Demystifying shilajit
There are so many ways shilajit can enhance your total health and wellbeing, and this article is about exploring those ways. But in this article, we’ll also be taking a look at what shilajit can’t do.
We’ll finish with some keen insights into the role shilajit can play in fending off chronic lifestyle conditions. Click here to jump to this part right away.
An introduction to shilajit
The shilajit story starts high in the remote mountains of the Himalayas, or what has been appropriately called the “roof of the world.” These breathtaking regions have experienced little to no human interference, meaning that their natural plant decomposition processes have been left alone to work their magic for millions of years – i.e. shilajit.
It’s hard to grasp just how much goes into the creation of this potent substance. It’s estimated to take hundreds of years to simply complete one decomposition cycle, wherein vegetation is gradually broken down into the nutrient rich shilajit, which is packed with minerals and natural acids. After this ultra-slow process of refinement, shilajit becomes thick, black and tar-like.
The Himalayan deposits have been created this way over millennia. To access them, one needs to hike to dizzying altitudes of up to 3200-5000 ft, or 1000-1500 m. Shilajit has also been found in other mountainous regions, however, in places such as the Andes or the Ural Mountains.
Traditional uses of shilajit
The ancient Indian healing modality called Ayurveda (ai-yr-vei-duh) has prized shilajit for its therapeutic properties for thousands of years. Being a holistic model, Ayurveda considers the entire body as a whole, including diet, lifestyle and mental health, in addition to natural remedies and supplements.
Ayurveda also understands the human body in terms of life forces and flowing energies, seeing the human body as constantly interacting with the surrounding universe. Health is believed to be a result of deep and intimate connection with the natural aspects of the surrounding world. In the ayurvedic philosophy, shilajit is recognized as a “Rasayana” or a rejuvenator of the body. Shilajit is believed to extend longevity, combat aging and support complete health and vigor. Being of 100% natural origin, shilajit is seen as an ideal health tonic that brings peak health and wellbeing.
What makes shilajit so effective?
Shilajit is a “super-supplement” bursting with organic acids, minerals and other nutrients that bolster a healthy diet. However, these nutrients are not in equal quantities, and shilajit can vary greatly depending on quality and source (Jump to the 9 benefits).
For instance, shilajit commonly contains trace minerals such as zinc, magnesium and potassium, which are essential for good health, and are (hopefully) included in your ordinary diet as well as any supplements you take.
Healthline states that adults require approximately 3500-4700 mg of Potassium, 350-360 mg of Magnesium and 8-11 mg of Zinc every day. These can certainly be found in shilajit, but the truth is that these minerals are just as fraction of the total mix.
Shilajit is actually around 80-85 % humic substances, which are the fascinating materials that have broken down over millennia in certain deposit sites. Of this, around 60-80% is fulvic acid, which is a potent antioxidant, with the remainder being humic acids and a blend of fatty acids, amino acids and a whopping 84 different trace minerals.
These bits and pieces can work wonders for the body, but it’s really fulvic acid that does most of the work. It’s this key ingredient that is responsible for most of the impressive benefits associated with taking shilajit.
A quick guide to fulvic acid
To put is simply, fulvic acid is the king of all humic substances. Fulvic acid has proven effects on:
- Your immune system function
- Your gut microbiome and digestive health
- Your degree of oxidative stress (which itself is strongly related to your risk of developing disease)
There are even some suggestions that fulvic acid can tackle certain types of cancer. This super organic acid is tiny enough that it can penetrate into the cell wall and work its power. Humic acids play a role in turbo-charging any trace minerals you absorb, but they cannot actually enter into cells in the way fulvic acid can. Luckily, the two can work together synergistically, enhancing one another’s function and promoting your health.
Humic acids are a little like those much-loved friends that know how to have a good night out, but it’s fulvic acid that makes sure everyone gets a ride to the venue, organizes the music and ensures everyone has a fun time. Shilajit is a brilliant supplement but it’s really fulvic and humic acids that are doing the heavy lifting – an important point when you’re trying to take advantage of some of these benefits.
