The Origins And Discovery Of Shilajit

Use in Indigenous Medicine

For more than three thousand years, shiajit has been venerated as an elixir in traditional medicine such as Unani, Siddha, and Ayurveda, particularly known for its regenerating and stabilizing properties. In archaic writings, Vaidyas and Hakims have touted its healing powers and given it a special place among the healing agents. They use this herbal treatment for its astounding effects on the mind and body. They have even gone so far as to say that there is barely a curable ailment that cannot be treated with shilajit, thereby making it a substance that provides ‘life expansion.’

Chemical Origin

The chemical makeup of shilajit is approximately 85% paleohumus ( the organic component of soil ) and 15% other organic compounds. These constituents make for the thick, sticky, and dark appearance of the mineral pitch.

Shilajit emerges from the process of humification. During this process, plant fossils and other organic matter that have been compressed under numerous rock layers for millennia, withstand very high temperatures and pressure levels, thereby undergoing intense metamorphosis, Shilajit is a by-product of that transformation.

Researchers point to latex-rich vegetation growing in the vicinity of shilajit bearing rocks as the most probable source of shilajit. Examples are Trifolium repens and Euphorbia royleana. Bryophytes like mosses and liverworts have also been seen growing in the same areas, and are believed to be sources of shilajit. A closer look into these bryophytes show that they have same metals amd minerals occuring in shilajit.

Places of Origin

Because of the intense temperature variations and extreme pressured experienced by the mountainous areas of Pakistan, China, Nepal, India, Tibet, Scandinavia, and Central Asia, these places have come to be naturally rich in shilajit. Extreme conditions of nature ensure that shilajit flows abundantly out of these rocks.

Discovery

Shilajit was first documented in a classical medical scripture known as Charaka Samhita. Where it was referred to as ‘shilajatu,’ a dark gelatinous matter emitted from the mountainsides of Nepal and India when the rays of the sun warmed the rocks in the months of Jyestha and Ashadha. Sushruta Samhita’s treatise also discussed how these rocks bear gold and other metals, and how they cause the secretion of shilajit when they are heated. It goes on to lay out the purification before shilajit can be safe for consumption

Mumijo

Mumijo is a substance that is virtually identical to shilajit, except for some minor differences in chemical composition. It is said to be discovered by the indigenous people living in the Altai mountains ( A mountain range in Central and East Asia, where China Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan meet). Folk people residing along the Caucusus Mountains and other Eurasian ranges have also come to know of its medical use.

Mumijo is also known by other names, all similar-sounding variations such as momio, mumie, mumiyo, and myemu. As unfamiliar, as these may sound, it would be surprising to know that they are merely derivations of a term more common among the contemporary population: mumie, the Greek word for preservation, as in the mummified body.

Its healing properties have been lauded in texts across the world and among various civilizations: Sumerian, Persian, Egyptian, Turkish, Arabic, and Persian.

While mumijo and shilajit are quite similar to the point that some sources refer to them interchangeably, shilajit that comes from the Himalayas could be older, and more potent.

When was mumijo discovered in Altai Mountain Ranges?

Villagers in the Eastern parts of Asia, and Europe have been using mumijo or shilajit as a health enhancer well before it was ever documented. Because of this, the specific time of discovery cannot be ascertained.

It is most likely that Himalayan villagers were the first ones to discover shilajit and its curative and preventive properties since it is the Himalayan rocks that bear this substance in abundance. Oral records tell of huge white monkeys that would travel to the mountain peaks every summer and convene there. These monkeys would then be witnessed eating a gummy, dark matter which they obtained from the Himalayan mountains.

their curiosity piqued by this exciting sight, the villagers then began consuming the same dark substance. Eventually, they felt all the health benefits that came from the intake of shilajit, both in body and in mind. Those who tried shilajit observed more strength in their bones and muscles and felt healthy and active even in old age.

While the ancient use of mumijo or shilajit renders it impossible to put an exact date on its actual discovery, records and documentation provide us with an idea or at least an approximation of its discovery in periods within particular places.

As mentioned, the first documented reference of shilajit was in the ancient Sanskrit medical texts, Charaka Samhita. This treatise was written in the 6th century BCE, which means people have used shilajit well before this date.

Another text from a different civilization that brings up the discovery of shilajit is ‘mahzanul Adwiya’ ( The Form of Climates) written by Alhakim Alyavi. It tells the tale of how mumijo was found in a cave. According to the text, the Sultan’s guard first came upon it and reported it to the Sultan. After that, the latter ordered a sentry be stationed outside the cave to guard the treasured substance. Once every year, the Sultan wiuld have his servants gather all the mumijo inside.

From then on, shilajit has been given well-deserved recognition in the medical sciences across various civilizations.

Avicenna, The Persian Polymath during the Islamic Golden Age, and father of modern medicine recognized the healthful properties of shilajit. Other great thinkers like Buruni and Paracelsus have expressed the same view. Aside from praising the potency of shilajit, their writings discussed the process of purification before shilajit can be ingested treat a plethora of ailments.

The spread of shilajit

When the East and West began trading, shilajit finally became known in Europe. Western leaders such as emperors and kings prized medicinal shilajit so much that merchants would only exchange it for weight in gold. Because of this, the benefits of shilajit could only be enjoyed by the wealthy during those times. Fortunately, shilajit has become more accessible albeit not as affordable still, considering its countless uses and benefits.