Shilajit is like a natural pharmacy because it has a past as long and varied as the minerals it contains. It can help with everything from making you more fertile to giving you more energy. As scientists try to figure out what this ancient elixir does and how it works, questions start to come up about whether it could be used as a natural health answer.
Nature's Ancient Elixer
Shilajit, a tar-like substance made from plant matter that has been decomposing for hundreds of years, seeps out of the rocks high in the Himalayas. Minerals, fulvic acid, and humic acids make it a very important ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine as a "Rasayana," which is meant to make you live longer and feel better.
As per The Epoch Times, Ayurvedic doctor Sruthi Bhat said, "The unique composition of shilajit provides a plethora of health benefits." According to Ms. Bhat, shilajit has many health benefits, such as protecting the heart, improving digestion, and keeping hormones in order. She said, "Shilajit is a versatile tonic for overall health and well-being that works on many body systems to boost vitality and strength."
These claims are backed up by science, which has found that shilajit is made up of over 85 different minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Fulvic acid, which is an important part of shilajit, is known to help the body absorb nutrients better, give you more energy, and get rid of toxins. Fulvic acid is very important for getting nutrients into cells and getting rid of waste, which greatly improves health and energy.
Shilajit comes from many places, like India, Nepal, Russia, and Chile. It is also known as salajit, shilajatu, mumie, mineral pitch, and mummiyo. Based on research, the health benefits may be different depending on where the drug comes from.
Known as the "destroyer of weakness," shilajit is an important herb in many traditions. “There is no curable disease in the universe that is not effectively curable by shilajit, when administered at the appropriate time and following the prescribed method,” says the Cha raka Samhita, an old Ayurvedic text.
The golden elixir of Ayurveda for modern health
According to Ayurvedic custom, shilajit comes in four different types: svarna (gold), rajat (silver), tamra (copper), and loh (iron). Each type is valued for its unique health benefits. Gold shilajit is highly valued because it is known to make people feel younger. "This type of shilajit is thought to improve health, longevity, and vitality by balancing the doshas and speeding up the regeneration of cells," says Ms. Bhat.
Ayurvedic theory says that each type of shilajit is good for a different kind of health problem. Copper shilajit is preferred because it warms up the body and increases energy and metabolism. Silver shilajit is used because it cools down the body. Iron shilajit is thought to help with grounding and is often suggested as a way to fight fatigue and make your stamina better.
Ancient Ayurvedic methods stress how important it is to clean shilajit. It goes through a lot of cleaning to get rid of impurities like heavy metals and make its healing benefits stronger. "Purifying shilajit is a very important step before it can be used as medicine," says Dr. Bhat. Many times, shilajit is cleaned by heating it in triphala, a herbal combination, or cow's urine, and then filtering and drying the mixture.
"Shilajit can be given with different anupanas (carriers) to make its healing effects stronger," says Ms. Bhat. Some of these sources are honey, ghee, and milk.
Six Potential Benefits of Shilajit
Shilajit has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years, but modern science is only now starting to look into its health benefits. In addition to its ability to help with cancer, heart disease, and insomnia, shilajit is also making progress in these six important areas:
1. Enhances Energy and Athletic Performance
Shilajit is making a lot of noise because it can give you more energy, both mentally and physically. The secret is that it can improve the effectiveness of mitochondria, which is like giving the body's cells a turbocharge.
The active ingredients in Shilajit improve the function of mitochondria, which makes it easier for foods to be turned into energy. When mixed with CoQ10, an antioxidant that the body makes naturally, shilajit may make endurance and energy much better.
“Animal and human data support its use as a "revitalizer," enhancing physical performance and relieving fatigue with increased production of ATP,” says Sidney Stohs, who has a PhD in biochemistry.
As more and more proof comes in supporting shilajit's role in improving physical performance and helping with conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, athletes and people who are tired have taken notice.
63 people took part in a study that showed that eating 500 mg of shilajit every day for eight weeks can help keep muscles strong after exercise and reduce tissue damage. This shows how important it is as a supplement for healing and energy.
2. Improves Brain Health
According to research, shilajit might help keep the brain healthy. Studies show that the fulvic acid in shilajit may help stop the buildup of tau protein, which is a sign of Alzheimer's disease and destroys brain cells.
