There were 2 1 emperors in the 290 years from the establishment to the demise of the Tang Dynasty. 2 1 emperor, at least 5 of them died because of taking Dan medicine poisoning. They are Emperor Taizong, Xianzong, Mu Zong, Wuzong and Xuanzong.
In his later years, due to his serious illness, Emperor Taizong took the "life-prolonging medicine" refined by alchemist Zhong Tianzhu, which aggravated his illness and died at the age of 50. Tang Xianzong is also a good emperor 2. He tried to revive the Tang Dynasty, but in his forties, he searched for the secret of immortality. Xianzong could not go to court for several months because he was poisoned by taking Dan medicine. Although he was finally killed by eunuchs, if he was not killed, he would not last long; After Tang Muzong ascended the throne, he punished the alchemist who refined Dan medicine for Xianzong, but later, he made the same mistake, took Dan medicine and died of poisoning at the age of 30. After taking Dan medicine, Wu Zong's fever was unbearable, his temper became moody, and he could not speak for ten days before his death. He was in his thirties when he died. Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was a relatively successful emperor in the late Tang Dynasty and was known as "Little Taizong". Immediately after he acceded to the throne, he insisted on killing Zhao Guizhen, XuanYuanJi and others who poisoned Wu Zong at that time. But later, he also began to take elixirs. Because the poisoning is too deep, pustules have grown on my back. Finally, Xuanzong took the poison at that time and set foot on the yellow road.
In addition to the above five, several emperors in the Tang Dynasty were also obsessed with Dan medicine. Tang Gaozong once took Dan medicine in Yao Kai for two years; Wu Zetian took the Dan medicine of Taoist Hu Huichao in his later years; Tang Xuanzong also ordered Taoist priests to watch an alchemist in Songyang. After the Anshi rebellion retreated to the emperor's father, Xuanzong still remembered the burning of alchemy medicine in the golden furnace. Scholars in the late Tang Dynasty also took medicine. However, after taking the pills refined by Zheng Zhu, his condition improved. I don't know if it's true or not.
In addition to the pursuit of immortality, it is said that another important reason is that the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were obsessed with Dan medicine one after another. The royal family in Li Tang has a genetic disease called "wind disease". It is clearly recorded in Historical Records that people suffering from this disease are Gaozu, Taizong, Gaozong, Shunzong, Mu Zong, Wenzong and Xuanzong. Wind disease, now called stroke, has a sudden onset and a high mortality rate. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Wu Zetian was able to master state affairs because Emperor Gaozong suffered from wind disease, which made it difficult for him to manage government affairs for a long time.
In fact, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty used Dan medicine to treat diseases, which also had a lot to do with the level of medical knowledge at that time. Because alchemy also belongs to the category of medical exploration in ancient times, the famous doctors Ge Hong, Tao Hongjing and Sun Simiao before the Tang Dynasty were also alchemists. Ge Hong's medical work "The Inner Chapter of Bao Puzi" is divided into two volumes: "Zedan" and "Huangbai", which specifically describes and summarizes how to make an alchemy. Tao Hongjing has been engaged in alchemy experiments for more than 20 years all his life, and has written many alchemy monographs such as He Dan Fa and Jin Ji Fang. Sun Simiao's Money Into Fang Yao also contains a lot of alchemy. Because these famous doctors have a high reputation in history, many people are more convinced of Dan medicine. The theoretical basis of refining Dan medicine by ancient famous doctors is "seeking external things to strengthen oneself". They think that people are fragile, and if they want to live forever, they must find an immortal and stable drug as a support. An elixir refined from natural minerals such as lead sand, sulfur and mercury. Will not be refined in fire, immortal in soil for a thousand years, and will not rot in water for a thousand years. If it can be absorbed by the human body, it will play a role in strengthening the body. This theory sounds easy to deceive.
Traditional medicine in China is gradually formed through long-term experience accumulation, which is a process of trial and error. When the emperor took Dan medicine, it was actually the alchemist who tried and made mistakes with the emperor's body. In this sense, the death of the emperor played a little role in improving the medical cognition level of the ancients. In addition, in medicine, although alchemy was misled and completely failed, long-term alchemy activities promoted the development of ancient chemistry. An alchemist made the world-famous black powder by observing and experimenting with the phenomenon of mixed combustion of sulfur, saltpeter and carbon.