Shilajit is a herbo-mineral resinous exudate derived from rocks in mountainous regions in Scandinavia, Central Asia, India, China, Tibet, Nepal, and Pakistan. In traditional Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicines, Shilajit is used to treat fractures, osteoarthritis, and spondylitis. It also helps in treating kidney stones, edema, adiposity and anorexia, and acts as an internal antiseptic.
The bioactive constituents in Shilajit include humic substances (i.e. humic acid, fulvic acid, humin), dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBPs), DBP chromoproteins (DCPs), and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Humic acid (Figure 1) and fulvic acid (Figure 2) provide a wide array of physiological benefits in our body, including detoxifying and adaptogenic effects, as well as promoting the bioavailability of minerals.
Supplementation of humic acid from Shilajit has been shown in vivo to significantly reduce the glyphosate concentration in serum (53%), liver (28%), spleen (44%), lung (50%), GI tract (56%), heart (16%), and muscles (63%). Humic acid has also demonstrated the ability to restore the tight junction injury induced by glyphosate.
Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, memory enhancer, neuroprotective, and synergistic enhancer of drugs.
Normalizing serum lipids (i.e. cholesterol, LDL,VLDL, and triglycerides).
Improving symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome via the modulation of HPA-axis and mitochondrial support.
Inhibiting the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease: fulvic acid has been shown to inhibit the aggregation process of tau protein and prevent further formation of paired helical filaments.
The flip side of Shilajit's heavy metal chelating action is the risk of toxic metal contamination, especially the crude & unpurified form, because heavy metals may have been picked up by the organic acids and accumulate over time. Unpurified shilajit can also contain mycotoxins and other toxic polymeric quinones.
The purification process of water extraction can eliminate almost all of the heavy metals and toxins in Shilajit; therefore, it is essential to look for "purified/extracted, standardized Shilajit" on the label when consuming a supplement containing Shilajit.