SHILAJIT
Sacred Soma of the Alchemists
by Dr. Michael Hartman
Ancient Sanskrit holy texts, over 3,000 years old, make reference to a mysterious substance called shilajit, which they describe as the "destroyer of weakness." The texts list its powerful health and spiritual benefits and the positive changes that shilajit brought in the lives of those who used it. The sacred substance was prescribed for thousands of years for many different health problems and became a powerful tool in Ayurvedic medicine. There is some indication that shilajit may have been the priceless soma of the Eastern alchemists.
The rediscovery of the power of shilajit is said to have been made by Himalayan villagers observing large white monkeys migrate to the mountains in the warm summer months. The monkeys were seen to be chewing a semi-soft substance that flowed from between layers of rock. The villagers attributed the monkey’s great strength, longevity and wisdom to the strange substance. They began to consume it themselves and reported a broad spectrum of improvements in health. It seemed to give them more energy, relieve digestive problems, Increase sex drive, improve memory and cognition, improve diabetes, reduce allergies, improve the quality and quantity of life and it seemed to cure all diseases.
The ancient Vedic text Rig Veda states that soma "has mountains and stones for its body" and "dwells within the mountainous rock where it grows." Mountainous rocks are the "abode of soma," and it is "plucked from between the rocks by mountain dwellers and brought to the priests-alchemists who prepared the soma by washing and grinding and cooking." Soma was considered the elixir of immortality, the secret substance used by alchemists to perfect both body and mind.
Summary of Scientific Studies of Shilajit
Over sixty years of clinical research have shown that shilajit has positive effects on humans. It increases longevity, improves memory and cognitive ability, reduces allergies and respiratory problems, reduces stress, and relieves digestive troubles. It is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and eliminates free radicals. The research proves that shilajit increases immunity, strength, and endurance, and lives up to its ancient reputation as the "destroyer of weakness."
Technically, shilajit is an exudate that is pressed out from layers of rock in the most sacred and highest mountains in Nepal and other areas. It is composed of humus and organic plant material that has been compressed by layers of rock. Humus is formed when soil microorganisms decompose animal and plant material into elements usable by plants. Plants are the source of all our food and humus is the source of plant food. Unlike other soil humus, shilajit humus consists of 60-80% organic mass.
About 200 million years ago, India was a large island off the Australian coast separated from the Eurasian continent by the Tethys Sea. The Indian continent drifted north at a rate of about 9 meters a century. This movement lead to the eventual disappearance of the Tethys sea. Fifty million years ago, the Indian continent collided with the Asian continent. This caused the sea bed of the Tethys sea to be pushed up and keep moving up to eventually form the Himalayan mountains. The Himalayan mountains continue to rise more than 1 Centimeter a year. During this transition the mineral rich and fertile soil of the sea bed gave rise to a lush and dense tropical jungle. As the ground continued to be pushed up to become mountains a lot of the plants became trapped by layers of rock and soil and remained preserved for thousands of years. These plants had never been exposed to any chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides. They are gradually transformed into humus, a rich organic mass that is food for new plant life.
What are humic substances? They are the sum total of all once living organisms, mostly plants, disassembled by nature’s brilliant decomposition and recycling processes, then highly refined by millions of species of beneficial soil-based microorganisms. Ultimately, microscopic plants such as yeast, algae, mold, fungi, etc., finish up the process. These tiny beneficial plants refine, purify, combine, and re-refine, until tons of once-living matter are converted to pounds and ounces. Yet miraculously, when it is all said and done, the end product is not inert basic "dead" mineral elements, but is transformed into the world’s most complex and ultra-compact molecules. Even the nucleic acids, RNA and DNA, of the earlier life-forms remains intact. The molecules are ultra-condensed and highly functional, rolled up into tight little balls that are supercharged biochemical and phytochemical powerplants, similar to storage batteries or fuel cells. Where did this supercharged power come from? It is sunshine light energy captured during plant photosynthesis, and through decomposition it is converted and stored within the interior of the world’s most refined and complex molecules.
Humic substances are considered nature's own best medicine for plants, animals, humans, and the Earth itself. This lowly soil substance has the ability to clean up the Earth’s environment, neutralize radiation and deadly toxins, heal the agricultural lands, fuel the spark of life in living organisms, disarm and kill infectious pathogens, destroy the deadliest viruses, prevent most, if not all diseases, and even cure and restore diseased and damaged tissues and organs in plants, animals, and man.
