The Vital Veda Podcast: Ayurveda | Holistic Health | Cosmic and Natural Law

Shilajit Unveiled: The Myth, Magic, & Misuse of this Mountain Mineral Medicine | Dr Sumit Kesarkar & Vaidya Dr J.R. Raju #144

• Dylan Smith: Ayurvedic Practitioner, Holistic Health Educator, Conscious Entrepreneur

Share episode

“There is no curable disease in the universe which has cannot be effectively cured by śilājatu, [but only] when administered at the appropriate time, in combination with suitable herbs and by adopting the prescribed protocol”.
~ Caraka Samhitā, authoritative classical Ayurveda text

I’m Dylan Smith, an Ayurveda practitioner and educator, and in case you have not heard of Shilajit, it is one of Ayurveda’s most revered herbal substances.

This potent, mineral-rich resin sourced from rocky mountains is rapidly gaining popularity in Western supplement markets for its purported energising and rejuvenating effects. In this episode, we aim to disrupt the growing fad of shilajit as a dietary supplement in wellness communities.

We’ll challenge the notion that shilajit—prized in Ayurveda for its potent healing properties—can be casually consumed. Much of what’s sold is adulterated or harvested improperly, and often lacks proper purification. We’ll explore essential Ayurvedic principles like correct dosage, the right vehicle (anupāna), and a tailored diet (pathya) to balance shilajit’s intense qualities and ensure safety and efficacy. When these elements are neglected, shilajit’s benefits can be lost—or even become harmful—underscoring the need for proper guidance in its use.

My guests include Dr. Sumit Kesarkar, who has spent over two decades harvesting shilajit indigenously across Asia, and the renowned Raju family of Ayurvedic doctors: Vaidya J.R. Raju, Vaidya Pavani Raju, and Vaidya Harsha Raju. Together, we’ll offer practical insights on sourcing authenticity, safe usage, and time-tested ways to honour shilajit’s role as a powerful rasayana.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
🏔️ Shilajit’s Geological Formations and Origin
🏔️ Understanding Shilajit as a Rasāyana (longevity elixir) In Ayurveda
🏔️ Shilajit's Health Benefits & Debunking the Overemphasis on Mineral Content
🏔️ Proper Purification of Shilajit (not common knowledge)
🏔️ Prevalence of Adulteration, Unsustainable & Improper Harvesting Methods
🏔️ Appropriate Dosage to Absorb the Benefits and Prevent Harm
🏔️ Diet & Protocol to Adhere to While Consuming Shilajit
🏔️ + more!

RESOURCES:

Related Podcast Episodes:

Support the show

🌿 Follow us on Instagram (@vitalveda)
🌿 Our Courses
🌿 Our Treatments
🌿 Our Online Shop
🌿 Vital Veda Website



Speaker 1:

Millions of years ago, the Indian subcontinent began its monumental collision with Asia, giving rise to the awe-inspiring Himalayan mountain range. In this epic geological event, vast tropical forests were buried and compressed under immense pressure deep within the Earth's crust. Over time, these ancient forests transformed into a potent, mineral-dense biomass infused with powerful humic and fulvic acids. This substance is known as Shilajit. Fast forward to today, every summer, as the high altitude heat of the Himalayas causes the mountains to thaw, this extraordinary substance emerges. It seeps out of rocky crevices as a thick, resinous material revered in India and beyond. Known as Shilajit, it has earned its place in Ayurveda as one of the most revered herbal substances, celebrated for its unparalleled ability to spread nutrients and energy within the body for deep longevity.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Vital Veda Show. I am your host, dylan Smith. I'm an Ayurvedic practitioner, holistic health educator and lover of herbal medicine. But tectonic plates banging into each other and creating immense pressure is just one way. Shilajit, properly known as Shilajit, begins to sweat out of the mountain. Besides this geological humification phenomena, other methods of humification can occur. This formation of humus or organic matter that has reached maturity from decomposed plant remains are precursors for Shilajit. Let's look at the Sanskrit name of Shilajit. Shila means rock and Ajita means invisible or undefeated. Shilajit grants the strength and power of the mountain. It makes you invisible and undefeated like a rock. Rocks withstand unsurpassed longevity. Dr Sumit Kesaka, an Ayurvedic doctor who has been harvesting Shilajit indigenously in the Himalayas for over 20 years shares.

