On Shilajit

A closer look at a time-tested panacea, plus a story from ancient Persia.

शिलाजीत (Sanskrit): “conqueror of mountain, conqueror of the rocks, destroyer of weakness"

barakhshin (Mongolia): “oil of the mountains"

kao-tun (Myanmar): “blood of the mountain"

arakul jibol (Arabic): “mountain sweat”

mumiyo (Greek): “preserving the body”

So you’ve read about my experiment with shilajit that almost landed me in horny jail, but what benefits does it offer aside from boosting libido?

As mentioned in my previous post, shilajit is an ancient medicine, used for thousands of years in ayurveda. It also features heavily as a folk remedy throughout Asia, Russia, and the Middle East.

It’s a truly curious substance that leeches from mountain faces, and fissures in dark caves; tar-like and stinking and black as night. Plant matter and minerals transformed under the incredible pressure of heavy mountainous rock, this is the most goth supplement you could possibly ever take.

Ancient Vedic texts (the oldest dating back 5000 years) outline how to prepare shilajit, which herbs to combine it with, and how to use it to treat a whole host of diseases. Some of these texts even make divine, spiritual and mythological reference to the substance, stating that it came from the Hindu god Shiva.

In the 4th century BC, Aristotle wrote about the incredible effects of shilajit, and prescribed it with honey, camphor, or grape juice.