Golden Pill Makes Your Poop Glitter

I recently stumbled down a wild internet rabbit hole and found something I had to share. You know that old phrase, “he’s got money coming out the wazoo”? Well, it turns out you can make that literally, sparklingly true.

There’s a product out there that is a capsule dipped in gold and filled with 24-karat gold leaf, designed for one purpose: to make your poop glitter.

So, What’s the Real Story Behind This Golden Pill?

While it might seem like a new viral trend, this shiny little object has been around for a while. It wasn’t just a product, but a piece of art. The “Gold Pill” was created way back in 2005 by a collaboration between the late artist Tobias Wong and a design label called Ju$tAnotherRichKid.

They released it as part of a collection called “Indulgences,” which aimed to poke fun at the absurd world of luxury goods. It was sold for years through a high-end design shop, the Citizen Citizen gallery, before the gallery closed.

The Big Question: Is It Actually Safe to Swallow Gold?

My first thought was, “Is this even safe?” After doing some digging, the answer is surprisingly, yes. Pure 24-karat gold is chemically inert. That means your body doesn’t absorb it, and it just passes right through your digestive system.

You’ve probably seen gold leaf on fancy desserts or in drinks like Goldschläger. The European Food Safety Authority even designates edible gold leaf with the food additive code E175. However, this safety approval only applies to pure, edible-grade gold.

A Critical Warning: This is not the same as craft glitter. You should never, ever eat regular glitter. It’s often made of plastic, glass, or other toxic materials that can be incredibly harmful if ingested.

Why on Earth Would Someone Pay $425 for This?

Here’s the part that really gets me. This single pill was sold for $425. When you digest that price, you realize it was never about the function, it was about the statement.

The entire point of the “Indulgences” line was to create over-the-top luxury items to critique our obsession with wealth. As the original product description once stated, it was for the man who has everything and wants to take his consumption to a new level. It’s the ultimate conversation piece.

Cheaper Alternatives for the Aspiring Glitterati

If you’re not ready to flush a few hundred dollars down the toilet, there are other novelty “glitter pills” out there. These are very different from the original art piece, as they use non-toxic, food-grade glitter instead of precious metal.

Here’s a quick comparison:

While cheaper, many sellers of these novelty pills still advise they are for decorative purposes and not for consumption, so it’s always best to be careful.

My Final Take

So, besides making your poop sparkle, there really is no practical point to the Gold Pill. But as a piece of art that makes you think about wealth and waste, I have to admit, it’s pretty brilliant.

It’s one of the weirdest and most wonderful things I’ve ever found online. If you ever had $425 to digest just for the story, this was certainly one way to do it.