Speaker 2:

So there is a rasayan part of Shilajit which you use to make your body like that when nothing affects you, and there is a therapeutic part of Shilajit in the Dhanvantri Sampradaya where you use it to cure your body in terms of different different alchemical yog.

Speaker 1:

Thus it is one of the most powerful longevity elixirs, known in Ayurveda as a Rasaina, that substance which spreads the essence of health, rasa, within the human physiology.

Speaker 2:

So Shilajit is one of the rasayans which, if you intake properly with proper diet, it maintains the proportion of everything in a very status quo way. But it is not going to happen if you just take it like that.

Speaker 1:

Dr Sumit is one of the most well-travelled Ayurvedic doctors who is researching and utilising a variety of herbs in the high Himalayas. I asked him about some of the most extraordinary experiences he's had in these mountain ranges and why he's so connected to them.

Speaker 2:

One of my teachers was there. Like they could? They could stay in the snow without food for like six, six months. Of course, there are a lot of things. You see illuminatory plants in the night. You see plants. We can cure your wound within one day. 20 minutes, 20 minutes. You put something, but to see someone utilize it, adapt to something which is inconceivable without the help of so-called technology or anything, and actually do it in person, which shatters your every thought process of why I have got this, I know this is something which is really mind-boggling and you really want to get into that experience and that's what I feel has kept me so motivated to go there.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit holds the concentrated essence, which we call the rasa of the Himalayan earth element. Rasa means essence in Sanskrit you can hear in the onomatopoeia of the word rasa, just as the Ganga referred to in Western terms, as the Ganges River carries the sacred waters of the Himalayas, shilajit carries the sacred essence of the rocks and plants. We will explore the medicinal qualities of Shilajit later in this podcast episode. My primary intention for this podcast episode is to disrupt the growing fads of Shilajit being heavily promoted as a dietary supplement in holistic wellness communities. You may have not noticed, but Shilajit is quickly becoming the new Ashwagandha, not necessarily in terms of its therapeutic actions, but as another Ayurvedic herb gaining significant attention from modern Western and cosmopolitan wellness markets. If you're unfamiliar with these Sanskrit names, shilajit and Ashwagandha, these are herbs that have been revered in Ayurveda for thousands of years. However, they've recently caught the eye of the modern wellness industry and are now being commercialized and exploited as supplements. Shilajit is undoubtedly an incredible healing substance, but I'm challenging the rising trend and fad for several reasons, which we'll explore in this podcast episode.

Speaker 1:

First, as a mineral source from high altitude mountains which is very difficult to harvest, much of the Shilajit available in the market is adulterated. Even the genuine stuff is weak due to the non-ideal harvesting methods and improper purification methods. Second, the lack of authentic purification methods. A vital part of Ayurveda herbalism has largely been lost, and this is especially crucial for Shilajit when it comes to safety and potency. Third, people are way off when it comes to correct dosage of Shilajit, something crucial for Shilajit but seemingly absent in today's supplement scene. Fourth, shilajit qualities are not considered enough. Shilajit is extremely heating. Just by holding pure Shilajit in your hand, your nose can bleed. It is lekana, which means it scrapes the insides of the body. It makes your body like a rock. It's very hard to digest. So to balance these intense qualities, what's required is a proper vehicle to deliver the Shilajit physician-guided prescription rather than self-prescribing, and, in a lot of circumstances, carefully formulated herbal blends rather than single herbs. And lastly, for now, the concept of Patya Proper diet while taking Shilajit is often overlooked In Ayurveda.

Speaker 1:

These guidance ensure the therapy is effective and safe. Without the right Patya, shilajit's full potential can't be realized. On the flip side, ignoring apathya or harmful foods that can counter out the benefits of a herb further diminishes the effectiveness of Shilajit. Only by considering both pathya and apathya, which is proper diet and improper diet can Shilajit deliver the results it is destined to? Shilajit is secreted from mountains all over the world beyond the Himalayas, vaidya JR Raju, a renowned Ayurvedic doctor that has travelled the world treating hundreds of thousands of patients. Master of pulse diagnosis, master of Panchakarma, ayurvedic detox therapy, marma therapy and so many more feats to this wonderful doctor's name was a bit more reserved in revealing locations of where he sources Shilajit.

Speaker 3:

If I say the places in world, then everybody may try to go over there, and it is no more already almost all finished, dr.

Speaker 1:

Raju used to watch goats lick Shilajit before harvesting it during certain star constellations nakshatras on a hot sunny day.

