We’re juggling it all and feeling the effects.
As a professional, a parent, and homemaker, it’s easy to plow through days feeling overwhelmed with social, business, and family concerns. Taking care of oneself is too often the first thing cut from a much-too-busy schedule. That’s part of the reason that recent discussions about taking the tar-like, ancient herbal supplement Shilajit (mineral pitch) are piquing interest.
What is Shilajit?
Some websites claim that it has calming, "rejuvenating" and aphrodisiac properties. Scientific analysis shows that it has 85 minerals and contains fulvic acid, a popular antioxidant. Shilajit, a mineral pitch, has been around for a long time, though not in the West.
It’s harvested from the Himalayas, where it was recommended in thousand-year-old Ayurvedic texts for its vitality-promoting benefits. Shilajit has rasayana properties, and is used in Ayurveda for its many health benefits including as a rejuvenator and an anti-aging compound.
How to use Shilajit
Some companies are selling it by itself, and it’s a bitter pill — literally. Dissolving it in milk helps, but ancient texts suggest that the benefits are supported when Shilajit is added to herbal mixtures and taken at specific times.
Taking the right kind of mineral pitch is important as well. Maharishi Ayurvedic expert, Dr. Mark Toomey, says: “that the first text of Ayurveda, the Charaka Samhita, describes four types of Shilajit that exude from gold, silver, copper and iron. The most efficacious is considered to be the black variety from iron called Lauha Shilajit.”
It’s not always easy to verify which variety is being sold. Some companies are also promoting a cheaper raw, tar-like substance with no medical properties called Ozokerite, which is often used in cosmetics and melts much more slowly than true Shilajit. Whether it’s been correctly purified is another concern, but all the guesswork is gone when taking the herbal Rasayanas, Vital Lady or Vital Man, from Maharishi Ayurveda.
It’s also easy to swallow as a simple tablet with milk or on an empty stomach. That’s simple enough to fit into a busy schedule for more energy and a host of other benefits. Who could’ve guessed that mineral pitch could make such a difference?
Notes on herb testing
"We are the only Ayurvedic processing facilities to be certified by the World Health Organization GMP and the GLP. We test our products throughout their processing for heavy metals and microbiological contamination.
Every formula includes the whole herb, not just the isolated ingredient. This is a major difference between a traditional, authentic Ayurveda formula and modern medicine — our herbs use the whole plant, a natural way to avoid negative side effects and ensure maximum effectiveness. No high temperatures.
Herbal remedies are never exposed to high temperatures that can destroy their healing intelligence. By harvesting herbs at their peak growth, maximum nutrition and potency is ensured. We discard herbs that don’t meet our high standards of purity and potency, using the High Performace Liquid Chromatography to chemically identify which ones are potent.
Nothing matters to us more than the purity of our products. No artificial colors, flavors, or excipients. We use only natural binders and vegetarian capsules and coatings. No animal products of any kind are used in the formulas or during the processing."
Discover more Ayurvedic herbal remedies.
© 1999, 2021 Maharishi AyurVeda Products International, Inc. (MAPI). All Rights Reserved. MAPI does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. See additional information.