More study backs up shilajit's benefits for brain health in general, especially when used with other supplements or dietary changes. Notably, a study found that shilajit might help people with Alzheimer's disease when taken with a vitamin B complex.
3. Reduces Bone Loss
Shilajit is being studied to see if it could help bone health, especially in women who have gone through menopause. New study suggests that shilajit extract may help keep bone mineral density high, which is good news for people who are at risk of getting osteoporosis.
Researchers looked at sixty women between the ages of 45 and 65 and found that taking 250 mg and 500 mg of shilajit powder every day for 48 weeks kept bone mineral density levels high. The study's authors say that this effect is due to shilajit's many antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and collagen-boosting qualities. These may help counteract the increased bone turnover and oxidative stress that come with not having enough estrogen.
4. Boosts Fertility
Shilajit may be able to change the balance of hormones and make people more fertile. In a large study, men aged 45 to 55 who took 250 mg of pure shilajit twice a day for three months saw a huge rise in their levels of total and free testosterone, as well as dehydroepiandrosterone. They did better than men who took a placebo.
More study has shown that shilajit is very good at improving the quality of sperm, especially in men who don't have many of them. When people took 100 mg of shilajit twice a day, their sperm movement got a lot better, and their total sperm count went up by 61.4%, with a big 18.9% rise in healthy sperm. In addition, this treatment lowered oxidative stress in sperm and raised testosterone levels in the blood by about 25%.
Shilajit can help women get pregnant, too, not just guys. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist, has found that shilajit can raise follicle-stimulating hormone, which is important for egg development. This suggests that it could be used in many fertility procedures. Shilajit is "pro-fertile," Mr. Huberman said in a YouTube video called "Ashwagandha & Shilajit Benefits, Huberman Lab Podcast."
Shilajit not only helps eggs grow, but it also increases libido and supports reproductive health. This makes it a potential natural supplement for people who want to improve their chances of getting pregnant.
5. Irons Out Anemia
Shilajit may help fight anemia because it has a lot of minerals. Studies on animals have shown that it can increase the number of red blood cells and boost the level of hemoglobin. These are both important signs of healthy blood. These results are especially important because iron deficiency anemia is very common and people are looking for natural ways to treat it.
In a study with rats, the fulvic acid in shilajit improved the body's ability to receive and use iron. This got to the root cause of anemia by making sure that iron intake leads to real improvements in blood health. Shilajit may be useful as a substance for treating anemia because it raises iron levels and helps the body absorb it. Still, more study is needed to fully prove that it can help treat anemia in humans.
6. High-Altitude Ally
Shilajit is known in Sanskrit as the "conqueror of mountains," and it lives up to its name by helping people deal with the difficulties of being at high elevations. People love this natural substance because it can help with many health problems that mountain travelers often have.
According to research, shilajit can help fight altitude sickness. Its high mineral and fulvic acid content can ease symptoms like hypoxia, tiredness, and insomnia. These parts help move nutrients around and make energy, and they also make the defense system stronger. Because it is adaptogenic, it helps people get used to high elevations more quickly.
How to Add Shilajit to Your Health Routine
Finding real shilajit is like looking for a gem among stones in the health market, which is very crowded. It's a popular medicine because it claims to have natural health benefits, but buyers need to be careful because there are fake products out there.
"Authenticity and quality are very important to think about," says Ms. Bhat, emphasizing how important it is to choose real shilajit. True shilajit is a resin, not a liquid or pill. It has the most powerful health-boosting qualities when it is in this form. When this natural glue gets warm, it changes into something soft and sticky, and when it mixes with warm liquids, it turns a golden or reddish color.
But getting shilajit is only the first step. Adding it to your daily health routine needs knowledge and care, especially since it hasn't been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and there aren't any set dosing standards. "Start with small amounts and slowly increase your intake," Ms. Bhat says so the body can get used to it without any bad effects. Clinical trials usually recommend taking 200 to 500 mg twice a day, but because it has a strong taste, different people may enjoy different amounts.
It's important to be mindful when using it, especially for people who already have health problems or who are taking other medicines. "Talking to a doctor before starting any new supplement plan is very important," Ms. Bhat says, emphasizing the need for personalized advice, especially for pregnant women or people who have specific health issues.
As more is learned about shilajit's safety and effectiveness, its ability to improve health becomes clear. Of course, fully incorporating this old remedy into current health practices is still a work in progress that needs more research.