Origin of Shilajit

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 Shilajit

Origin of Shilajit

Shilajit generally speaking is a concentrated historic plant life essentially from Himalayan region. Himalayan region encompassing India, China, Tibet and parts of central Asia was a home to rich plant life right from prehistoric times. The plants absorbed various nutrients and minerals from soil to form rich and green vegetation. The life of trees and plants there extended to many hundred and even thousands of years. After their time the plants returned back to earth along with the minerals. This process continued over a period of many centuries. This remains of plant life in the specific climatic condition and altitude of Himalayas formed the Mineral Pitch known as SHILAJIT

Shilajit contains more than 85 minerals in Ionic form and FULVIC ACID. Shilajit has that unmatched powers of arresting and reversing the aging process.

Fulvic acids, a natural extract from ancient plant deposit that was created 75 million years ago in the upper cretaceous period, consist of an immense arsenal and array of naturally occuring phytochemicals, biochemicals, supercharged antioxidants, free-radical scavengers, super oxide dismutases, nutrients, enzymes, hormones, amino acids, antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. Fulvic Acids greatly enhance the bioavailability of important trace minerals. Regenerate and prolong the residence time of essential nutrients in the cells. Modify the damage or toxic compounds such as heavy metals and free radicals. Enhance the permeability for digestive, circulatory, and cell membranes. As the most powerful, natural electrolyte known, fulvic acid restores electrical balance to damaged cells, neutralizes toxins and can eliminate food poisoning within minutes.To the science of living cells, fulvic acids are vital in bringing substantial amounts of nutrients and minerals into water solution and delivering their living energies to the living cells. (do not confuse "fulvic acid" with "folic acid" which is a common B vitamin)

Indian Yogis on seeing the powers of Shilajit considered Shilajit to have divine powers capable of healing the body of virtually any ailments and above all restore youthfulness.

Shilajit is considered one of the wonder medicines of Ayurveda. Neither a plant nor animal substance, it is a mineral pitch that oozes from the rocks of the Himalayas, as they become warm in the summer months. Shilajitcarries the healing power of these great mountains. Shilajit is an important drug of the ancient Hindu material medica and is to this day used extensively by the Ayurvedic physicians for a variety of diseases. Early Ayurvedic writings from the Caraka Samhita and Susruta Samhita describe Shilajit as a cure for all disease as well as a Rasayana (rejuvenative) able to increasing longevity from 100 to 1000 years of age. Shilajit is composed of humus and organic plant material that has been compressed by layers of rock mixed with microbial metabolites. Traditional uses primarily focus on diabetes and diseases of the urinary tract, but also include edema, tumors, wasting, epilepsy and even insanity. Modern indications extend to all system of the human body with a significant number of additions in the reproductive and nervous system. The Ayurvedic energenics vary depending on the base rock that the shilajit comes from but it is generally thought to be tridoshic and only aggravating to Pitta (Fire) when used in excess. Clinical research confirms many of the properties that shilajit is used for.  Some of the most interesting studies confirm shilajit’s uses as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) agent and its nootropic (enhancer of learning acquisition and memory retrieval) activity.

Names:

Sanskrit: Shilajit, Silajit, Silaras

English: Asphalt, Mineral Pitch, Jew’s pitch

Meaning:

In Sanskrit, Shilajit means ‘winner of rock’. Another meaning is “sweat of the rock”.

Source:

     The Charaka Samhita states that, “Stones of metal like gold etc., in the mountains get heated up by the sun and the exudates that comes out of them in the form of smooth and clean gum is called çiläjatu”. Sharma adds that metals like gold do not produces exudates and what was actually intended was that stones containing gold would produce shilajit.The Sushruta Samhita states that “A gelatinous substance that is secreted from the side of the mountains when they have become heated by the rays of the sun in the months of Jyaishta and Ashadha. This substance is what is known as Shilajatu and it cures all distempers of the body.” Jyaishta is May-June and Ashadha is June-July. It is found in abundance in the lower Himalayan hills near Hardwar, Simla and also in Nepal.Shilajit is a blackish-brown exudation, of variable consistency, obtained from steep rocks of different formations found in the Himalayas at altitudes between 1000 to 5000 meter, from Arunachal Pradesh in the  East to Kashmir in the West. It is also found in Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, China, Tibet and U.S.S.R (Tien-Shan, Ural and Caucasus)

Types of Shilajit:

      The Charaka Samhita states that there are four types based on stones of four types of metals from which it exudes: gold, silver, copper and black iron. The shilajit from the last type is the best. If administered according to proper procedure, it produces rejuvenating and aphrodisiac effects and cures diseases.The Sushruta Samhita states that there are six types based on their origins (shad-yoni). In addition to the four types listed above he added tin and lead. Each type has the same taste (rasa) and potency (virya) as the metal to whose essence it owes its origin. He goes on to note that tin, lead, and iron, copper, silver, gold are progressively more efficacious, so the different types of shilajit that derive from these metals are also progressively more efficacious in their application .The Astanga Hrdayam also notes the six types but notes that the shilajit coming out of iron is the best (Murthy 2001).The description of six types in Sushruta relates to both the rejuvenation therapy and treatment of diseases. Caraka describes only the rejuvenating effects of shilajit, and this effect is available in the four types that he lists. (Sharma 2000).

FOLKLORE

Some Himalayan tribal villagers, who were observing white monkeys migrating to the higher mountains in summer months, made the discovery of shilajit. The monkeys were observed tlick