Shilajit
Encyclopedia
Shilajit, also known as silajit, mumijo, and momia, is a thick, sticky tar
-like substance with a colour ranging from white to dark brown (the latter is more common), sometimes found in Caucasus mountains
, Altai mountains and Tibet mountains.
It is used in Ayurveda
, the traditional Indian system of medicine. The composition of Shilajit has been investigated numerous times in both India and the former USSR, and depends on the location where it is found. It has been reported to contain at least 85 minerals in Ion
ic form, including triterpenes and aromatic carboxylic acid
, as well as humic acid
and fulvic acid. A similar substance from the Caucasus Mountains
, and Altai mountains is called Mumijo (Russian).
word meaning "rock-invincible." It is also spelt "Shilajeet," and "Salajeet(سلاجیت)" in Urdu and is known by various other names, such as Shilajita Mumiyo, mineral pitch or mineral wax in English
, black asphaltum, Asphaltum punjabianum in Latin
, Barahshin, Dorobi, Baraga Shun, Chao-tong, Wu Ling Zhi en Brag-Shun. Shilajit is commonly called Shilajitu in Ayurveda.
Mumijo is a word of Greek
origin. The substance is mentioned in the works of Aristotle
and Avicenna
as a remedy with antiseptic and general stimulant properties used in Caucasus mountains
. Most scientists agree that people observed wounded animals frequenting caves with mumijo and so discovered the substance. Similar substances are used for medicinal purposes throughout Tibet.
, also a humic matter, similar in appearance, but without medical qualities. Quite a few supplement sellers pretend to sell Mumijo, while in fact they are offering the cheap raw Ozokerite, a substance used e.g. in cosmetics. Genuine Mumijo/Shilajit should melt in the hand and has a disturbing smell of bitumen, whereas Ozokerite melts at 164-169 ºF/73.3-76.1 ºC.
Once cleaned from impurities and extracted, Shilajit is a homogeneous brown-black paste-like substance, with a glossy surface, a peculiar smell and bitter taste. Dry Shilajit density ranges from 1.1 to 1.8 g/cm3. It has a plastic-like behavior, at a temperature lower than 20ºC / 68ºF it will solidify and will get soft when warmed up. It easily dissolves in water without leaving any residue, and it will soften when worked between the fingers. Purified Shilajit has an unlimited shelf life.
It is still unclear whether it has geological or biological origin as it has numerous traces of vitamin
s and aminoacids. A mumijo-like substance from Antarctica was found to contain glycerol
derivatives and was also believed to have medicinal properties.
• Anti-inflammatory (e.g. arthritis, rheumatism)
• Dispels pain
• Anti-ulcer
• Anti-anxiety, anti-stress
• Smart drug (nootropic effect)
• Anti-aging (both mental and physical)
On the territory of the former USSR medical preparations based on Mumijo (Shilajit) are still being sold further developed and investigated. In India supplements based on Shilajit are also very popular, mainly due to its assumed effect on male impotence en premature ejaculation.
-
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
-like substance with a colour ranging from white to dark brown (the latter is more common), sometimes found in Caucasus mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
, Altai mountains and Tibet mountains.
It is used in Ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
, the traditional Indian system of medicine. The composition of Shilajit has been investigated numerous times in both India and the former USSR, and depends on the location where it is found. It has been reported to contain at least 85 minerals in Ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
ic form, including triterpenes and aromatic carboxylic acid
Carboxylic acid
Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of at least one carboxyl group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, where R is some monovalent functional group...
, as well as humic acid
Humic acid
Humic acid is a principal component of humic substances, which are the major organic constituents of soil , peat, coal, many upland streams, dystrophic lakes, and ocean water. It is produced by biodegradation of dead organic matter...
and fulvic acid. A similar substance from the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
, and Altai mountains is called Mumijo (Russian).
The name
Shilajit is a SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word meaning "rock-invincible." It is also spelt "Shilajeet," and "Salajeet(سلاجیت)" in Urdu and is known by various other names, such as Shilajita Mumiyo, mineral pitch or mineral wax in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, black asphaltum, Asphaltum punjabianum in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Barahshin, Dorobi, Baraga Shun, Chao-tong, Wu Ling Zhi en Brag-Shun. Shilajit is commonly called Shilajitu in Ayurveda.
Mumijo is a word of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
origin. The substance is mentioned in the works of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
and Avicenna
Avicenna
Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
as a remedy with antiseptic and general stimulant properties used in Caucasus mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
. Most scientists agree that people observed wounded animals frequenting caves with mumijo and so discovered the substance. Similar substances are used for medicinal purposes throughout Tibet.
