Recipes for elixirs of immortality. Elixir of Immortality A work of fiction mentioning the elixir of eternal life.

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

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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.
• The Hungarian Countess Elzbeth Bathory took “rejuvenating” baths from the blood of murdered young girls in 1610. For which she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Perhaps the only method of extending life that has truly proven its effectiveness was proposed by the biologist Ilya Mechnikov; it includes the consumption of fermented milk products that inhibit the activity of putrefactive bacteria, and this is one of the few effective ways some prolongation of 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-grandchild.

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 old 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

At all times, people dreamed of becoming immortal. How many hunters for life without death have searched for the formula of the treasured elixir on the worn pages of ancient tomes. The endless race for eternal life became the curse and obsession of many seekers, pushing them to commit monstrous crimes.

It is believed that the elixir of immortality is a fabulously magical substance that can rejuvenate the human body and make a person’s life endless.

The elixir of immortality is often mentioned in the myths, traditions and legends of many peoples as the “food” of the gods. For example, gods Ancient India ate amrita, Ancient Greece- ambrosia, Ancient Egypt- water of immortality, Iranian deities - haoma.

The desire to acquire immortal life was the most desirable and tempting goal. But no one can say with certainty that anyone managed to gain immortal life - this possibility still remains a mystery.

Every person is sure that his life span is very short. How many means were there to gain endless life! And every time they gave hope to prolong life! It is possible that some people still succeeded...

The ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata" talks about the juice of a certain plant that prolongs human life to 10 thousand years. But where to find this wonderful plant is not said. But ancient Greek sources talk about the fruit of the “tree of life”, which can restore youth to a person. In Russian epics you can often find mention of “living water”, the source of which is located on the island of Buyan.

At the time of the discoveries of Christopher Columbus, many believed that lands had been found on which the sources of eternal life were located. Thus, an associate of Columbus wrote this to Pope Leo X: “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 flows an inexhaustible spring of flowing water of such wonderful quality that an old man who drinks it while following a certain diet will, after a while, turn into a young man. I beg Your Holiness, do not think that I said 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 also many of those who stand above the crowd in their intelligence or wealth, too they believe him."

Many seekers have spent the time of their lives searching for an island with a mysterious source. As a result, many unknown lands were discovered, but no one found the source of immortality.

But there are many known recipes for the elixir of immortality. For example, a Tibetan recipe: put stones in a glass jar - rock crystal, smoky and rose quartz, amethyst, carnelian, cacholong and fill with water, then put it in the sun for 10 hours. As a result of exposure to sunlight on this solution, a rejuvenating drink is obtained that significantly increases vitality. This drink is taken orally, washed with it, and applied as a compress for cuts, bruises and burns.

Or here is another fairly simple recipe for preparing a rejuvenating infusion - it is known to many as a remedy discovered by Tibetan monks. An infusion is prepared from the herbs chamomile, immortelle and birch buds in equal quantities and taken half a glass with honey. The course lasts 45 days, but can be repeated only after five years.

The recipe for the elixir of youth, which is described in ancient Indian legends, is also quite simple. Chopped two heads of garlic need to be boiled in 1 liter of milk, and then left for at least 1 hour. You need to drink this infusion 1 tablespoon three times a day. This life-giving liquid helps cleanse blood vessels and improve immunity.

Many researchers claim that at one time Cleopatra allegedly drank a drink that gave immortality. However, since she committed suicide some time later, it is impossible to judge the success of the experiment.

Also interesting is the incident that happened to the Chinese Emperor Xuanzong (8th century). The court healer-alchemist prepared a drink of immortality for his ruler. The drug was prepared over the course of a year. But a month later, after taking the “drink of immortality,” the emperor died.

They say that in the small provincial Japanese town of Fukuoka there lived a 75-year-old woman named Sei Senagon. Perhaps her fate would have been the same as that of millions of women her age, if not for the mistake of the medical staff. She received an excessive dose of hormonal medication. The result stunned everyone - like a child, her teeth grew again, gray hair and wrinkles disappeared. The rejuvenated Japanese woman not only got married, but also gave birth to a child. After this, many older people rushed to take hormonal drugs, but none of them achieved the desired result.

Today, there are many theories that explain aging, but none of them is a universal remedy or basis for combating this phenomenon.

According to the Bible, initially, human life was eternal. However, the fall of Eve and Adam led to punishment, which consisted of deprivation of the gift of immortality. However, there are no rules without exceptions - it is known that the Lord gave one of Noah’s ancestors, Methuselah, the opportunity to live up to 969 years. Since then, the expression “Methuselah’s age” has become popular.

