Gold.

Hi guys, we are going to start our series of blogs on the medicinal uses of geology with most people's favourite metal.....Gold!

In Classical times, gold was recommended by authors including Pliny, for use against warts, hemorrhoids, sores and ulcers, and was recommended by Dioscorides (ancient Greek physician 40 -90 AD) as an antidote to mercury poisoning.

In the medieval Arabic medical tradition, gold fillings were used by doctors including Avicenna, to combat bad breath, hair loss and melancholy, and as a means for cauterizing wounds. It's use expanded into medieval Europe to include treatments for Syncope (fainting), lassitude (lack of energy) and in various preparations to 'strengthen the heart'.

The highly popular Aurum Potabile ('drinkable gold') consisted of a fine suspension of gold in a suitable draught which was combined with a wide range of additional ingredients in a whole plethora of derivative medicines to treat a wide range of conditions, including paralysis!

(History of Medicine and Geology, Duffin et al, 2013. Photo courtesy of Google Images.)

Just recently, new properties of gold have been discovered that were previously unknown, as a key weapon in the fight against cancer. Researchers at Edinburgh University found that the precious metal increased the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer. The technique relies on gold's ability to accelerate reactions, and the findings suggest that the metal could be used to release drugs inside tumours very safely. (Daily Mail, July 2017.)

So, we here at The Emporium are excited about new healing methods which may be discovered in all sorts of previously unexplored elements, and we are committed to researching gold and other precious metals and to share our findings with you.

We'll keep the gold though.