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Shilajit

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Shilajit or Mumijo, Mohave Lava Tube, 2018

Shilajit(Sanskrit:शिलाजीत;lit. 'conqueror of mountain','conqueror of the rocks'),salajeet(Urdu:سلاجیت),mumijoormumlayiormumie[1]is an organic-mineral product of predominantly biological origin, formed in the mountains (in mountain crevices and caves).[2]

A blackish-brown powder or an exudate from high mountain rocks, often found in theHimalayas,thePamir Mountains,Afghanistan,(primarily inGorno-Badakhshan,Tajikistan), (Karakoram,Gilgit-BaltistaninPakistan,Nepal,Bhutan,theCaucasus MountainswithinRussia,Altai,Central Asia,Iran,Mongoliaand in southernPeru,where it is calledAndean shilajit.[3]The peoples of the East used shilajit in folk and non-traditional (alternative) medicine (Ayurveda, Chinese, Tibetan). Shilajit is sold both in dry extract form and indietary supplements.[4]

History[edit]

Shilajit in a glass of water.
Shilajit, as commonly consumed

Since ancient times, shilajit has been a folk medicine in Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Central Asia and Tibet. Shilajit has been used as afolk medicineand inalternative medicinefor more than four thousand years.[5]The healing effects of shilajit for different diseases is mentioned in the works ofAristotle,Razi,Biruni,Ibn Sinaand others.[2][6][7]

D'Herbelot,in his 1821 publication, stated that the Persians used the substance calledmumiay,ormummy,as a potentcure-allto addressbroken bonesand disease.[8]

Distribution[edit]

Deposits of shilajit are found in many mountainous regions of the world. Research by the Central State Geographical Exploration Center “Tsentrquartz Gems” has shown that deposits of shilajit, despite the wide geography of their location, are very rare, and the reserves of raw materials in them are limited. It is found incalcareous,metamorphic rock,andsedimentary rocks(fromProterozoictoQuaternary) inCentral Asia,Tuva,at theLake Baikal,in theCaucasusand other regions.[9]It is more often found in theHimalayas,Tibetan Plateau,mountains of theArabian Peninsula,Iran,Mongolia,Myanmar.[citation needed]


The substance is known by different names, includingSalajeet(Urdu:سلاجیت) inPakistan,μούμια(inGreek),mumiyoormumie(Russian:Мумиё),brag-shunorbarakhshin( "oil of the mountains" inMongoliaand southernRussianSiberian regions near theSayan Mountainssuch asKhakassiaandBuryatia),rock saporrock juice(in Tibet, Central Asia, Himalaya, Pamir and Altai),asphalt,mineral pitch,Jew’s pitch,slagormineral wax(in English),silajitaorsilajatu(inBengali), hajarul-Musa oraraq-al-jibal(inArabic),myemu,moomiaiiormumnaei(in Persian),Mumie(inGerman),kao-tun( "blood of the mountain" inMyanmar) and "blessing of nature" (Nepal).[10]

Formation[edit]

It has also been believed that it is formed as a result of the decomposition ofoil rocksby microorganisms. Chemical composition of organic part of the extract (about 50% carbon and 10% hydrogen) supports the oil origin hypothesis.[9]According to other analysis, shilajit is of plant origin and, most likely, is the product of very slow decomposition of plant matter.[11]Some researchers hypothesize that shilajit is produced by the decomposition or humification oflatexandresin-bearing plant material from species such asEuphorbia royleanaandTrifolium repensover a period of centuries.[12][13]

Composition[edit]

Although shilajit is sometimes referred to as a mineral tar or resin, it is actually both of those. It is a highly viscous substance like a tar or resin, that is very dark brown or black in color, but unlike these is readily soluble in water but insoluble inethanol.It contains more than 20 elements, includingCa,Mg,Na,Fe,Cr,Pb.It also contains solidparaffin hydrocarbons,proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, and alcohols.[9]The mineral content is 15–20%, along with trace elements including selenium.[14]

Shilajit is rich in nutrients such as mineral salts, amino acids, and other organic components including benzoic acid, hippuric acid, fatty acids (myristic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, petroselinic acid, linoleic acid, lauric acid, saturated fatty acids), ichthyridine, salicylic acid, resins, triterpenes, sterols, aromatic carboxylic acids, 3,4-benzocoumarins, amino groups acids, phenolic lipids, latex, albumin, sterols, tea polyphenols, phenolic lipids, dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBP), and dibenzo-α-pyrone chromoproteins (DCPs).[15][16]

