egypt, showing majestic modesty, preferred water to the other food of the gods. True, the same water of immortality.

Alchemists and the Elixir of Immortality

No one came as close to the elixir of immortality as the alchemists, who, however, were looking for something completely different - ways to make gold. There was a certain logic in this. Immortality is a state that is not subject to change. Isn’t gold the only substance that is not subject to external influences? It is not afraid of alkalis or acids, it is not afraid of corrosion. It seemed that time itself was powerless before him. Does this metal contain some principle that makes it like this? And is it possible to isolate this substance from it or introduce it into the human body along with gold? “Whoever takes gold inside,” says one ancient Eastern text, “will live as long as gold.” This is the traditional basis of ancient beliefs: eat the eyes of an eagle - you will be like an eagle, eat the hearts of a lion - you will be strong like a lion... Gold was an indispensable component of various versions of the elixir of immortality. A recipe has come down to us, compiled by the personal physician of Pope Boniface VIII: one must mix crushed gold, pearls, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, topazes, white and red corals, ivory, sandalwood, deer heart, aloe root, musk and ambergris. (We hope that prudence will prevent readers from applying the composition given here too hastily.)

Ancient recipes

Not much simpler was another composition, which can be found in one ancient eastern book: “You need to take a toad that has lived for 10,000 years and a bat that has lived for 1,000 years, dry them in the shade, grind them into powder and take them.”

And here is the recipe from an ancient Persian text: “You need to take a man, red-haired and freckled, and feed him with fruits until he is 30 years old, then lower him into a stone vessel with honey and other ingredients, enclose this vessel in hoops and seal it hermetically. After 120 years, his body will turn into a mummy.” The contents of the vessel, including what became the mummy, could then be taken as a healing and life-prolonging agent.

Misconceptions that sprout in any sphere of human activity will bear a particularly bountiful harvest in this area. In this regard, we can mention a French scientist of the 15th century. In search of the elixir of life, he boiled 2000 eggs, separated the whites from the yolks and, mixing them with water, distilled them many times, hoping in this way to extract the sought-after substance of life.

The obvious meaninglessness of such recipes does not yet indicate the meaninglessness of the search itself. Only that which was discarded as unnecessary became known. But if we judge the history of a particular science only by unsuccessful experiments and failed discoveries, the picture will probably be approximately the same.