The use of gold for medicinal purposes has ancient origins, as it has been used by different cultures for thousands of years. And drinking colloidal gold has been considered to have a vitalizing and rejuvenating effect, while enhancing memory and intellectual capacity. In China, colloidal gold was called "the golden solution" or "gold juice". In India it was called "liquid gold".
According to Mahdihassan S. 1), the Chinese were the first to produce
colloidal gold in the form of the characteristic red water. And it was considered to extend life. The Chinese name “Kim” (gold) and “Yeh” (juice) became “Kimyeh” (gold juice). The Arabic word for this red gold was "Alki-miya", which was taken directly from the Chinese "Kimyeh", and the name then lived on with Western chemists as the word "Alchemy". And the concept of alchemy was originally intended for this very manu- facture of the red colloidal gold. The alchemists then used this colloidal gold in their chemical experiments in the belief that this was the secret ingredient.
In India, the Ayurvedic tradition has long produced what they call "Swarna Bhasma", which means "red gold". The manufacturing procedure was cumbersome and time-consuming, and meant that gold was ground into a fine powder which was then mixed with water and various plants and herbs, among other things to make the liquid turn red. Mercury sulfide (red-colored crystals known as "cinnabar") was also added, in an
1 of 11 effortless attempt to try to get the right red color. The problem with the latter is that all mercury compounds are highly toxic. And this has also meant that Colloidal Gold in India has partly gained a bad reputation, when people who have not mastered the chemistry in this way have cheated by adding a red-colored mercury compound.
During the Middle-Ages, gold was used medicinally to cure epilepsy,
mental illness and leprosy. It began with the Franco-Spanish physician Arnaldus de Villa Nova (1235 - 1311) advocating the use of gold as a medicine for good eyesight, cardiac stimulation and as a general life extension 2). In the 15th century, "Aqua Regia" (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid) 2) was also rediscovered, which is the only thing that dissolves gold. And by boiling away the acid, they obtained gold chloride, which could then be dissolved in water, and then "reduced" to the red-colored colloidal gold. And thereby they had rediscovered how to make colloidal gold.
During the 16th century, it was generally known by the chemists of the time how to produce colloidal gold in this way, even though this term was not used. For example, the German-Swiss chemist and alchemist Paracelsus (1423 - 1541) described how to make gold chloride and then reduce a solution of gold chloride to the red colloidal gold, which was called "Aurum Potable", "Oleum Auri" and "Quinta Essentia Auri” (depen- ding on texture), using alcoholic extracts of various plants and sugars as reducing agents. And he claimed that this red liquid "makes the heart happy" 3). Paracelsus recommended using colloidal gold in the therapy for epilepsy 42).
The British botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer Nicholas Culpeper
(1616-1664) recommended colloidal gold for the treatment of ailments caused by decreased vitality, depression, fainting and epilepsy. Diseases that are nowadays often regarded as neurological and or psychiatric 41).
2 of 11 However, it was first the British scientist Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867) who, in 1857, studied colloidal gold in a more scientific way, and de- scribed its chemical properties 4), and who came to the conclusion that different sizes of these gold particles could be produced by using different chemical substances as reducing agent, which resulted in the red color turning into violet and then blue. And he found that it was the ruby-red color that also showed that the gold particles had the smallest size. And four years later, in 1861, the term "colloidal" was used for the first time to denote extremely small particles floating freely in water.
At the beginning of the 19th century, gold chloride was introduced for the treatment of syphilis. And in 1821, the French physician J.A. Chrestien published a dissertation on the use of gold for various diseases in general and syphilis in particular. And he concluded that gold was much cleaner than mercury (which is what was commonly used against syphilis at this time). But also that those treated with gold showed an increased vitality and intellectual ability, and that it also had a positive effect on the body's glands incl. the sexual functions 44).
And thereafter and right up to the middle of the 20th century, gold has been used to cure various diseases. Tuberculosis was first thought to be a hereditary disease, until the German medical researcher Robert Koch (1843 - 1910) proved that the disease was caused by a bacterium, which in 1905 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for 5). And since the experiment of different gold salts since the late 1800’s to fight bacteria, one could then effectively fight tuberculosis when it was confirmed that it was caused by the bacterium “Mycobacterium tuberculosis” 6) 7).
In 1879, the British physician, homeopath and author James Compton
Burnett (1840-1901) published a long dissertation on the use of gold in medicine. And he emphasized that gold could be used against various diseases, including neurological and glandular diseases, as well as against epilepsy, heart disease, sterility and uterine diseases. And as a homeo- path, he also noted that the father of homeopath, Samuel Hahnemann
3 of 11 (1775-1843), had referred to some thirty authors during the period 1698- 1730, who had praised gold as a valuable remedy for depression. Burnett also noticed the toxic effects of gold chloride, and as a homeopath he recommended low concentrations - 2 to 6 mg per day 45).