The legendary Hippocrates believed that a decrepit man could turn on the process of rejuvenation through sexual contacts with young girls. This is exactly the method that the famous King David used, thereby delaying the time of his decrepitude.

It should be noted that today the life and immortality of Count Cagliostro is being discussed quite a lot - some consider him a charlatan and a rogue, others consider him a man who knew the secret of the philosopher's stone.

It should be noted that interest in the philosopher's stone arose in the middle of the 10th century and continues to this day. The Philosopher's Stone is a mythical substance considered to be the beginning of all beginnings. It can give its owner immortality, knowledge and eternal youth. But not only these properties attracted alchemists all over the world. The main reason for the search for this mythical substance was that the philosopher's stone was capable of turning any metal into gold.

Modern science does not deny the possibility of transforming one chemical element into another. In addition, it must be said that today there are many legends about the transformation of metals into gold. For example, they say that Raymond Lully, by order of the English king Edward II, smelted about 60 thousand pounds of gold from tin, mercury and lead. And this gold was of the highest standard. Coins minted from this gold are still kept in English museums.

Or after the death of Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612), a large amount of gold and silver bullion remained in the treasury (approximately 8 and 6 tons, respectively). No one could understand where he could get such an amount of precious metal, and most importantly, it was of such a high standard that it did not contain any impurities. And this fact amazed the researchers most of all, since at that time it was technically impossible to obtain a precious metal of such quality.

But let us return to the legends of immortality. They say the legendary Genghis Khan, feeling that his strength was waning and old age was just around the corner, gathered sorcerers, healers, sages and healers from all his lands, who claimed to know the secret of the elixir of youth and immortality. He ordered everyone to prepare the elixir. The test was simple - after the healer drank his potion, his head was cut off. If the severed head did not grow back when placed on the body, the next healer passed the test. This “fun” of Genghis Khan would have lasted long enough if one decrepit sage had not told him: “Great Khan, I have lived in this world for many years and have long lost count of my days. I have read many wise ancient books, and I know many hidden secrets. But there is no elixir of immortality, you are doing a useless task and wasting your allotted days. The immortality of the mortal body does not exist. Only the deeds of a deceased person and his spirit are immortal.” Having released the wise old man, the great conqueror ordered to prepare for a new campaign to conquer the whole world. According to legend, Genghis Khan died during a campaign against the Tangut state in 1227.

In India they will tell you about Raja Tapasviji, who lived 186 years (1770-1956) and this is documented. At 50, he retired to the Himalayas and became a hermit. By practicing spiritual practices and yoga, he achieved perfection in controlling his body (the state of samadhi). Tapasviji spoke about his meeting with an old hermit who spoke only the language of Ancient India - Sanskrit and claimed that he lived about 5 thousand years. This old man told Tapasviji about the elixir of immortality that he had. The drink should be taken no more than once every 10 years. After the death of Tapasviji, his home was carefully examined to find the elixir of immortality, but the search was fruitless.

Scientists believe that some multicellular organisms existing on earth are potentially immortal or capable of long-lasting existence if this existence is not interrupted by some accident. Such organisms include freshwater hydras, sea anemones, and some species of fish and reptiles. It is possible that this quality is facilitated by the low energy level of metabolism of these organisms, so their rate of aging is significantly slowed down.

At the same time, the opinion of modern scientists gives hope that science can solve the problem of increasing human lifespan. In this regard, genetic engineering, stem cell technology, transplantology, hormonal therapy and many other branches of medicine are actively developing. Developments in the field of cryobiology and artificial intelligence are very promising.

American physicist R. Feynman said: “If a person decided to build a perpetual motion machine, he would be faced with a ban in the form of a physical law. In contrast to this situation, in biology there is no law that would assert the obligatory finitude of the life of each individual.”

Immortality has long been an “obsession” of humanity - whoever was looking for it... humanity wanted to believe that it was possible - that someone had already achieved it. Among these were the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who did not die, but sleeps in an underground hall to return one day - and his long beard is still growing, the Count of Saint-Germain - a famous alchemist of the 18th century, whose servant claimed to work for him " "only" three hundred years... alas, the circumstances of Frederick's death are known: in the Third Crusade, the emperor fell from his horse while crossing the Selif River and choked in the water, and Count Saint-Germain himself let slip that his father was Prince Rakoczi II of Transylvania, who lived on at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, the count died in 1784. Life, of course, is long - more than 90 years - but it clearly does not look like the “elixir of immortality”...

