The medicines and cosmetics of China's ancient ancestors also often contain small traces of heavy metals. For example, cinnabar, which was used as a sedative, contained a portion of mercury, while small amounts of arsenic could lighten the skin.
中國老祖先的藥材與胭脂裡也常含有微量重金屬，例如具鎮靜安神療效的「朱砂」，就有水銀成分；少量的砷能使皮膚更漂亮。