The German-Swiss physician Hermann Eichorst (1849-1921), in a book he
published in 1886, mentions how the gold salt of gold chloride can be used (together with other substances) against asthma in people who have nervous problems 46).
In the medical textbook "A Compend of Materia Medica", author Potter
describes how gold should be prepared and used as a mixture of gold chloride and sodium chloride in equal parts in solid form, with the dosage 1/30 to 1/10 gram in either pill form or in solution. He writes there that gold is reminiscent of mercury. And that in small doses it increases appetite and facilitates digestion, stimulates brain functions and gives a clear mental arousal, a feeling of well-being. It also acts as aphrodisiac in both sexes. But in too high a dose it causes nausea and vomiting, irritates the glands, increases the amount of saliva, urine and menstrual blood and causes fever. And further describes how poisoning of gold chloride should be treated.
From the late 1800’s until the modern era, gold chloride was used to try to cure alcoholism, a method known as "Keely's cure" or "gold cure", after the American physician Leslie Keeley (1879 - 1965) and his "Keely Institute", which offered treatment against alcoholism until 1975 8). And the medical use of gold and gold salts received a special designation such as "chrysotherapy" or "auro therapy". And the visible side effects were also given a special name, namely "Chrysiasis", which meant that the skin was given a purple-gray color of excessive salt salts, partly similar to "Argyria" in the case of silver salts 9).
In the early 1900’s, colloidal gold was used for diagnosis of liver function and for analysis of spinal fluid 7). Gold has also been used since the
4 of 11 beginning of the 20th century against rheumatic diseases, introduced by the French physician Jacques Forestier (1890 - 1978), who used gold salt 10).
The American physician Guy Abraham has since (1997) shown that colloidal gold can be used as an alternative to gold salts, since they function effectively in the treatment of rheumatism, and this without having the toxic effects that gold salts have otherwise. The study was conducted on a study of 10 patients who were allowed to drink colloidal gold for 24 weeks for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and the result was that 9 of the 10 showed marked improvements 11).
In a 1977 study, trace elements, including gold, were measured in the
uterine mucosa (endometrium and decidua) in order to see some cyclic variations incl. during pregnancy. Knowing that there were such cyclic variations for sodium, potassium and copper, it was noted that such variations also applied to gold (as well as to several other elements). It was concluded that the concentration of gold was lowest between menstruation and highest in and around menstruation 43).
The same doctor, Guy Abraham, together with colleagues in a study in
1998, showed that colloidal gold positively affects cognitive ability, with intelligence (IQ) increasing by 20% in subjects 12).
Other clinical studies confirm that colloidal gold has a positive effect on rheumatic diseases 15) 16) 17).
It has also been shown that colloidal gold has a positive effect on both mental and physical performance 18).
In addition, there are a number of different studies that show that
colloidal gold has a positive effect on aging in terms of learning ability 19)
20) 21) 22).
5 of 11 Since the 1980s, colloidal gold has been used in molecular biology, and is used today for, for example, pregnancy tests, and as a trace element when using electron microscope (TEM and SEM) 14).
Modern studies also show that gold in nanoparticle form has a therapeutic effect for the treatment of diabetes 23) 24).
In a 1984 study, it was found that gold showed indications of being an
important trace element in a similar way as iron, magnesium, copper and zinc, because it was found in the hair of newborns 25).
Studies also show that gold nanoparticles have an anti-inflammatory
effect 26) 27).
Further studies have shown that gold in nanoparticle form has good effects against cancer in various forms 28). And that they also are useful for detecting cancerous tumors, as they attach themselves to these cells to a greater extent than others 29) 30) 31) 32) 33) 34).
It is also proven that gold nanoparticles act as a catalyst for many chemi- cal reactions, as it is the only metal that has a so-called. “endothermic chemisorption energy”, which means that it does not bind oxygen 35). This shows that gold in nanoparticle form that is ingested is not consumed by chemical reactions in the body, but can act as a catalyst and thus facilitate various chemical reactions in the body.
In a 2015 study with rodents, colloidal gold were given orally, it was found that activation and adaptation of the immune system occurred, through an increase in production of various types of white blood cells (whose task is to destroy bacteria, parasites, dead cells, etc.). It was the amount of white blood cells of the type phagocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes that increased 36).
6 of 11 In a 2015 study 37), it has been shown that phytochemically stabilized colloidal gold speeds up the healing process of wounds in rats. The healing process was 4 times faster, and it was also possible to detect an increase of the substance collagen in the skin. Phytochemical refers to chemical processes that occur naturally in plants, and there are over 4000 different so-called phytochemicals, including carotenes and flavonides.
