Ancient cultures revered gold for its divine powers. ​In ancient Egypt, gold was considered the skin of the gods--especially RA, the sun god.

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​Ancient Incans considered gold to be the sweat of the sun god Inti (and silver was considered to be the tears of the moon goddess Killa).
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Alchemists believed that gold represented the perfection of matter, and that its presence in the body would enliven and rejuvenate the life force energy.

Gold's chemical symbol, Au, is derived from the Latin aurum meaning "shining dawn". ​

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There are examples of the use of gold in dental applications as far back as The Etruscans in the seventh century BC who used gold wire to hold in place substitute teeth, usually from a cow or calf, when their own were damaged. As long ago as 1530 the first printed book on dentistry published in Leipzig recommended gold leaf for filling cavities. 

 

In 1618, Francisci Antonii, a philosopher and member of the medical profession, published a book called Panacea Aurea, sive tractatus duo de ipsius Auro Potabili (Latin: Gold Potion, or two treatments of potable gold), detailing the formation of potable gold and its medicinal uses.

​In 1656, English botanist Nicholas Culpepper discussed the medical uses of gold in his book Treatise of Aurum Potabile. ​

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​Colloidal Gold was first prepared in a pure state in 1857 by the distinguished English chemist, Michael Faraday. Many uses were found for the amazing solutions of "activated gold." 

In 1905, the German bacteriologist Robert Koch earned the Nobel Prize when he discovered gold cyanide inhibited growth of the bacillus that caused tuberculosis.

Doctors of the 1930s prescribed the Gold Cure (gold chloride) to treat alcoholism and addiction.

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In modern Western medicine, gold is still a key component used in pharmaceutical treatments for a range of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.