Does it exist elixir of immortality And youth elixir?

However, one chinese emperor tried to do without the elixir - he took it and ordered to consider himself immortal! But it was not customary to argue with the emperor, so when he did die due to natural causes, his subjects were faced with a dilemma: what takes priority - the sacred will of the emperor or the real state of affairs? They decided that it was the first thing: the emperor’s body was placed on the throne, dignitaries approached him with reports, listened to orders (there was always someone to determine the content of the orders) - and this continued until the decomposition of the corpse had gone far enough...

But this, of course, is part of a series of historical oddities. But seriously... according to the Bible, man was originally created immortal (and lost this state as a result of the Fall) - and will again become so (those who deserve it) after the Resurrection of the dead at Second Coming Jesus Christ... neither one nor the other state, of course, is accessible to scientific research (and “by definition” cannot be achieved here and now) - so let’s see what we have today.

First we need to figure out why we die in the first place. As a rule, from diseases (heart attack, stroke, hypertension, etc.). But there are people with "iron" health”, which remain vigorous until old age. They don't suffer in last years life from pain, the inability to cope without outside help, etc., they die without much suffering - but they die anyway! And their long life is just a long old age - not a single 100-year-old centenarian looked like a 20-year-old youth on his half-century anniversary... why does this happen?

The secret is “built” into the DNA molecule. Each section of it encodes the synthesis of one or another protein - and only the terminal section does not do this... what is it for? In 1971, our compatriot A. Olovnikov suggested, and 15 years later the English researcher G. Cook proved that this area, called telomere, encodes the age of the cell: with each division it shortens - when the “limit” is exhausted, the cell dies. True, there are cells in which this does not happen - germ cells, stem cells and cancer cells. In all three, a special enzyme works - telomerase, which “prevents” telomeres from shortening.

In 1997, in the USA (University of Colorado), the gene responsible for the synthesis of telomerase was isolated, and in 1998, researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas (USA) inserted it into cells where it usually does not work (skin, vascular epithelium) - immortal These cells, however, did not become, but their life lengthened by one and a half times. Enthusiasts - even among scientists - started talking about an immortality pill that could be created in the next 50 years (or maybe even 10)... hurray!

But don't rush to rejoice. Remember, we said in which cells telomerase works under normal conditions - and among them were cancer cells (this is why cancer is so difficult, and often impossible, to defeat). That. no one can guarantee that such an “immortality pill” will not cause cancer. And with the aging mechanism itself, not everything is so simple: in an adult, nerve cells do not divide - nevertheless, they age and die, therefore, in addition to the shortening of telomeres, there is some other mechanism of aging and death... what? There is no answer yet, which means it’s too early to talk about overcoming it.

But suppose a “pill” of immortality is invented... will we be happy about it? Well, at least those politicians and moneybags to whom it will be available?

... On the way to Golgotha, Jesus Christ, exhausted under the weight of the cross, stopped for a minute to rest, leaning against the wall of the house. The owner of this house - a Jew named Agasfer - pushed Him away with a cry: “Go, why are you delaying!” “And you will walk forever,” answered the Savior. “And you will have neither peace nor death.” And the unfortunate cursed Ahasfer still walks the earth, waiting for the Second Coming of the Savior - after all, only it will save him from the unbearable burden of eternal life...

This legend is far from the only example in both folklore and literature when immortality acts as a curse and even punishment. Usually the heroes of such works - from Ahasfer to Jack Harkness, the hero of the English science fiction series Torchwood - suffer from the fact that everyone they manage to love (including their own children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.), die - and they continue to live, over and over again experiencing the pain of new losses. So, for immortality to bring happiness, it must be universal immortality? What awaits us if such a “recipe” is found (provided, of course, that immortal life there will be more eternal youth)?

First of all, you have to give up once and for all. Of course it will be " paradise” for adherents of the childfree movement - but, fortunately, they do not yet constitute the majority. In addition, such humanity will once and for all stop in its development: a new generation will not come to put forward new ideas... do we need such a “stopped” life?

