Shilajit

Shilajit ( "conqueror of mountain, conqueror of the rocks, destroyer of weakness")  or salajeet () or mumijo or mumie  is natural organic-mineral product of predominantly natural biological origin, formed in the mountains (in mountain crevices and caves).   

A blackish-brown powder or an exudate from high mountain rocks, often found in the Himalayas, the Pamir Mountains (primarily in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan), Karakoram, Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, the Caucasus Mountains within Russia, Altai, Central Asia, Iran, Mongolia and in southern Peru, where it is called Andean shilajit. The powder is also known as μούμια (in Greek), mumiyo or mumie (Russian: Мумиё), brag-shun or barakhshin ("oil of the mountains" in Mongolia and southern Russian Siberian regions near the Sayan Mountains such as Khakassia and Buryatia), rock sap or rock juice (in Tibet, Central Asia, Himalaya, Pamir and Altai), asphalt, mineral pitch, Jew’s pitch, slag or mineral wax (in English), silajita or silajatu (in Bengali), hajarul-Musa or araq-al-jibal (in Arabic), myemu, moomiaii or mumnaei (in Persian), Mumie (in German), kao-tun ("blood of the mountain" in Myanmar) and "blessing of nature" (Nepal).  The peoples of the East used mumiyo in folk and non-traditional (alternative) medicine (Ayurveda, Chinese, Tibetan). Mumiyo is sold both in dry extract form and as part of dietary supplements adaptogens, cosmetics and food products. In modern science-based medicine, mumiyo is not used.

Origin 
Various opinions are expressed about the origin of mumiyo. It is believed that it is formed as a result of the decomposition of oil rocks by microorganisms.

In early (pre-scientific) ideas, the mountain origin and inorganic composition of mumiyo (gold, silver, copper, iron) were postulated.

In the second half of the 20th century, it was assumed that mumiyo was a waste product of animal excrement (bats, etc.), deposits of rodent feces on the rocks.

According to modern ideas, mumiyo is of plant origin and, most likely, represents fossilized products of decomposition (rotting) of plant remains that have undergone metamorphosis under rock pressure.

History 
Since ancient times, mumijo has been a folk medicine in Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, Central Asia and Tibet. Mumijo has been used as a folk medicine and in alternative medicine for more than 4000 years. The healing effects of mumijo for different diseases is mentioned in the works of Aristotle, Razi, Biruni, Ibn Sina and others.

D’Herbelot confounded this natural production of the rock with artificial or human mummy.

Natural reserves 
Deposits of Mumijo are found in many regions of the world: in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the South Siberian region of the Sayan-Altai Mountains, India, Mongolia, Iran, Arabia, Indonesia, Australia, Burma, South America, China, Nepal , Afghanistan and the countries of north-eastern Africa.  

Research by the Central State Geographical Exploration Center “Tsentrquartz Gems” has shown that deposits of mumiyo, despite the wide geography of their location, are very rare, and the reserves of raw materials in them are limited. Mumiyo tends to undergo oxidation–reduction, but  duration of process ranges from 2 to 300 or more years. Found in calcareous, metamorphic rock, and sedimentary rocks (from Proterozoic to Quaternary) in Central Asia, Tuva, at the lake Baikal, in the Caucasus and other regions.  More often found in the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, mountains of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mongolia, Myanmar.

Composition 
Although shilajit is sometimes referred to as a mineral tar or resin, it is not actually either 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 in ethanol.  

Contains mineral substances Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cr, Pb, et cеtr more than 20 elements as well as solid paraffin hydrocarbons, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, alcohols et ctr. Chemical composition of organic part of the extract (~ 50% C and 10% H) indicates the oil origin of Mumijo.    

Shilajit is composed of 60–80% humic substances such as humic and fulvic acids. 

Studied by analytical methods Mumijo samples from Himalayas 5.1 kDa , Altai 8 kDa , Tian Shan 7.5 kDa , Dzungarian 9.0 kDa molecular weight,  demonstrated that it consist 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, methyldiaminocyclohexane dimmer. 

The mineral content is 15–20%, along with trace elements including selenium. Therefore, Shilajit is rich in nutrients such as mineral salts, amino acids, etc., 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, 85 trace minerals (potassium, calcium, and magnesium are the most prevalent), latex, albumin, sterols, tea polyphenols, phenolic lipids, dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBP), selenium, and dibenzo-α-pyrone chromoproteins (DCPs).

Organoleptic properties 
Mumiyo tastes bitter and can resemble pure chocolate with a high cocoa content. The smell of mumiyo is similar to the smell of bitumen.

Mumiyo varieties 
The composition of mumiyo varies by location and appearance:

 Coprolitic (mumiyo-saladji, Pamir and Altai mumiyo, mumiyo-asil, etc.) are fossilized phyto- and zooorganic remains mixed with fragments and gruss of rocks and soil formations. The content of extractive substances in coprolite mumiyo ranges from 10 to 30% or more.

 Mumiyo-bearing breccias are large-clastic rocks (more often, fissured limestones) cemented by mumiyo-bearing clay mass. The content of extractive substances is 0.5–5.0%.

 Evaporite mumiyo 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.

Some researchers hypothesize that shilajit is produced by the decomposition or humification of latex and resin-bearing plant material from species such as Euphorbia royleana and Trifolium repens over a period of centuries.

Mumioids are a group of natural formations resembling mumiyo in appearance. The group includes ozokerite, saltpeter, fossilized vegetable resins and gums, mountain wax, white, stone and mountain oils, Antarctic shilajit, lofor, or aqua bitum.

Classification 
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.

Research 

Studies conducted by 2011 did not detect biological activity of mumiyo, declared by adherents of non-traditional (alternative) medicine (Ayurveda, Chinese, Tibetan) medicine.

See also 

 Propolis
 Balsam
 Elaterite
 Wax
 Ozokerite
 Creosote
 Bitumen of Judea
 Resin
 Mummia

References

Ayurvedic medicaments
Sowa Rigpa medicaments