Speaker 3:

We were collecting actually we were taking that local mountain climbers and then we are seeing and we are watching the animals like that. And then we are seeing and we are watching the animals like that, and then we know, oh, if they are licking it is. And then when we go, the good quality we find out and we were able to look for the best one. But now, whatever it is available, we have to get it like that. The situation it is not available. Particularly, it is mostly during the sun situation it is not available. It is particularly it is mostly during the Sun. It is the best because it is enlivens the values.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit is also found in the mountains of Russia, Tibet, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Chile and the Andes in South America. Dr Sumit has his own favorite locations for where Shilajit is collected.

Speaker 2:

I particularly feel the best Shilajit comes from Bhutan, eastern Himalayas there is no place like that and the second best Shilajit comes from Ladakh and the Siberian Shilajit is a little bit similar to it. Iranian, afghan Shilajit is also good, but where you collect it from is important. What place you collect it from is important. What place you collect it from is important.

Speaker 1:

There are a range of different varieties of Shilajit, according to where it's grown, how it's harvested, how it's purified.

Speaker 2:

But the chemotype, the soil, the way it is collected, the temperature is all important.

Speaker 1:

So, shilajit which is collected from a particular place, the actual rock that is harvested from may even have other metals in that rock and create a different variety of Shilajit itself. The classical text of Charaka Samhita, the authoritative teachings, shares a few varieties. It says that when stones of metals like gold, silver, copper etc. In the mountains get heated up by the sun and the exudate that comes out of them in the form of smooth and clean gum is called shilajatu Gold. One of the metals, the exudate, which is sweet and bitter in taste, like the flower of the hibiscus rosa in appearance and having a pungent vipaka, a pungent post-digestive effect. This is derived from the stone containing gold. This Shilajit may have a more cooling energy. And then, when we look at stones with silver, the exudate from the stone containing silver, which is pungent taste, white, cooling and even a sweet post digestive effect or rejuvenating effect. The exudate coming from the stone containing copper is like that of a peacock throat. It is bitter in taste and heating and has a pungent post digestive effect. An exudate that looks like the gum of gugulu, which is a resin from a tree called Cognifora mucul and has a tickta, bitter and salty taste, and she the viria, which is cooling potency, pungent post digestive effect. This exudate is related with the rocks that contain iron and is considered one of the best among all shilajit.

Speaker 1:

Now, all these types of shilajits have the smell of calcium. They are useful in types of therapies. However, for rasayana therapy, which is really promoting deep longevity, not just physical longevity but the longevity in consciousness, in enlightenment, this one is derived from iron and that's more useful. So shashruta, another classical text, adds another two types. Tin and lead are also some metals that can interact in the rocks where Shilajit is harvested and the Shastras, the classical texts, even go into the varieties for doshas. So the Vayu Pitta people will benefit more from the gold-derived Shilajit. Kapha Pitta will develop more from the silver right, this more cooling effect that's involved. Kapha gets really that benefit from the copper, that heating pungent copper. Shilajit and all three doshas will benefit from iron, known as the best among all.

Speaker 2:

So there are two types of Shilajit Gomutra Gandhi, Shilajit Gomutra means smells like cow's urine, and Karpur Gandhi Shilajit. Karpur Gandhi Shilajit a lot of people use it. It's basically is basically potassium nitrate. You should not be using it, but Gomutra Shilajit is what we use. It also comes in four forms. Maharishi Shushu says six forms Gold, silver, bronze and low, which is black, what we see.

Speaker 1:

And those forms. The Shilajit is mixed with those metals in the rocks. Is that right?

Speaker 2:

The idea here is that little bit of difference of opinion here what I have seen, because I have never seen gold and silver. I have seen red Shilajit, I have seen black Shilajit, maybe I have seen yellow Shilajit. I have never seen silver Shilajit in my life. So I will be honest with you, but I feel they are the stages of the same Shilajit which happen over a period of time. So when you pick up the gold Shilajit it is very heaty so you can't utilize it. But because I have seen it, but I have not picked it Shilajit I used to pick myself earlier in my time. So I have seen red. I have seen this black Shilajit. So when you pick it up, because they are coming, what is happening? The mountains are cold, snow is there. Suddenly, what happens in the summer? Bright sun rays fall in them, because this was, let us say, in Himalayas. It was a sea, so it had all this beautiful arrangement of soil and humus there. Suddenly, due to tectonic movement, it became snow. The highest mountains in the world. So you get this thing.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit is even formed from asteroid dust falling on ammonite fossils.

