In 1500s France, a common anti-aging medicine included stuff like spider webs, earthworms, frogspawn, and scorpion oil. But the mistress of King Henry II chose a costlier way to stay young—she took "drinkable gold," which was said to harness the power of the sun.In reality, Diane's beauty was also due to good genes and level of exercise as she loved riding horses, hunting, and going on daily swims. She was notorious in the court,wielding a lot of influence and power.
When Henry was critically hurt during a jousting tournament, his lance had her ribbon tied around it, instead of a token from his wife. This meant that the king had been fighting for Diane's honor, and his wife was so enraged that she kept Diane from his deathbed and funeral.Diane died at age 66, two years after breaking her leg in a riding accident. The drinkable gold left her with a fashionable anaemic paleness and weak bones. Upon reburial, her hair was examined to find gold 500 times above normal levels, along with mercury—an ingredient in the elixir.
