Actually, there are gold and silver solutions that are sold to be injested (drank). They're very good for the immune system and the skin, I believe.
My grandmother had crippling arthritis since she was in her 20s and my grandparents spent 50 years trying every cureall that came down the road. I well remember cases of alfalfa capsules... Actually gold shots were the only one of those quack cures that accomplished anything and they did giver noticeable relief for a year or so.
The amount of gold used thusly is miniscule, of course. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------