Until now we have talked about physical immortality... but there is also the idea of immortality of the soul. It has always existed - as long as humanity can remember. Of course, there have always been philosophers who denied it (for example, Epicurus) - but in one form or another it is present in all religions - the exceptions are Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists... the latter justify their denial of the posthumous existence of the soul in a very original way: in their In the brochure, I came across a selection of quotes from the Bible, where death is compared to sleep, accompanied by a note - “In sleep, all activity ceases, time passes unnoticed for the sleeper.” Of course, to draw such conclusions one must have absolutely no knowledge of psychology or history. Sciences and art, where there are many examples when people made discoveries and created masterpieces in their dreams - and, probably, you yourself will never see dreams... but one way or another - these are just exceptions, and so - even in Christian Creed it does not say “I believe in the immortality of the soul” - this is so self-evident that it does not require “inclusion as a separate paragraph.”

But faith is faith - what about scientific evidence?

They started talking about evidence when medicine received technology at its disposal. Many people who experienced clinical death told approximately the same thing: they flew through a dark tunnel, saw the light at its end - then the stories vary, but this detail is almost always present - absolutely not all patients could different countries peace agreement, indeed! And in religious teachings there is no mention of “at the end of the tunnel”, so that one could attribute it to self-hypnosis... does this mean there is something real behind this?

Obviously it's worth it - but it's hardly the afterlife. The fact is that no one really returned “from the other world” - medicine does not know how to revive the dead! Clinical death is not death as such: the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells has been stopped - but they are still living, therefore, a person in a state of clinical death is a person dying rather than dead, in some way - still alive, so what to talk about afterlife it is too early. Of course, in this state, the functioning of the brain is disrupted - so any images can arise. The perception of signals from the outside world also changes (thus, according to scientists, the notorious “light at the end of the tunnel” is nothing more than one’s own pupil, which a person can see only in this state).

So, how do we deal with immortality?

Immortal physical is currently unavailable, in the foreseeable future future is not expected - and it is unlikely to be needed at all.

You can believe or not believe in the immortality of the soul - as in all centuries - its existence has not been scientifically proven - and is hardly provable at all (at least by the means of modern science).

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

Nowadays, the issue of immortality has not lost its relevance, and active work to find a way to achieve physical immortality is being carried out in all industries. developed countries peace.

THE TIRELESS COUNT

If we omit the mythological history of the biblical Adam, who, according to legend, lived for 900 years, the Eternal Jew Ahasfer and Koshchei the Immortal, then the first popularizer of the elixir of immortality will be the same Saint Germain, a personality, it must be said, a very mysterious one. In the 18th century, popular rumor seriously claimed that the count was 500 years old, and in his castle there was a unique mirror in which you 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 by 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 of about 45 years old with a dark complexion. At the same time, over the course of decades, the graph did not change at all in appearance. He was rich, well-mannered and had truly aristocratic manners. The Count spoke equally well in French, English, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Arabic.

Often in conversations with monarchs, Saint Germain mentioned the rulers of bygone days and in conversation often claimed that he 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 of eternal youth, is this possible?

YOUTH FOR A 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. His associates studied ancient treatises from morning to night in the hope of discovering a recipe for eternal youth.

But in vain. As a result, the upset emperor issued a decree in which he forbade himself to die. But he died anyway. 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 methods they invented bordered on rare inhuman sadism. They say that Marshal of France Count Gilles de Rais, the prototype of Bluebeard, became more famous in this field than others. After his arrest, 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 Elizabeth Bathory took baths from the blood of virgins to gain eternal youth and beauty. In total, 650 girls met their end in the Countess's castle.

BLOOD FOR THE LEADER

Like the 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 they tried to transfuse the elderly leaders of Soviet Russia with the blood of young people.

However, things didn't work out. Lenin, unlike his sister, who underwent a rejuvenation procedure, refused a blood transfusion, calling it scientific vampirism. Perhaps the research would have been successful, but Bogdanov unexpectedly died during one of his 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 blood transfusions of young compatriots. North Korea Kim Il Sung. Having begun the procedures at the age of 65, the dictator lived to the very advanced age of 82, although he planned to last until at least 120 years.

THE GENERATOR OF YOUTH EXISTS

IN 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 cryo-freezing of one’s own body, but for 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, such an apparatus exists and operates on principles that are logically close to the cruel experiments of medieval rulers. However, now we are not talking about transfusion of 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 ultra-weak fields and radiation in biology and medicine.” A scientist of Chinese origin from Khabarovsk, Yuri Vladimirovich Jiang Kanzhen, gave a report on his unique method. According to the scientist’s theory, repeatedly confirmed by practical experiments, all living organisms exchange with each other some genetic information invisible to the eye.

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

It is interesting to note that, unlike many similar inventions, official science accepted the scientist’s discovery 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 man to his elderly relatives, rejuvenating them. In this case, human life expectancy will almost double.

