A term derived from
alchemy and used to denote the supposed
liquid, a draught of which would give eternal life or some similar required extension or
intensification of being.
While in popular imagination the Elixir
is regarded as being a liquid, the early alchemical manuscripts also often describe it as
a powder. The origin of the term is probably Arabic, where a word of similar sound denotes a
powder used for healing wounds.
Sometimes it was believed that the
Elixir was the so-called
Philosopher's Stone,
which could be used to turn base metals into gold or silver.
Probably one of the first
considerations which move the worldly-minded at present
to solicit initiation into Theosophy is the belief, or
hope, that, immediately on joining, some extraordinary
advantage over the rest of mankind will be conferred
upon the candidate. [this was written in the late 19th
century, published 1885; the situation at present is
very different from the situation back then, editor ESTG].
Some even think that the ultimate result of their
initiation will perhaps be exemption from that
dissolution which is called the common lot of mankind.
The tradition of the "Elixir of Life," said to be in the
possession of Kabalists and Alchemists, are still
cherished by students of Mediaeval Occultism - in
Europe. The allegory of the Ab-è Hyat or Water or Life,
is still credited as a fact by the degraded remnants of
the Asiatic esoteric sects ignorant of the real Great
Secret. The "pungent and fiery Essence," by which Zanoni
renewed his existence, still fires the imagination of
modern visionaries as a possible scientific discovery of
the future.
Some feel that it is merely water
that is the Elixir of Life; "Living water is the elixir
that facilitates creative mind. Without sufficient water
in the body and brain, the electrical activity of
creative thought is greatly impaired. 70 to 90 percent
of all organic matter is water. The brain is
approximately 83 percent water. A dehydrated brain
cannot think or process information correctly."
Other feel that Modern Science is the
answer, as in this article:
Clue to elixir of
life By Richard Black
BBC science correspondent
Substances found in food and wine may be able to extend
human life, according to new scientific research.
Scientists in the United States found that the
substances - called polyphenols - can prolong the life
of yeast cells significantly.They seem to work inside
human cells too. The best known polyphenol is
found in red wine. Polyphenols are produced by many
plants - perhaps the best known is resveratrol, found in
red wine. Scientists have been interested in them
for a long time because they seem to reduce a person's
chances of developing heart disease and cancer. Now
researchers at Harvard University have discovered that
the chemicals can prolong the life of yeast by about
70%.
They do this by a mechanism which was
previously unknown, by increasing production of enzymes
called sirtuins. The researchers also found that
resveratrol increases sirtuin production in human cells
in the lab; and, most compellingly, that it appears to
prolong the life of flies and worms.
"Everyone's been interested in the
polyphenols because of their anti-oxidant properties,"
said Dr Konrad Howitz, one of the team, and director of
molecular biology at BIOMOL, a research company also
involved in the study.
"But this mechanism with the sirtuins
is new and I guess people are going to go back to the
epidemiological data on heart disease and cancer and
figure out how much is down to the anti-oxidant
mechanism and how much to the sirtuins."
It is too early to conclude that the
researchers have found an elixir of human life - further
work is needed, and the first step is to see if
resveratrol can make mice live longer. That experiment
is scheduled to start in a few months' time, and should
give results in less than a year. If polyphenols
do give mice extra life, and if that extra life is
healthy, the stage will then be set for human trials of
something which scientists have dreamed of for centuries
- a pill or potion to make us live longer.
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