Buckminster Fuller, one of America’s best known thinkers of the twentieth century, helps us to understand plant energy accumulation from photosynthesis. Visualize if you will, a log burning in the fireplace. When asked "what is fire" Buckminster explained, in a rather lengthy discourse, that fire is the Sun’s radiation unwinding, each growth-ring of the tree’s log representing a year. He explained that many years of the Sun’s flame winding through the sky, absorbed by the tree through photosynthesis, is now unwinding in the burning log. With a log of firewood, lump of coal, oil, natural gas, or gasoline, all of which are remnants of once living plants, it is easy to see and understand solar energy storage and release. With the humic substances, it is not so clear to see because they don’t readily burn.
Humic substances are found in rich humus soil in trace amounts. They are also found in massive ancient plant deposits, never truly fossilized, still remaining completely organic. What makes their stored solar energy so different? The key is found in nature’s decomposition and refining process. The energy is converted into a different form. Coal, oil, tar, natural gas, and uranium deposits, all are "dead" inorganic remnants of ancient plants. Uranium mines, just like coal mines and tar pits, also have fossilized trees, leaves, and dinosaur bones, all remnants of ancient life turned to rock.
Uranium ore is rock, and doesn’t burn, or does it? Ponder how a few pounds of seemingly inert refined uranium ore has the power to fuel the reactor in a nuclear power plant, or become an atomic bomb. Where is all of that energy stored? The power is deep within complex molecules, and is released through nuclear fission, the splitting of the atom’s nucleus. Could there be a similarity to the seemingly inert humic substances? Humic substances are not radioactive, but quickly and effectively neutralize radiation. This is well established and extensively documented. Where does that nuclear energy go? Could it be that controlled nuclear fusion is taking place, the joining of atoms’ nuclei?
It is certain that a different form of equally intense latent solar light energy is found deep within the humic substance molecules. The many rare earth superconductor elements that humic substances contain may provide some clues. Humic substances have the amazing power to molecularly bond with, and transform, other molecules and substances, liquefying them, making them smaller, more condensed, and energizing them. A tremendous, well controlled fusion or fusing power certainly exists.
With Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis, scientists can see and untangle complex organic molecules, categorizing similar portions of the highly complex molecules into functional groups, which relate to more commonly known substances. This allows us to discover the many valuable components hidden in the complex humic molecular structures. The varieties of smaller, more recognizable, molecules found within the highly complex humic molecules, read like the "who’s who" of the many pharmaceutical and nutritional breakthroughs of the last century. Many of the substances are the current focus of the most promising ongoing medical and health research studies.
In a nutshell, humic substances consist of an immense arsenal and array of powerful phytochemicals, biochemicals, supercharged antioxidants, free-radical scavengers, super oxide dismutases, nutrients, enzymes, hormones, amino acids, antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, etc. Many of the substances that make up humic matter have yet to be discovered and catalogued among the known and documented organic chemicals.
Due to microbial action and the tremendous pressure from the weight of the Himalayan mountains, the ancient humus was transformed into a dense, viscous, mineral rich mass. This is shilajit. The trapped layers of shilajit become exposed due to the freezing winters, hot summer sun and erosion from monsoon rains. Shilajit will “flow” out from between the cracks in the layers of rock during the summer when the temperature of the mountains gets warm enough and the shilajit becomes less viscous. The native Nepali people them climb the mountains, repel down cliffs to collect the magical substance.
The therapeutic actions of the raw material vary by the region it is harvested from. There are other substances that contain humic and fulvic acids, but true shilajit has a very important therapeutic, bioactive ingredient that is not present in other "shilajit-like" substances. The authenticity and therapeutic quality of shilajit is identified by the inclusion of oxygenated di-benzo alpha pyrones. While there are several areas from which the raw material is collected, the highest levels of therapeutic ingredients come from specific areas in the mountains at 10,000-12,000 feet above sea level. Historic records report that these “sacred” mountains produce the best shilajit. The processing of the raw Shilajit is very important as it contains free radicals and may also contain mycotoxins and fungal toxins. The processing removes these free radicals, polymeric quinone radicals, toxins, mycotoxins, and other inactive ingredients.