SCIENCE DOES NOT STAND STANDING

He agreed to comment on the possibility of creating a technique that significantly prolongs human life Doctor of Medical Sciences, Academician of the Higher Academic Clinical Hospital Dmitry Valerievich GLUKHOV:

“The elixir of eternal youth really has a right to exist.” But not in the medieval sense. Research in the field of rejuvenation techniques is being actively conducted all over the world, and there have been significant advances in this area. In Russia alone, more than 10 rejuvenation systems and more than 30 rejuvenation techniques have been commercialized, not counting various dietary supplements and pharmacological drugs.

The work is mainly carried out in the field of cosmetology and correction of the human immune system. Every year new techniques based on advanced, promising technologies appear. Thus, nanotechnology gave impetus to a new direction in rejuvenation - supramolecular chemistry. Development is proceeding quickly, and perhaps in the near future one of the researchers will show the treasured bottle with a cloudy liquid.

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

If they are successful and mass implementation techniques, the average human life expectancy can increase from the current 65-70 years to 140-160 years. True, in this case the 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 about gaining eternal life were passed down from generation to generation. Scientists of antiquity and the Middle Ages created many amazing recipes for longevity - from taking tinctures of dried and powdered bats to wiping the body with the tears of virgins. And, according to surviving documents, some remedies gave amazing results.

Cinnabar or meditation?

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

As historical chronicles tell, Taoist monks owned the secret of preparing medicines that were able to prolong life. The most important component of their preparations was cinnabar, or mercuric sulphide (mercury quenched with sulfur), which, due to its color, was associated with blood. The manuscripts give the example of a scientist named Chufu, who took purified cinnabar along with saltpeter for thirty years - as a result of which 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 influence from the outside or from the inside). The first scientific direction was based on 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 need to be activated with the help of special breathing exercises, diet, physical exercise and meditation.

Gradually, internal alchemy replaced external alchemy. It is known that Genghis Khan, having heard about the Taoist monk Chang Chun, who possessed the secret of eternal youth and lived for 300 years, sent messengers to China to bring the magician to Samarkand with honors. But the arriving Chang Chun, 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 were associated with blood and flesh - both living people and their remains.

Here is a recipe from an ancient Persian text: feed a red-haired and freckled man with fruits until he is thirty years old, then put him in a stone vessel with honey and other ingredients and seal hermetically. After 120 years, the body will turn into a mummy, which must be taken in parts as a means of granting immortality.

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

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

The Hungarian Countess Bathory (1560-1614) took baths with 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 works 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 prepared 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 Gaul, Scythia and Macedonia, as well as centaur hair.

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

Breathing of young girls

In biblical times, one of the options for returning youth was considered to be the breath of children or young girls who lay next to older people 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 out young, innocent girls to elderly rich people for the night. The course of treatment was calculated for 24 days, and intimate services were not provided, but as a result of such procedures, the vitality of older people increased and even certain diseases went away.

Already today, research has 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 affectionate touches and their use for therapeutic purposes.

Healing Basic Instinct

Intimate relationships were also recognized by ancient healers as an effective rejuvenating agent. Indications of this can be found in drawings dating back more than 2,000 years to the civilizations of India, the Middle East and China, as well as in classical treatises on love, such as Plato's Phaedrus and Symposium (4th century BC). .), “The Art of Love” by Ovid (1st century), Indian “Kama Sutra” (III-IV centuries), “Necklace of the Dove” by Ibn Hazm (2nd 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 studied 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 provide an as yet unknown fifth element - quintessence.

The main goal of 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 the philosopher's stone, in addition to granting eternal life, could transform lead or iron into gold and silver, that is, they drew a parallel between chemical changes in metals and the rejuvenation of the human body - since, in their opinion, metals grow in the womb of the Earth in the same way how a child grows in the 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, by adding sulfur, one could obtain other metals and, most importantly, the philosopher’s stone, which bestows immortality.

The recipe of the English alchemist George Ripley (XV - century), published in his “Book of the Twelve Gates,” stated 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 substance, 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 is a substance similar to human blood - this is the drink that bestows longevity.

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

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

Is plus 60 years the limit?

The reader is probably wondering: did the recipes of medieval alchemists help anyone? What do we know about the centenarians 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 significant extension of life. When he was already dying of old age, taking this elixir helped him extend his life for another 60 years.

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

As we can see, in ancient historical documents there are often references to 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 were discovered, but have not survived to this day.