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The word elixir is derived from the Arabic word ‘al-iksir’ that means “potion”. Though there was no evidence that a magic potion ever existed, alchemists continued their search for it for over a thousand years. In the seventh century A.D., the Arabs took control of Persia, North Africa, and Egypt. In the process, they were exposed to the culture and science of the Greeks who had previously ruled these areas. In the eighth century, an Arab popularly known as Geber proposed that the four Greek elements combined to form only two elements: Sulfur and Mercury. He further suggested that sulfur and mercury could combine to form other substances such as lead, which in turn could be converted into gold. He also believed that changing one substance into another required a mysterious potion that the Arabs called ‘Al-Iksir’, a term from which the word elixir has been coined. Geber’s experiments with various substances, as well as his search for a magic potion, eventually became the pseudoscience, known as Alchemy.There was no evidence that a magic potion ever existed, but alchemists continued their search for it for over a thousand years. Some alchemists dabbled in the supernatural powers and believed that a magic potion would have miraculous healing powers that bestow immortality, just as others believed that a magic potion could convert base metals into gold.Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim was born in Europe in 1493. As an adult, he took the name Paracelsus after the Roman Celsus who had written a complete history of Greek science. Paracelsus became a powerful and influential alchemist who instead of being interested in transmuting lead into gold, wanted to discover medicines to cure diseases. He did much to influence other physicians to treat ailments using natural and synthetic drugs. Paracelsus used to practice drugs first on himself and write prescriptions that included opium for pain and poisonous mercury and antimony substances for other ailments.More than anything, Paracelsus desired immortality and searched constantly for a mystical elixir of life. At one point he even claimed to have found it and proclaimed “he would live forever”. Although he was mistaken as instead of being immortal, he died at an early age (before 50). Nevertheless, he did leave a medical legacy. Paracelsus recognized that coal mining was associated with lung disease, and noted that head injuries produced paralysis. Moreover, he correctly diagnosed that an abnormal thyroid caused mental and physiological imbalances.

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