(Dr. Michael Hartman)
Known for thousands of years as a rejuvenator of the whole body, shilajit has garnered a fairly significant body of research for its impact on various body systems. So, before writing it off for its odd appearance, you should take a read into what it may be able to do for you.
Shilajit Benefits
Provides Energy and Revitalization
For millennia, practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have prescribed shilajit toboost energy and revitalize the body. Because of the level of importance these natural doctors put on this supplement, the body of confirmed scientific research on it is growing steadily.
One way shilajit helps provide the body with energy is the way it increases the function of mitochondria within the body. Mitochondria are organelles that serve as the “power source” of cells in the body because they convert oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the substance that actually powers body cells. Shilajit encourages the function of mitochondria, helping them oxygenate more efficiently. (1) Not only does it help mitochondrial function on its own, but it’s been found to create a powerful effect on mitochondrial oxygenation when combined with supplementedCoQ10, an antioxidant naturally found in all human cells. (2)
As this substance helps increase the production of ATP, it increases overall energy and stamina. In fact, it’s commonly used to enhance athletic performance. (3) Chronic fatigue syndrome, a disorder classified by at least six months of inescapable fatigue, has been successfully treated with shilajit supplementation, also evidenced by the way it enhances mitochondrial function. (4)
In addition to mitochondrial efficacy, this herb revitalizes the body with its strong antioxidant properties. By fighting disease-causing free radicals, it repairs internal damage to the body caused by chemicals and other dangerous agents you’re exposed to, and it reduces the levels of fat in the blood. (5)Promotes Brain Health
Shilajit seems to have a targeted mechanism for protecting brain cells in particular. Initial studies show it has “distinct and marked neuroprotective activity.” (6) In a 2013 study conducted by the Physiology Research Center at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in Iran on the effects of shilajit on risk factors following a traumatic brain injury, researchers discovered that it has positive effects on the three most indicative factors of death following traumatic brain injury: brain edema, blood-brain barrier permeability and intracranial pressure. (7)
This incredible nutrient may also present a novel treatment option for patients suffering from mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease. The presence of fulvic acid and a treatment protocol including administration with B complex vitamins have shown promising results in pilot studies. (8)
In addition, shilajit exhibits anti-epileptic properties and potentially antipsychotic effects, as it adjusts GABA levels (a naturally occurring acid in the brain) to normal. (9)Regulates Hormones and Immune System
Another important function of shilajit is the way it regulates various body systems, such as your immune system and the balance of hormones. Many researchers agree that it impacts so much of the body because of the way it helps these systems remain in equilibrium. (10)
In particular, shilajit affects reproductive hormone functions. In healthy males, supplementation increases blood testosterone and encourages the production of sperm. (11) When tested in pilot studies involving rats, it was also associated with ovulation in adult female rats, indicating that shilajit powder or resin may be an agent to consider for those struggling withinfertility. (12)Alleviates Pain Response
Ayurvedic medicine has long praised shilajit for its ability to reduce pain levels, but research has been limited until the last few years. Because of its interaction with GABA levels in the brain, this herb has a significant effect on orofacial pain (pain of the face, mouth or jaws), acting as a “sedating agent.” (13) A 2015 study on mice found it to relieve and lessen chronic pain over the course of time, dependent on the size of the dose. (14)
One feature that I’ll discuss more in depth in a moment is its interaction with medications. Regarding pain, shilajit interacts positively with morphine, minimizing the buildup of tolerance to morphine and, therefore, reducing the amount of this medication that one in serious pain would need to introduce into his or her system for effective pain relief. (15)May Help Manage Diabetes
Those with diabetes may be interested to know that shilajit can help reduce blood glucose and lipid profiles in diabetes patients, especially when taken in conjunction with diabetes medications. (16, 17)
Shilajit is a main ingredient in a supplement known as D-400, Diabecon or GlucoCare. This supplement is designed to combine the most powerful Ayurvedic natural treatments into one pill. D-400 reduces blood glucose levels and shows potential to repair damage to the pancreas caused by diabetes. (18)Helps Prevent and Protect from Cancer