Speaker 2:

Some say you have these ammonite fossils, what we call a shaligram. So space dust has fallen in it and over a period of time they have converted into Shilajit, because certain Shilajit has got. When they tested in the laboratory from Bhutan they found asteroid and comet dust in it. So exactly, it is a very unique thing. I don't like to bring mysticism to a lot of things, but Shilajit is one part.

Speaker 1:

you know you cannot take the mysticism away from it because it is so unique and lastly, a description of Shilajit from my friend Prashanti Dejaga, an Ayurvedic practitioner and protector and preserver of Himalayan herbs. He says Shilajit is likely 70 million year old plankton and seaweed that has been shoved five miles into the sky from India's collision with Asia, absolutely teeming in hundreds of nutrients, including minerals that are all in very bioavailable forms, as well as in optimal spectrums and proportions to each other Serious metabolic enzymatic magic. You can hear Prashanti on the Vital Veda podcast, episode 59 titled the Yoga of Time Vedic Medicine and the Veda Mandala. Now let's celebrate the healing power and medicinal benefits of Shilajatu In general. To start with a quote from Charaka Samhita there is no curable disease in the universe which cannot be effectively cured by Shilajit when administered at appropriate time, in combination with suitable drugs and by adopting the prescribed method of diet, lifestyle, etc. So when administered to a healthy person with similar conditions, it produces immense energy. So Shilajit, definitely for energy.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes these Rasayanas, these longevity elixirs, are for when you are healthy. That's kind of when you really get to expand and receive incredible Ayurvedic therapies. When you're healthy, when you've got rid of your toxins, when you've healed your chronic ailments, when you've got rid of the ama, when you've strengthened your digestion. This is when you really get to enjoy the Shilajit. Furthermore, not just Shilajit, other herbs, these powerful resigners, these powerful therapies, especially for Shilajit. This is important because you need your Agni, your digestive fire, to be strong to take Shilajit. You also need your Pitta, the fire element in you, to be pacified to be able to withstand. So Shilajit grants the strength and power of the mountain. That's what it does. It's an elixir for life. It's an elixir for happiness. It's an elixir for happiness. This is what Chattaka says. It prevents aging and diseases. This is what we call Rasayana. You still age chronologically, but biologically it is significantly reduced with Rasayana. Shilajit is one of them.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit is very good for cellular activity, cellular energy. It acts at the cellular level to improve ADP production. Modern science has uncovered secrets behind shilajit's legendary properties. It's real richness in fulvic acid and humic acids, which you'll see in the supplement world they're talking about a lot. These compounds are recognized for their critical role in cellular energy production. And when you look traditionally and and even now, shilajit is used by himalayan mountain climbers to gain energy for climbing at heights above 6 000 meters and they sell it to people, other climbers, so that they can smoke charas and all the other things they smoke 3 000 meters above the air while trekking. Shilajit is an excellent herb for producing sturdiness of the body. Thus it's used by these mountain climbers. It gives strength. It gives this Lord Shiva energy. It's revitalizing and rejuvenating us from within.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit is very good for cognitive functions. It's known to improve what we call in Ayurveda shmiti or memory, so it's known to bestow affective memory. Shilajit's very good for Alzheimer's. There's modern studies on it. It can stop the abnormal buildup of tau proteins, which is a key feature of Alzheimer's. It's when, basically, these are microtubule associated proteins and they accumulate in the brain in an abnormal way, and when that happens, neurofibrillary tangles manifest, and that disrupts neural function, contributes to cognitive decline. Recent research indicates that Shilajit may inhibit the aggression and the aggregation of tau proteins and even promote the disassembly of existing tau fibrils. The action is largely attributed to the fulvigacid content and other bioactive compounds which exhibit and I'm quoting exhibit neuroprotective effects. And this is a study from 2023 explored the effects of Andean Shilajit from from the South America and its fractions of tau protein aggregation in vitro, and the findings demonstrated that certain fractions of Shilajit significantly inhibited tau aggregation up to 76.6%. You can see the sources in the show notes of this podcast episode.

