Contains fulvic acid and more than 84 minerals, so it offers numerous health benefits. It can function as an antioxidant to improve your body's immunity and memory, an anti-inflammatory, an energy booster, and a diuretic to remove excess fluid from your body. Shilajit is also known to increase libido and testerone levels in humans.
Himalayan Shilajit
Shilajit comes from millions of years of geothermal pressure acting on biomasses of plant materials and minerals. This natural process produces a tar-like pitch that glistens in the rocks in the Himalayan region during hot weather. The rocks in various locations are different colors and determine the grade. When the exudate is purified to remove it from the rock, the resulting resin is black or blackish making it impossible to distinguish the grade. So not only are there fake products, there are also many claims of lower quality shilajit being top grade. The grades have varying levels of value and are referred to by the colors of the rocks from which it emerges:
- Red and gold rock, (highest grade) - Gold Grade primarily used in Rasayana (rejuvenation) therapy.
- Black rock (mainly found in Nepal and Bhutan) - Iron Grade primarily used for imbalances of the Meda Dhatu (fat or adipose tissue system)
- Grey rock - Silver Grade primarily used for imbalances of the Maja Dhatu (Bone marrow/nervous system)
- Brown rock - Copper Grade primarily used for imbalances of the liver
- 5th grade, a useless substance made from animal feces (this is the most prevalent form of resin being sold)
The original Shilajit purity test methods below will give you confidence yours is the real thing. Note that even low grade Shilajit that is pure and will pass these tests so it is important that you trust your supplier has verified the color of the rocks from which it was extracted. These Shilajit purity tests distinguish if a compound is or is not 100% Shilajit:
- Pliability - Melts in your hands becoming gooey and sticky. Alternately, if you place it in the refrigerator to cool, it will become very hard and shatter like glass when struck with a hammer. If you try this, be sure to encase it in a plastic bag so you don't make a mess or lose bits of your valuable supplement! Pure shilajit will always hold its form and not separate into clumps.
- Solubility – Dissolves in warm water or warm milk creating a golden or reddish liquid.
- Flame – Will not light on fire or burn like a candle. Heat shilajit with a mini blow torch. It will bubble and produce an ash that emanates outwards. But it WILL NOT BURN.
- Form – Do not trust powder forms. Most powders on the market that have any shilajit at all contain between 2 and 30 percent. All powders have additives and fillers in them. Standardized extracts add fulvic acid, often the same used in fertilizer to create a standard percentage. No natural substance will have a standard percentage of anything!
