Who hasn't heard of the elixir of life? Maybe the elixir of healing, or even wisdom? These mysterious potions and mixtures seem to have the magical ability to cure all that ails you...but what are they really? An elixir is simply medicine, or it can be an herbal supplement, but these things tend to taste quite nasty. In order to mask the taste of these cure alls, alcohol and sweet flavoring
. was often added. Cough syrup would be a wonderful example of a pharmaceutical elixir. Usually containing an active pain killer like morphine, this type can become highly addictive.