Speaker 1:

Another great benefit of Shilajit aphrodisiac it's one of the main karmas of Shilajit. It's a very powerful herb for fertility, to boost testosterone in men, produce the body's production of hormones that typically declines with age. In a similar way, in a related way, shilajit is traditionally used for what we call in Ayurveda meha, urinary disorders. This includes diabetes, known as prameha, blood sugar issues, because when urinary health is supported, when excess urination is managed, when blood sugar imbalances are taken care of, the ojas, or the vitality, the reproductive capacity, the immunity, it does not leak, leak out the body. So shilajit very good for the urinogenitory system, particularly a classical formula called chandra pravavati, which, by the way, don't just get anywhere as much as it's available you need. The problem with chandra pravavati is the shilajit being used. We're going to speak soon about that, about improper shilajits.

Speaker 1:

Number seven gut health. Okay, fumic acids and fulvic acids are formed from dirt, contain many nutrients, so boost the friendly bacteria in the gut. Shilajit is one of the best substances to raise up agni, which is our fire, our metabolism, our immunity at all levels, including digestion. So digestion in relation to enzymes and even the mind and emotion Agni. Shilajit is good for weight loss because it's Lekhana Karma, which means it scrapes things. It can scrape fat and this is rare for a Rasayana, for a longevity elixir and lastly, for now, shilajit is a fantastic yoga vahhi. Yoga vahhi means the carrier for other herbs. It helps everything you take with it work better. Thus it's a carrier for other nutrients in the body to function and make it much better. It supports absorption levels. This is why Shilajit is so good in formulas.

Speaker 2:

Shilajit is the excellent yoga vahiy which carries that medicine to that particular region and lets it exhibit its therapeutic form. So when you use Shilajit for you can say aphrodisiac, or for genital uses, or even Shilajit in women for ovulation, when you combine it with that kind of herbs or process, it has an innate property to give you that therapeutic effect. But it has to be cooled down, like for us when create chandra prabhavati. We have to process it in silver water from six day of the what you say moon, from like wax waxing moon to full moon, right and in the night and let it show, so that shilajit becomes potent enough. So this process is now you may say, look with a touch of mysticism, but it has a chemical effect that now this thing can be assimilated in your body and it won't give you those ill effects. But today, when we eat shilajit gummies with sugar or we take shilajit tablets and pop in for testosterone, I'm not saying it will, won't give you that direct effect, because everything has a prabhaav. Prabhaav means a direct effect, but in the long run it may start destroying other tissue systems of your body.

Speaker 2:

Yoga means union and Vahiy means what carries something in its exact form. So I create something, I need to deliver it to you in the exact form because it should not be corrupted In earlier times. If I tell something in your ear, you will tell something in someone else's ear and after 10 people, what I said in your ear will be completely different from what you hear from the 10th person. But Shilajit or Yoga Vahitings carry something in their original form like a carrier. Like today we use gold and silver as carriers to target cancer cells, nanomedicines or basmas.

Speaker 1:

There are a lot more benefits and a lot of modern studies. For now we'll pause and we'll go to a crucial part of obtaining or, if you don't want to obtain, but just to know, a crucial part of quality shilajit, and that is the purification of shilajit. In ayurveda we call purification shodhana samskara, which means not only purifying but transforming. When shilajit flows down the mountains, it collects dust, minerals, heavy metals, and this needs to be removed. The knowledge of purification of herbs have been lost, but every herb, even every food, has its own purification procedures.

Speaker 3:

Everything it is to be purified. There are a lot of purification methods and the purification is very, very important.

Speaker 1:

For listeners to understand purification, it's like holding a bowl of Shilajit under a steaming pot of herbs and the steam is going onto the Shilajit, and that's pur holding that part.

Speaker 3:

It is not enough, they have to tie it in the specific cloth and hang it. It is called Dola Yantra. There is even Surya Tapasuddhi means with the sunlight purification. So there are so many procedures, shilajit, not just one procedure.

Speaker 1:

Dr Sumit elaborates on some of these purification methods.

Speaker 2:

How do you purify it? So some people put water in it triphala water and boil it. It's agni taphi. What I use is surya taphi, which is a time-consuming process but the best is you just put it in water, expose it to sunlight, let the debris settle down and let the water evaporate with the sun. That Shilajit you get is the best.

Speaker 2:

The problem here what the western world doesn't understand, that when we say Shuddha in Sanskrit or Shodhan, we don't mean pure, we mean purified for assimilation. So we are purifying something so that it can be assimilated into system. So you can get a 24 karat gold. It is pure. But if I have to use in medicine, I still have to purify it. I have to make it shuddha. Why? Because I want to assimilate it. So when they say we get pure Shilajit, of course they may be getting it from the mountain. They might be measuring fulvic acid content, like Manu Kahani. They measure UMF or MGO. They must be mentioning that. But that is not assimilable. Purification is when you soak it in Triphala or Gomutra, as I said, we do it Surya Taphi, shilajit. Then what? As I said, we do it surya taphi, shilajit. Then what happens? It becomes assimilable by your tissues.