History
Shilajit is a substance mainly found in the Altai, Himalaya and Caucasus mountains of Central Asia. The color range varies from a yellowish brown to pitch-black, depending on composition. For use in Ayurvedic medicine the black variant is considered the most potent. Shilajit can and has been described as 'mineral oil', 'stone oil' or 'rock sweat', as it seeps from cracks in mountains due to the warmth of the sun, mostly. There are many local legends and stories about its origin, use and properties, often wildly exaggerating. It should not be confused with OzokeriteOzokerite
Ozokerite or ozocerite is a naturally occurring odoriferous mineral wax or paraffin found in many localities.-Sources:...
, also a humic matter, similar in appearance, but without medical qualities. Quite a few supplement sellers pretend to sell Mumijo, while in fact they are offering the cheap raw Ozokerite, a substance used e.g. in cosmetics. Genuine Mumijo/Shilajit should melt in the hand and has a disturbing smell of bitumen, whereas Ozokerite melts at 164-169 ºF/73.3-76.1 ºC.
Once cleaned from impurities and extracted, Shilajit is a homogeneous brown-black paste-like substance, with a glossy surface, a peculiar smell and bitter taste. Dry Shilajit density ranges from 1.1 to 1.8 g/cm3. It has a plastic-like behavior, at a temperature lower than 20ºC / 68ºF it will solidify and will get soft when warmed up. It easily dissolves in water without leaving any residue, and it will soften when worked between the fingers. Purified Shilajit has an unlimited shelf life.
It is still unclear whether it has geological or biological origin as it has numerous traces of vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s and aminoacids. A mumijo-like substance from Antarctica was found to contain glycerol
Glycerol
Glycerol is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids...
derivatives and was also believed to have medicinal properties.
Export restriction
The export of this and other Ayurvedic supplements to the West has been restricted recently, due to a reported contamination with heavy metals.Research
In Russia and India Mumijo / Shilajit has been the subject of scientific research since the early '50s. Claims attributed to Shilajit / Mumijo were investigated with scientific methods. So far the following claims were confirmed in laboratory conditions, in general by using mouse models:• Anti-inflammatory (e.g. arthritis, rheumatism)
• Dispels pain
• Anti-ulcer
• Anti-anxiety, anti-stress
• Smart drug (nootropic effect)
• Anti-aging (both mental and physical)
On the territory of the former USSR medical preparations based on Mumijo (Shilajit) are still being sold further developed and investigated. In India supplements based on Shilajit are also very popular, mainly due to its assumed effect on male impotence en premature ejaculation.
Further reading
-
- Robert Talbert - SHILAJIT - a materia medica monograph - California College of AyurvedaCalifornia College of AyurvedaCalifornia College of Ayurveda is a college specializing in the field of Ayurvedic medicine. Founded in 1995 by Marc Halpern, the California College of Ayurveda says it was the first official college outside of India to train practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine.-Curriculum:CCA offers a...
http://www.oriveda.com/chaga/resources.php, 2004 - Luke R Bucci -Selected herbals and human exercise performance - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition http://www.oriveda.com/chaga/resources.php, 2000
- Igor Schepetkin, Andrei Khlebnikov,Byoung Se Kwon, Medical drugs from humus matter: Focus on mumijo http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ddr.10058/abstract
- The antioxidant - genoprotective mechanism of the preparation Mumijo-Vitas http://www.oriveda.com/chaga/resources.php
- Joshi, G. C., K. C. Tiwari, N. K. Pande and G. Pande. 1994. Bryophytes, the source of the origin of Shilajit – a new hypothesis. B.M.E.B.R. 15(1-4): 106-111.
- Ghosal, S., B. Mukherjee and S. K. Bhattacharya. 1995. Ind. Journal of Indg. Med. 17(1): 1-11.
- Ghosal, S., J. P. Reddy and V. K. Lal. 1976. Shilajit I.: chemical constituents. Journ. Pharm. Sci. (USA) 65(5): 772-73.
- Phillips, Paul. On Shilajit on the Internet.
- Faruqi, S.H. 1997, Nature and Origin of Salajit, Hamdard Medicus, Vol XL, April–June, pages 21–30
- Zahler, P and KArin, A, 1998, Origin of the floristic components of Salajit, Hamdard Medicus, Vol XLI, No 2, pages 6–8
- Shafiq M. I. , Nagra S.A., Batool N. "Biochemical and Trace Mineral Analysis of Silajit Samples From Pakistan" Nutritional Sciences Vol. 9, No. 3, (2006)