Another new study from 2015 38) shows that gold nanoparticles inhibit the so-called the metal proteinase without having a toxic effect. The metal proteinase consumes collagen, so the inhibitory effect reduces the break- down of collagen. Metal proteinase is a process involving enzymes and metal ions, which in different ways affects specific cells and their func- tions. Collagen is a protein found in mammalian tissues, and makes up between 25% to 35% of all protein in our body, especially in support tissues such as skin, cartilage, blood vessels and tendons. If the collagen decreases or its structure breaks down, it produces a weakened tissue with an increased risk of bleeding.
It has been widely recognized that gold nanoparticles have beneficial
biological properties, including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. But it has also been shown that gold in nanoparticle form has a protective effect against atopic asthma in mice 39). It was shown that gold nanoparticles distributed nasally reduced the allergens by 70% - 100%, and limited the production of cytokines, the small proteins that act as signal carriers to activate the immune system in inflammation. As a result, mucus formation decreased.
In a 1998 study of the use of gold in two traditional Indian medical
traditions - Ayurveda and Unani 40), they were compared to a modern drug based on gold (Auranofin, used for rheumatic diseases) in rats. And it was concluded that both the two traditional Indian medicines with gold as well as the modern medicine had pain-relieving properties. It was also noted that the analgesic effect of the two traditional Indian drugs could be partially limited if the rats were given the drug Naloxone (a so-called
7 of 11 opiate antagonist that blocks the effect of opiates) in advance, but this did not happen for the modern drug. And it was then assumed that gold is involved in the body's opiod receptors.
In a study published in February 2020 48), animal experiments with forced
multiple sclerosis (MS) have shown that gold nanoparticles act as a catalyst, thereby speeding up a particular type of brain glial cells (oligo- dendrocytes) that develop the protective myelin sheaths that exist around neuron axon (nerve fibers) in the nervous system. In MS, the myelin is attacked by the immune system, which impairs signal transmission, leads to axonal death and ultimately neurological dysfunction. And this discov- ery could thus mean that colloidal gold can be used therapeutically for multiple sclerosis.
To be continued…
References:
1) Mahdihassan S. “Cinnabar-gold as the best alchemical drug of longevity, called
makaradhwaja in India.” Am J Chinese Med, 1985; 13:93-108.
2) Higby GJ. “Gold in medicine, A review of its use in the West before 1900.” Gold
Bulletin, 1982; 15:130-140.
3) Weiser HB. Inorganic Colloidal Gold Chemistry. Wiley, New York, 1933; 1:21-57.
4) Faraday MX. “The Bakerian Lecture — Experimental relations of gold (and other
metals) to light.” Phil Trans R Soc Lond, 1857; 147:145-181.
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Koch.
6) William O. Foye; Thomas L. Lemke; David A. Williams (1 September 2007). Foye's
principles of medicinal chemistry. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 989–
. ISBN 978-0-7817-6879-5. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
7) Maclagan NF. “The preparation and use of colloidal gold sols as diagnostic
40) Bajaj, S., & Vohora, S. B. (1998). Analgesic activity of gold preparations used
in Ayurveda & Unani-Tibb. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 108, 104-11.
41) Fricker, S. P. (1996). Medical uses of gold compounds: past, present and
future. Gold Bulletin, 29, 53-60.
42) Temkin, O. (1971). The falling sickness. A history of epilepsy from the Greeks
to the beginnings of modern neurology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
43) Hagenfeldt, K., Landgren, B. M., Plantin, L. O., & Diczfalusy, E. (1977). Trace
elements in the human endometrium and decidua. Acta Endocrinologica, 85,
406-414. 44) Niel, J. G., Chrestien, J. A. (1821). Recherches et observations sur les effets
des preparations d'or du dr. Chrestien dans le traitement de plusieurs
maladies, et notamment dans celui des maladies syphilitiques. Paris, Gabon: J. A. Chrestien. 45) Burnett, J. C. (1879). Gold as a remedy in disease, notably in some forms of
syphilis, skin disease, and as an antidote to the ill effects of mercury. London: Gould. 46) Eichhorst, H. (1886). Handbook of practical medicine. Volume 1. Diseases of
the circulatory and respiratory apparatus. New York: William Wood and Company. 47) Potter, S. O. L. (1894). A compend of materia medica, therapeutics, and
prescription writing, with especial reference to the physiological actions of
drugs. Sixth Edition 1902. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Sons & Co. 48) Robinson, A.P., Zhang, J.Z., Titus, H.E. et al. Nanocatalytic activity of
clean-surfaced, faceted nanocrystalline gold enhances remyelination in
10 of 11 animal models of multiple sclerosis. Sci Rep 10, 1936 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58709-w
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Instant ebooks textbook The Transmutations of Chymistry Wilhelm Homberg and the Académie Royale des Sciences 1st Edition Lawrence M Principe download all chapters
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