A famous brand of shilajit is available worldwide from Pakistani Himalayan Range of Gilgit-Biltistan known as :: Himalayan SALAJEET. Himalayan SALAJEET is mined from the land of mountain K-2, Baltistan.
Infosahay says that according to legends famous in Baltistan, Shilajit is considered as nectar, or amrit from God, given to mankind to live life youthfully and become immortal. Shilajit is commonly called Shilajitu in Ayurveda, and is a kind of resin that oozes out from Himalayan Mountains due to the heating effect of the sun in summer. It is pale brown to blackish brown in colour. This resin is soft in texture, slimy to touch, pure and heavy. It is soluble in water.
Other names by which Shilajit is famous are asphaltum, mineral pitch, and girij.
Shilajit is an end product of plant matter trapped within mountains which decomposed and then became preserved due to pressure. Shilajit is found in the Himalayan region especially in Gilgit Baltistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, and the kumaon area in India, but the finest type found only in the mountains of k-2 in Baltistan.
Shilajit is considered ushan virya, i.e., it possesses hot potency, which makes it fight against the ailments caused by Vata disorders. It possesses katu, tickt and kashaya rasa and possesses laghu (light) and ruksh (dry) properties, which helps it in acting. Due to the presence of these properties Shilajit acts as a Vata and Kapha suppressant, and it also helps in moderating Pitta dosha.
Shilajit is said to contain many biochemicals, mainly fulvic acid, but also humic acid, uronic acids, hippuric acid, benzopyrones, phenolic glycosides and amino acid.
Shilajit should never be taken in raw form; first it is purified and then used.
Shilajit is widely used in preparation of Ayurvedic medicines and is regarded as one of the most important ingredients in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. It is a part of famous Ayurvedic medicines such as chandraprabha vati, arogya vardhani vati, and most important of all, Chawanprash. It works as a powerful anti-oxidant, and thereby delays aging.
Shilajit has been indicated in number of diseases as mentioned below:
• Due to ushan virya in potency, Shilajitu is said to have properties that suppress pain, as it acts directly on Vata, thereby helping to suppress it, as Vata is the cause of initiation of pain.
• A very good remedy in arthritic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout and other joint related problems and back pain.
• Has a very good pain relieving effect in any kind of injury and muscular pain.
• Due to a similar property mentioned above, Shilajit is said to work as an anti-inflammatory substance. It works in a manner very similar to the working of betamethasone, a glucocortocoid.
• Shilajit is considered as an agent which helps in strengthening the nervous system, and so is very helpful in nervous disorders such as paralysis, hemiplegia, etc.
• Shilajit is considered as drug of choice in disorders like depression, mental stress, epilepsy and mental fatigue.
• Shilajit helps in promoting intelligence level and also works in promoting mental concentration thereby enhancing the learning skills.
• Wonderful results have been seen in abdominal disorders, including pain, gastritis, indigestion and constipation.
• Good results have been seen in piles and fistula related problems.
• It helps liver to work normally therefore helps in proper secretion of all the juices and enzymes important for proper metabolism in body.
• It helps in purifying blood due to its anti microbial action.
• Shilajit works against any microorganism and due to this anti-microbial action, helps in relieving the body from any kind of foreign invasion.
• Helps in building body’s natural immunity thereby useful in providing natural strength to the body.
• Very effective in disease related to heart as it a Pitta moderator.
• Shilajit is also effective in controlling blood pressure levels by bringing it to normal levels.
• Works as a Kapha suppressant therefore helps in countering cough and helps in releasing sputum from the respiratory tract. It has also been found effective in asthmatic condition
• Very important herb in Ayurvedic system of medicine, which helps in increasing strength and endurance power in men. It works as an aphrodisiac agent thereby helps in increasing sperm count and also helps in bettering the quality of sperms. It also helps in regulating sex hormones for proper functioning. It has been regarded as Indian viagra as it is very helpful in enhancing sexual powers.
• Shilajit is well used in treating diabetes cases, as it is very helpful in metabolizing glucose in blood stream.
• It is strongly recommended in renal calculi cases, as it is very effecting in crushing calculi due to its tickt rasa property. It is also beneficial in enhancing proper functioning of kidneys.
• Good results have also been seen in infection in urinary tract and helps in relieving from symptoms like dysurea and burning micturation.
• Excellent results have been discovered when Shilajit is applied in medo roga (obesity). It possesses this property because of its laghu (light) and ruksh (dry) properties. It helps in scrapping away of extra fat accumulated in body thus helps in providing slim and healthy looks to the body.
• Shilajit is highly recommended in patients who are weak or have been recovering from prolonged illness or from any surgery.
• Shilajit helps in supplementing the minerals (like phosphorus, calcium and magnesium) and vitamin deficiency in body.
• Shilajit provides strength to the body and has been mentioned as rasayan by Acharya Charak, the great Indian Ayurvedic healer, and has recommended its daily use to maintain physical and mental strength and to maintain youth and to attain long life.
Shilajit is the most important drug of Ayurvedic and folk- medicine systems. In the raw form it is a bituminous substance, which is a compact mass of vegetable organic matter composed of dark red gummy matrix. It is bitter in taste, and its smell resembles cow's stale urine. The botanical name of Shilajit is Asphaltum (mineral pitch).