Shilajit is composed of 60–80%humicsubstances such as humic andfulvicacids.[17][15][18][19]

Studied by analytical methods, shilajit samples from theHimalayas(5.1kDa),Altai(8 kDa),Tian Shan(7.5 kDa),Dzungarian(9.0 kDa), demonstrated that it consists of two principal components: the high-molecular part is fulvic nature of sample as typical peat fulvic acids (sample from Sakhtysh Lake, Russia), and the low-molecular part represents a range of vegetative and animal metabolites such as methyldiaminocyclohexane,shikimic acid,hippuric acid,quinic acid,hydroxyhippuric acid, and methyldiaminocyclohexanedimer.[20]

Varieties[edit]

The composition of shilajit varies by location[21]and appearance:[22]

  • Coprolitic (mumiyo-saladji, Pamir and Altai mumiyo, mumiyo-asil, etc.) are fossilized phyto- and zooorganic remains mixed with fragments andgrusof rocks and soil formations. The content of extractive substances in coprolite shilajit ranges from 10 to 30% or more.
  • Shilajit-bearing breccias are large-clastic rocks (more often, fissured limestones) cemented by shilajit-bearing clay mass. The content of extractive substances is 0.5–5.0%.
  • Evaporite shilajit occurs in formations of streaks, icicles and shiny black or gray dull, thin films that stain the roofs and walls of caves, niches, grottoes and other large cavities. Its extraction is difficult.

Shilajit occurs in different colors and grades according to the type of metal contained: red (sauvarna shilajit) with gold, white (rajat shilajit) with silver, blue (tamra, with copper shilajit) and iron-containing black(lauha shilajit shilajit).Of these, black shilajit containing gold is the rarest and is considered to have the best curative effect. In nature, shilajit containing iron is used most in traditional medicine.[15]