In times past, people could have reasonably expected to get all or most of their nutrition simply from their ordinary diet. Unfortunately, today’s modern diets are sorely lacking in the essential nutrients we need for health, and nutrient-rich foods are harder and harder to access.
This is because of our generally poor diets but also the fact that intensive, unsustainable farming practices have gradually depleted our soils and consequently our produce. The solution lies in adding a smart supplement to your daily diet to ensure you’re given your body what it needs.
How to use shilajit
There are a few options when it comes to supplementing with shilajit, which comes in many different forms, such as powder or its raw and tar-like form. Shilajit has been known to behave in some pretty strange ways, changing from its rock-like, solid form into a softer form when warmed up, either in water or even just between your hands.
Some funny and slightly strange ways that Shilajit reacts is that its solid rock-like form becomes soft when heated or warmed by your hands and will even dissolve in water. Shilajit is notorious for its strong, bitter taste and smell that’s reminiscent of… cow urine (sadly).
A good suggested dose is no more than 300-500 mg daily. This is because shilajit is metabolized slowly by your body, and you don’t want to take too much. There are a few other things to bear in mind when taking shilajit.
Some studies note that supplementing with shilajit can have some unpleasant side effects or carry potential serious health risks. This is due to the presence of heavy metals such as mercury, lead and arsenic. Obviously, these can be extremely toxic. It’s important to ensure that shilajit has undergone a thorough purification process to remove these hazardous materials first.
9 Researched Health Benefits of Shilajit
So now that we know what makes shilajit so special, let’s move on and consider what’s really important – all the ways that shilajit can benefit your health and wellbeing.
Boosted energy levels
It’s fair to say that energy can be a scarce resource these days, with most of us living frantic, stressful lives. The National Safety Council has even claimed that a whopping 97% of Americans demonstrate at least one factor that predisposes them to burnout. Luckily, shilajit can help, by changing the way your cells produce energy so that you can effectively combat fatigue.
Supports brain health
We seldom spare a thought for our hardworking brains, but a big part of total wellbeing is our mental and cognitive health. Shilajit contains nutrients and trace minerals that support your brain’s optimal function, boosting memory capacity and improving your ability to retain and learn new information.
This is even more important as we grow older. Age, combined with factors like life stress, can noticeably impair our cognitive function and memory – but shilajit can counter this process. In essence, shilajit is a brain tonic – and it’s a completely natural material derived entirely from organic components put together by mother nature. We’ll look at one particularly interesting brain benefit at the end of this article.
Improve Athletic Performance
Shilajit is brilliant at boosting strength, energy and stamina – including in the bedroom! This potent natural supplement is excellent at helping you build muscle faster with your workouts – and recover more quickly, too.
Shilajit is packed with iron and so plays a role in supporting your red blood cells as they carry vital oxygen throughout your body. The minerals and nutrients in shilajit can also improve strength and muscle mass for those who are active – in fact a study found that supplementing with shilajit increases scores on the Harvard Step Test. This result is after taking the supplement daily for just 15 days.
Fertility and Virility
Shilajit’s benefits don’t stop there – it’s also been known to support optimal hormonal balance. In men, supplementing with purified forms of shilajit can boost testosterone levels, which are directly responsible for sperm count and virility. Women, too, can experience benefits from shilajit, and there are reports that it can improve and support ovulation.
Stress Management
In the Ayurvedic philosophy, keeping stress in check is vital to maintaining good health and wellbeing. But how many of us would say we are overwhelmed by stress in our lives? WebMD claims that a full 70% of Americans are suffering from the effects of stress, both physical and mental.
Thankfully, shilajit has been shown to have positive effects on mental health, and can reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, even to a degree that it mimics the action of popular prescribed anti-anxiety medications like diazepam.
Skin and Metabolism
Shilajit is packed full of antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E, and precious nutrients that support the health of the skin, both inside and out. It’s like feeding your skin with an ultra-concentrated, 100% pure antioxidant elixir that gives it everything it needs.