In the Ayurvedic texts it is called as silajatu or shilajatu, but is commonly known as Shilajit. Its Sanskrit meaning is "conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness." Several other terms like dhaturas, dhatusara, shiladhatu, etc. also have been used for it in ancient medical texts like Sushruta Samhita, Charak Samhita, Rasarangini, etc. The term dhau, which was used as synonyms of Shilajit like dhahurasa, dhahusara etc., was simply to emphasise its potentialities as rarayana, which increases the activities of the saptadhatus of the body.
Shilajit usually collected over the ground or is found flowing out from between fissures in the rocks in summer months due to strong heat of the sun. In India, it is found in the romantic surroundings of the Himalayas: from Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Kashmir in the west. It is also found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, and Norway, where it is collected in small quantities from steep rock faces at altitudes between 1000 and 5000 m. Shilajit samples from different region of the world have different physiological properties.
Shilajit in Ayurveda
In the Charak Samhita [Infosahay], Shilajit is described as a product of four minerals: gold, silver, copper and iron, whereas Susruta Samhita included two more minerals, lead and zinc in its composition. According to the predominance of the minerals of the source rock, it was classified into four categories: Sauvarna, Rajat, Tamra and Lauha. The last variety Lauha Shilajit or blackish-brown Shilajit is common and is supposed to be most effective. Charaka Samhita mentions that without the aid of Shilajit no curable disease can be alleviated.
According to Susruta Samhita 15,32-40, that obesity can be cured by taking enemas of drugs with liquefying properties which contain minerals like Silajatu, cow's urine, the three myrobalans, honey, barley etc. Traditionally people use it with pure milk to enhance energy, sexual and spiritual power.
Origin of Shilajit
Many researchers claim that Shilajit exuding from the rocks of mountains is basically derived from vegetative source. Several shlokas of Susruta Samhita and Rasarangini also maintain this point of view. According to Sushruta, in the months of May-June the sap or juice of plants comes out as gummy exudation from the rocks of mountains due to strong heat of sun and Rasarangini, Dwarishtarang also claim that the Shilajit is an exudation of latex gum-resin etc. of plants which comes from the rocks of mountains in presence of scorching heat. But the exact source of the origin of Shilajit is still under controversy.
There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of Shilajit:
Early work on Shilajit showed that it is mainly composed of humus- the characteristic constituent of soils- together with other organic components. Some workers think that Euphorbia royleana Boiss. plants are responsible for origin of Shilajit, because this plant is very rich latex. The chemical analysis of Shilajit by researchers at Bananas Hindu University in India revealed that humification of some resin/latex bearing plants is the most likely source of Shilajit. The recent discoveries suggest that the humification of resin-bearing plants was responsible for the major organic mass of Shilajit. And chemical analysis showed that about 80% of the humus components are present in Shilajit. Another recent research claims that the mosses like species of Barbula, Fissidenc, Minium, Thuidium and species of Liverworts like Asterella, Dumortiera, Marchantia, Pellia, Plagiochasma and Stephenrencella-Anthoceros were present in the vicinity of Shilajit exuding rocks and these bryophytes are responsible for formation of Shilajit. The bryophytes reveal occurrence of minerals and metals in their tissue such as copper, silver, zinc, iron, lead etc, which are similar to the elements present in Shilajit. The composition of Shilajit is influenced by factors such as the plant-species involved, the geological nature of the rock, local temperature profiles, humidity and altitude. Shilajit and Health
Shilajit is most important drug for many diseases. It was used as a drug in prehistoric periods. There is evidence of Shilajit (Silajatu) in the Indus civilization. Traditionally it is used as power increasing tonic. The following health properties are found in Shilajit:
Helps accelerate processes of protein and nucleic acid metabolism and stimulates energy providing reactions. Counteracts Diabetes and regulates the blood sugar level. Purifies blood, improves functioning of pancreas and strengthens digestion. Reduces fat, dissolves tumours, and counteracts thirst. Promotes the movement of minerals, especially calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium into muscle tissue and bone. Stimulates the immune system and improves restoration (recovery) after exercise. Increases levels of growth hormone in diabetic patients and is a potent anti-ulcer agent. Conclusion
Shilajit is a humus rich blackish-brown substance, which is very useful in many diseases and serves as a potent tonic. But its source of origin is still under controversy. Traditionally it is also considered to increase virility, cure diabetes, and in Ayurvedic medicine system of India, it is used against various diseases.
Sources and Further Reading
Joshi, G. C., K. C. Tiwari, N. K. Pande and G. Pande. 1994. Bryophytes, the source of the origin of Shilajit – a new hypothesis. B.M.E.B.R. 15(1-4): 106-111.
Ghosal, S., B. Mukherjee and S. K. Bhattacharya. 1995. Ind. Journal of Indg. Med. 17(1): 1-11.
Ghosal, S., J. P. Reddy and V. K. Lal. 1976. Shilajit I.: chemical constituents. Journ. Pharm. Sci. (USA) 65(5): 772-73.
Phillips, Paul. On Shilajit on the Internet.
Contact me for pure salajeet:
Mr. GM Saqib, Agriculture officer,
Department of Agriculture Skardu,
Gilgit Baltistan
00923468116943
No comments:
Post a Comment