Should you use Shilajit?
Shilajit is an organic substance found on the surface of rocks in The Himalayas, formed by decomposition of micro-organisms.
It has been used as a remedy as per the Ayurvedic tradition, derived from India, approximately 3000 years ago.
I’ve recently completed a cycle of Shilajit, lasting approximately 2-months; I cannot say that I experienced any side-effects from this substance.
Shilajit has also been described as a neutraceutical; that is, a natural substance that has been demonstrated to have health benefits, but may not have thorough scientific verification.
It has also been observed in India and Nepal, where Shilajit is derived, in some instances that people consuming the substance have improved health and longevity.
Composition
Shilajit is reported to contain a variety of trace minerals; however, I cannot personally confirm the composition, so won’t comment on this extensively in this post.
The primary component to Shilajit is fulvic acid; fulvic acid has been found to help with cognition and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease in studies.
It is also associated with memory enhancement, this would correlate with Alzheimer’s dieases prevention in theory.
Shilajit may contain selenium and other minerals, it may also contain humic substances
Controversy
There has been some controversy surrounding Shilajit; for instance, there was an example of a manufacture whose product contains a higher than average presence of heavy/toxic metals in their compound.
I cannot elaborate fully on this at this time, and I cannot say whether fatalities occurred as a result; with that being said, this stresses the importance of using a product that has been properly filtered.
There are studies to suggest that fulvic acid can help alleviate heavy metal toxicity, shilajit composition averages at 60-80% fulvic acid generally.
Final Thoughts
Finally, further studies will be required on this substance; currently, it is treated as a nutraceutical that does have health benefits with its consumption.
I will look forward to the continued study of this organic compound, and will be continuing to cycle it in the foreseeable future.
Other sources of fulvic acid include root vegetables, such as: Radishes, Beetroot, Potatoes etc.
Should you use Shilajit? My answer is yes, as long as you cycle it, and verify first that you are using a good quality product that has been purified; it is essential that metals such as lead, mercury etc. are removed from the product.
Which brands should you go for? Best to research for yourself; personally, I have used Shilajit capsules from Feel Supreme, other brands include Nurojit, Based Supplements, and The Positive Company etc.
You may want to refer to Trust Pilot for reviews on sites and products, Feel Supreme currently have excellent reviews; but I don’t think they ship outside the UK.
I would also like to add, that at the time of writing this post, I am not sponsored or affiliated with any companies mentioned.
I would also like to suggest cycling the supplement; that is, not using it consistently. For instance, you may wish to use it for 2 months, then forego for the next 2.
I cannot confirm that Shilajit can help with colds or flu, nor have I found any studies that suggest this; you may wish to refer to my other post here on the subject: Treating a Flu
For additional information, please refer to the following study: Carrasco-Gallardo C, Guzmán L, Maccioni RB. Shilajit: a natural phytocomplex with potential procognitive activity. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;2012:674142. doi: 10.1155/2012/674142. Epub 2012 Feb 23. PMID: 22482077; PMCID: PMC3296184.
Link has been included here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296184/