Mumioidsare a group of natural formations resembling shilajit in appearance. The group includesozokerite,saltpeter,fossilized vegetableresinsand gums, mountain wax, white, stone and mountain oils, Antarctic shilajit, lofor, or aqua bitum.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Wilson E, Rajamanickam GV, Dubey GP, Klose P, Musial F, Saha FJ, Rampp T, Michalsen A, Dobos GJ (June 2011). "Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine".J Ethnopharmacol(Review).136(1): 1–9.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.033.PMID21530631.
  2. ^ab"MUMIYO • Great Russian encyclopedia - electronic version".bigenc.ru.Retrieved2022-08-01.
  3. ^Hill, Carol A.; Forti, Paolo (1997).Cave Minerals of the World.National Speleological Society.ISBN978-1-879961-07-4.[page needed]
  4. ^Winston, David; Maimes, Steven (2007-03-22). "Part two: Materia medica. 7. Monographs on Adaptogens. Shilajit".Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief.Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 129.ISBN978-1-59477-158-3.
  5. ^Kloskowski, T.; Szeliski, K.; Krzeszowiak, K.; Fekner, Z.; Kazimierski, Ł; Jundziłł, A.; Drewa, T.; Pokrywczyńska, M. (2021-11-19)."Mumio (Shilajit) as a potential chemotherapeutic for the urinary bladder cancer treatment".Scientific Reports.11(1): 22614.Bibcode:2021NatSR..1122614K.doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01996-8.ISSN2045-2322.PMC8604984.PMID34799663.
  6. ^Korchubekov, B. K., Altymyshev, A. A. (1987). Mumië "arkhar-tash" i ego fiziologicheskai︠a︡ aktivnostʹ. Soviet Union: Ilim.
  7. ^Source study and textual criticism of monuments of medieval sciences in the countries of Central Asia: a collection of scientific works. (1989). Russia: "Science," Siberian Branch.
  8. ^Ouseley, William (1821).Travels in various countries of the East: more particularly Persia.Rodwell and Martin, London.
  9. ^abc"Геологический словарь. Том 1 (А-М) | Геологический портал GeoKniga"[Geological dictionary. Volume 1 (А-М) | Geological portal].www.geokniga.org.p. 485.Retrieved2023-10-01.
  10. ^Rahmani Barouji, Solmaz; Saber, Amir; Torbati, Mohammadali; Fazljou, Seyyed Mohammad Bagher; Yari Khosroushahi, Ahmad (2020)."Health Beneficial Effects of Moomiaii in Traditional Medicine".Galen Medical Journal.9:e1743.doi:10.31661/gmj.v9i0.1743.ISSN2322-2379.PMC8343599.PMID34466583.
  11. ^Carrasco-Gallardo, Carlos; Guzmán, Leonardo; Maccioni, Ricardo B. (2012)."Shilajit: A Natural Phytocomplex with Potential Procognitive Activity".International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.2012:674142.doi:10.1155/2012/674142.ISSN2090-8024.PMC3296184.PMID22482077.
  12. ^Agarwal, Suraj P.; Khanna, Rajesh; Karmarkar, Ritesh; Anwer, Md. Khalid; Khar, Roop K. (May 2007). "Shilajit: a review".Phytotherapy Research.21(5): 401–405.doi:10.1002/ptr.2100.PMID17295385.S2CID40620070.
  13. ^Ghosal, S.; Reddy, J.P.; Lal, V.K. (May 1976). "Shilajit I: Chemical Constituents".Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.65(5): 772–773.doi:10.1002/jps.2600650545.PMID932958.
  14. ^Khanna, Rajesh; Witt, Matthias; Khalid Anwer, Md.; Agarwal, Suraj P.; Koch, Boris P. (December 2008). "Spectroscopic characterization of fulvic acids extracted from the rock exudate Shilajit".Organic Geochemistry.39(12): 1719–1724.Bibcode:2008OrGeo..39.1719K.doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2008.08.009.
  15. ^abcSchepetkin, Igor A.; Khlebnikov, Andrei I.; Ah, Shin Young; Woo, Sang B.; Jeong, Choon-Soo; Klubachuk, Olesya N.; Kwon, Byoung S. (2003-08-27)."Characterization and biological activities of humic substances from mumie".Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.51(18): 5245–5254.doi:10.1021/jf021101e.ISSN0021-8561.PMID12926866.
  16. ^Ding, Rong; Zhao, Mingming; Fan, Jiuyu; Hu, Xiuquan; Wang, Meng; Zhong, Shihong; Gu, Rui (2020-06-29)."Mechanisms of generation and exudation of Tibetan medicine Shilajit (Zhaxun)".Chinese Medicine.15(1): 65.doi:10.1186/s13020-020-00343-9.ISSN1749-8546.PMC7322889.PMID32612671.
  17. ^Ghosal, Shibnath (1990-01-01)."Chemistry of shilajit, an immunomodulatory Ayurvedic rasayan".Pure and Applied Chemistry.62(7): 1285–1288.doi:10.1351/pac199062071285.ISSN1365-3075.S2CID20837659.
  18. ^Stohs, Sidney J. (2014-04-03)."Safety and Efficacy of Shilajit (Mumie, Moomiyo): SHILAJIT (MUMIE, MOOMIYO) SAFETY AND EFFICACY".Phytotherapy Research.28(4): 475–479.doi:10.1002/ptr.5018.PMID23733436.S2CID22593008.
  19. ^Schepetkin, Igor A.; Xie, Gang; Jutila, Mark A.; Quinn, Mark T. (2009-03-01)."Complement-fixing activity of fulvic acid from Shilajit and other natural sources".Phytotherapy Research.23(3): 373–384.doi:10.1002/ptr.2635.ISSN1099-1573.PMC2650748.PMID19107845.
  20. ^Konstantinov, A. I.; Vladimirov, G. N.; Grigoryev, A. S.; Kudryavtsev, A. V.; Perminova, I. V.; Nikolaev, E. N. (2013)."Molecular Composition Study of Mumijo from Different Geographic Areas Using Size-Exclusion Chromatography, NMR Spectroscopy, and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry".In Xu, Jianming; Wu, Jianjun; He, Yan (eds.).Functions of Natural Organic Matter in Changing Environment.Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 283–287.doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5634-2_52.ISBN978-94-007-5634-2.
  21. ^Пещеры: Выпуск 14-15(in Russian). Пермский государственный университет. pp. 174–267.
  22. ^abSavinykh, Mikhail (2022-05-15).Encyclopedia of mumiyo(in Russian). Litres.ISBN978-5-04-090878-3.
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