Antioxidants are like the body’s foot soldiers, bravely fighting off free radicals and working against cell damage to keep your skin healthy, soft, supple and youthful looking. Essentially, your skin is allowed to rejuvenate much faster. Well-nourished skin looks smoother, has fewer wrinkles and glows from within. Another great side effect is that shilajit often combats constipation and lowers blood pressure – which in turn reflects on your skin.
Reduction of Pain and Inflammation
In Ayurveda, the stomach is seen as a center of health in the body, and when your digestion is out of balance, it can indirectly cause swollen, inflamed or painful joints. Today, modern medical science is confirming this ancient intuition, and finding that stomach disorders do in fact compromise the immune system and lead to system wide inflammation, and join pain in particular.
Some studies have discovered that people diagnosed with arthritis actually found a
significant reduction in join pain and inflammation when they took shilajit regularly. This makes shilajit an excellent alternative to the more commonly prescribed medications like NSAIDS or steroid drugs, which can have harsh side effects.
Stunning Effects on 3 Chronic Diseases
Alzheimer’s Disease
Though shilajit has been prized as an overall health elixir in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, it’s arguably its rejuvenating powers that are of most interest to modern science. Shilajit has a powerful antiaging effect, and researchers are now interested in the ways in which it could counter signs of cognitive decline.
The fulvic acid in shilajit is strongly antioxidant and can protect the brain from free radical damage, improving cognition and slowing the memory loss that comes with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. This is achieved because of fulvic acid’s ability to work against the accumulation of tau protein, which is the main cause of Alzheimer’s symptoms. Tau buildup essentially ties the neurons in tangles and clumps, hampering cognitive function and leading to a host of cognitive, emotional and even physical symptoms.
Shilajit can help with this enormous medical challenge, which both discourages tau buildup as well as repairs and protects against cell damage. The brain is in effect defended from harmful free radicals such as mercury and lead, as well as kept structurally and functionally healthy.
The trick is that these effects are largely achievable only with a purified shilajit extract, and sadly many shilajit products have been found to be of questionable purity on investigation.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is currently the 7th leading cause of death in America, and many people are unaware of their increased risk of developing the condition. But just because you or someone you know suffers from diabetes, it doesn’t mean that it cannot be handled or even reversed naturally.
As you might have guessed, ayurvedic practitioners use shilajit to treat diabetes. It’s true that solid scientific proof for its effectiveness is lacking, there is nevertheless some evidence that shilajit can improve blood sugar regulation.
We all know that managing blood sugar levels is a big part of treating diabetes, which may be why ayurvedic doctors have used it so extensively, to treat not just diabetes but other metabolic and hormonal conditions.
As conventional western medicine catches up, we may well discover some clinical evidence for what natural medicine proponents have believed for thousands of years.
Immune Response
A weakened immune system is not a disease per se, but it certainly does increase your chances of contracting one. The fulvic and humic acids in shilajit can support your immune system to do what it does best. The activity of white blood cells was found to increase in people who regularly took shilajit. This is important when you realize that it’s white blood cells that are best known for improving explosive movements in sports or athletic performance.
What’s more, white blood cells are also the workhorses of the immune system. They are the key cells that act to protect your body against invading pathogens, bacteria and foreign bodies, keeping you healthy and resilient. Your immune system is working hard for you every moment of every day – and it’s constantly being put to the test.
We all know someone who seems to be constantly catching a cold or flu, while others never seem affected. Well, with the right supplementation, you could be the latter kind of person – shilajit has been found to build disease resistance by supporting the immune system.
Is shilajit right for you?
It’s absolutely the case that more peer reviewed research should be conducted to investigate the health benefits of shilajit. Nevertheless, there are an impressive number of confirmed benefits associated with shilajit’s high concentration of humic and fulvic acid, which are relatively better studied. This means that the benefits of fulvic and humic acids can be enjoyed by supplementing with shilajit sourced from the Himalayas.
Some of these desired effects can be found in pure Himalayan Shilajit. Some products may not contain enough of the active ingredients or else may contain dangerous levels of harmful substances like heavy metals. It’s always better to go for a product that focuses on the essentials – humic and fulvic acid. This way, you’re concentrating the beneficial effects and eliminating the risks of taking shilajit.
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