Fascinatingly, shilajit has been found to be toxic to various of types of cancers, including lung, breast, colon, ovarian and liver cancer. Some researchers attribute its toxicity to these cancer to the presence and combination of heavy metals in the substance, making it a potential natural cancer treatment. (19)
Also related to cancer is the ability shilajit has to protect certain body systems from dangerous radiation damage. A June 2016 study published in the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics found that it greatly protected ovaries from radiation-related damage. (20)Fights Inflammation and Viruses
As part of a diet designed to fight disease-causing inflammation, you may want to consider using shilajit. Research finds that it’s effective in healing and preventing gastric ulcers and reducing the inflammation related to them. (21, 22)
Not only does it help alleviate inflammation, but it has “broad, yet specific” antiviral properties. One Italian lab study found significant antiviral activity against a number of herpes-related viruses and HRSV, a virus that causes respiratory tract infections, especially in children. (23)Supports Skeletal Health
Shilajit may even improve the health of your skeletal system. There is initial evidence that it helps bones regenerate, protecting from and slowing the process of osteoporosis. (24) In a study of obese patients published in theJournal of Medicinal Food, supplementation greatly improved the function and regeneration of skeletal muscles. (25)Good for the Heart and Blood
By exercising its antioxidant “muscles,” shilajit has been shown to protect the heart against damage resulting from drug-induced injury. A study published in Cardiovascular Toxicology performed on rats found that subjects given shilajit had less lasting damage visible on the heart. (26)
The herb is also effective in treating anemia because of the high presence of iron found in one dose.
Preliminary research also indicates that shilajit can help, in certain doses, regulate heart rate. In smaller doses, it may lower a speeding heart rate. However, in large doses, it may have the opposite effect. If you have issues with irregular heartbeat or other heart-related problems, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning supplementation. (27)Aids in Breaking Addictions
Because of its unique interaction with other drug substances, shilajit has a profound effect on the process of breaking addiction. When given to patients coming down from opioids, it reduces the actual addiction and minimizes withdrawal symptoms, better in many cases than common medications given to break dependence. (28)
Similarly, this medicinal “herb” reduces addiction to alcohol and greatly diminishes the withdrawal experienced by alcoholics who stop drinking. (29) It’s not surprising, then, that Eastern medicine has advised its use to break addiction for centuries.
Shilajit Nutrition Facts
Known by many names, shilajit is also called mineral pitch, mineral wax, black asphaltum, Asphaltum punjabianum (in Latin), shargai, dorobi, barahshin, baragshun, mumlai, brag zhun, chao-tong, wu ling zhi, baad-a-ghee, and arkhar-tash and mumiyo (variably transliterated as mumijo, mumio, momia, and moomiyo).
It’s a tar-like substance (known as a biomass) found in the Himalayan and Tibet Mountains. As lush forests were compacted as mountains arose, shilajit was formed. When the temperatures rise around these Indian mountains, this tar-like medical miracle substance oozes from crevices within the mountains. Ranging from yellowish-brown to pure black in color, the black variety is considered the most nutritional.
It’s not clear if shilajit is a purely biological or geological substance, as it does have a high presence of nutrients found in both categories. Some of the most often recognized nutrients within it are fulvic acid, humic acids and dibenzo alpha pyrones.
Although it’s likely that various types and brands contain different concentrations of some vitamins and minerals, this breakdown of the nutritional content of one brand helps give a starting point for the amounts of common minerals you might find. It’s commonly stated that shilajit, in pure form, contains about 85 different vitamins and minerals.
PURBLACK is a Premium Shilajit Resin (paste) is a naturally formed organic-mineral complex, compounded of many biologically active substances. In many traditional holistic systems, in particular Ayurveda as well as conventional Eastern European medicine, Shilajit is considered to be a supreme healing substance. Traditionally it was used not only to heal multiple conditions and improve overall health, but also used in combination with other herbal formulations, to increase their efficacy.
Our unique manufacturing technology allows the heat sensitive bioactive compounds to remain intact.
Genuine shilajit is very well researched and validated by the modern day science. There are multiple research papers available through PubMed.gov
The health benefits of Shilajit have been known for thousands of years. Modern scientific research has confirmed, explained and validated these powerful benefits. PürBlack Shilajit is a top-grade Resin, qualified for inclusion in a new category of superfoods: Biogenic Catalysts.
