Shilajit Articles

All right, let’s start off by saying I am the most skeptical person in the world. I question everything – especially ‘natural’ solutions to the world’s most common ailments. I believe there is nothing better than a couple of Advil and a steaming cup of tea for any ailment. Well, until now.

I’m pretty stubborn; I don’t put too much stock in something a friend starts talking about after he’s had a few drinks at the Halloween party. Remember, ever the skeptic. Until I started listening to him about Shilajit. If this stuff is half as good as my friend was saying, then it’s pretty darn potent. I needed to do some research.

What is this stuff?

Shilajit, in Sanskrit, means: conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness. That’s enough to get anyone interested if you say it with any sort of emphasis. Consequently, Shilajit is found in the mountains and crevices of the Himalayas, but similar substances have been found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan and even in some of the more remote south-central regions of the former Soviet Union.

When your momma says you should eat your vegetables, I doubt she had a gummy resin in mind. That’s essentially what Shilajit is – broken down compounds in the vegetation found at different levels of the

mountainside. If you were after organic remedies, this one is sure to fit the bill.

As a plant breaks down, its natural organic makeup decomposes and filters its way into the cracks and fissures of the rocky surface. Add that to the natural sap and juice following the organic material, whatever is seeping from the rocks and you have a potent organic mixture. Then, in the summer months it is essentially baked under the hot sun until it burbles its way to the surface in the form of achestnut or dark red resin. Then locals collect the hardened compound, or they collect the gummy material as it flows from the rocks and cracks.

Really, in spite of a great deal of research, that’s the closest anyone can get to describing how Shilajit originates. We’ll leave the chemistry to the chemists – but I can tell you Shilajit is powerful – and instead of talking carbon chains and bringing out our periodic table of elements – I’ll just tell what this stuff does.

Note: The following information is actually backed up by scientific study!

Plant power

Shilajit, because of its organic decomposition is considered humus – organically compiled soils resulting from residues in a plant that have lost their original structure and decomposed along with other outside elements (found in their habitat). The primary active element that comes out of this decomposition and eventual combination of elements is something called fulvic acid. That’s the active ingredient in Shilajit – and should not be confused with Folic Acid.

Fulvic acids are created from natural plant deposits and provide the human body with amazing properties. To sum up what fulvic acid does for the body is probably not doing it the justice it deserves – but it allows the cells in your body to function at a significantly higher level.

Anti-oxidants are a buzz word in pharmacology these days, and fulvic acid is packed with them. Alongside the anti-oxidants are all the biochemicals, phytochemicals, free-radical destroyers, nutrients, enzymes, aminos, etc, etc, that your body needs. OK, OK, I know, this is information overload – and you hear this from every sexy new organic product on the market.

The difference with the chemical make up of this (remember, backed by extensive science), is that it not only has these vital ingredients, but because of the organic makeup of the compound, it actually increases the ability of cells to absorbs nutrients, including many important trace elements that the body needs to function at an optimum level. You don’t have to be a doctor to know that if the cells can absorb more of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and other trace elements, they are going to work more efficiently. When 99% of Americans are deficient in minerals and trace elements (U.S. Senate Study), it’s obvious that anyone can improve their health by improving the absorption of these important elements. That’s what Shilajit does – in an exponential way.

Uses for Shilajit

Combing through the research, I was blown away to find that actual medical studies have been conducted on the effect Shilajit had on: diabetes, immunodeficiency, obesity, tumors, digestion, ulcers, dehydration, metabolism, electrolytic reaction, memory, anxiety, brain function and more. A shortage of evidence proving the effect of Shilajit? I don’t think so.

For diabetics it can regulate blood sugar; for the obese it can help reduce and burn fat; for immune deficient patients it can stimulate the immune system, and yes, studies have concluded that it can increase the virility of users.

Traditionally it is taken as tonic, especially by local doctors and medicine men in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and other nations – and is a fundamental part of the Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine.

Am I convinced?

It was something about the way my friend was describing Shilajit that intrigued me. I don’t normally go off on mindless crusades to find information; it usually ends up disappointing in the end. Not this. This was different.

As a journalist, you always maintain a certain amount of skepticism and objectivity. Truth be told, I am excited to look deeper into the claims made by those touting the benefits of Shilajit. However, it’s tough to argue with repeated studies by science centers all over the world – from the Department of Economics and Natural Resources of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark (published in May 2003), to the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (published January 3, 1992).

That’s the difference between this organic medicine as opposed to many others that make their way onto the shelves of natural health stores. This one has some interesting science attached to it; and it has many folks in the medical community increasingly turning a once blind eye, back to the potentially amazing world of natural medicine to cure what ails us.