Speaker 1:

I have had supplement companies reach out to me claiming they have pure and high quality shilajit and offering me partnerships. Their claim for purity is the levels of humic and fulvic acid they're measuring. If what we are getting has that high percentage, then it must be legit, right?

Speaker 2:

a lot of people may have standards saying fulvic acid is high. Humic acid is high because every shilajit has some content and that is the modern medicine way of thinking. High fulvic acid should give you benefit. But is that fulvic acid assimilable by your system? Their purification comes and there are certain people now who are doing doing that purification. I won't say everything is bad. Certain companies in the himalayas are procuring it, purifying it, being transparent about their process, packing it, doing the purity test of and giving, being very judicious about the dosages, what they claim, what they do not, and I think such practices, even though the cost little bit more should be, should be encouraged. People should know about this and then they should buy the product. Nothing wrong, I'm not against it, but the way the concept of purity, if it is on a chemical content, I think uh, these concepts of ayurveda or all are just put on the backseat because we don't mean that. When I say pure, it means assimilably pure.

Speaker 1:

But they are really missing out on proper methods, not only for purification but potency. Potency is also increased by impregnating Shilajit with the decoctions of drugs and other purification methods. I want to now bring to the podcast adulteration. As a product becomes popular, so does adulteration.

Speaker 3:

But now, because of this misuse and so many the demand and all these things, the actual Shilajit is not available, Only the stones, which are just that area where it is secreting. They are collecting and crushing and then boiling.

Speaker 1:

Here Raju Ji speaks about the Shilajit, mixed with rocks, lower down the mountain, rather than what is coming up from high, which is less easily available.

Speaker 3:

Only those who are very experts they can identify. But still it may be most of that it is from the crushing stone, like that.

Speaker 1:

There are a range of methods that test the purity of Shilajit. Dr Sumit has some more details and video examples of purity tests on his youtube videos, of which the links are in the show notes.

Speaker 2:

So I personally would say that the Shilajit which looks like you can mold it in any shape, that shilajit is good. Then if you dissolve it in water it should dissolve, not quickly, it should just go like thread and dissolve. And if you burn it on on fire it should be nirdhum, there should be no fumes. And the original kasturi shilajit we say there is one thing is that if you have really procured it properly and even if you take this much and you put it on fire, then it goes. It doesn't burn, but it's like that firecracker. It takes a form of shivalinga, means it becomes elongated, like that.

Speaker 2:

But that is very difficult to procure. It means you have to be really have the best chemotype and the conditions to get it. So now what you get is this paste, sticky paste, as she alleged in this. It is good, like you know, it's like a tar. But these things people should do. A lot of people say it should go like a tar. So those things are okay. I'm not saying they are holy grail, but these three tests are mentioned by Charaka and Shashrut, so you should follow it and then you'll come to know at least what you're putting into your system is purified.

Speaker 1:

Another big area of abuse is the dose of Shilajit and how to take it.

Speaker 3:

The dose. It is very, very tiny, like one grain like that, small grain size, like a small rice grain, not big grain, not like basmati, very tiny, small grain like that. It is to be very tiny and how often would you take? Only one time, it is enough, actually, once a day, if it is really needed twice, or it should be combined with some other things On alone also. Everybody may not tolerate it.

Speaker 1:

One key reason for prescribing small, carefully monitored and sequential doshas of Shilajit is its challenging digestibility. As Pavani Raju, doctor and daughter of Vaidya Jaya Raju, explains, using Shilajit in today's era known as Kali Yuga or the Age of Ignorance, requires heightened awareness and caution.

Speaker 4:

In Kali Yuga. Our digestive system is compared to our ancestors. If you see, it is really low. We are not able to digest our lunch to dinner and dinner to the next morning breakfast. So our digestive system has gone so low, our agni especially. So that's why, whatever the herbs we are giving or taking, it is not that easy for everyone to digest those, and especially with Shilajit. That's why the dosage, as my father was saying, is very important and it should be according to the person's agni bala.

Speaker 1:

Dr Sumit shares a similar point of view.

Speaker 2:

They say gunja praman, which is on how you are, so you have to increase it. So when you say pure she elaji, it is in rati form. Rati is like a rice grain. You have to start with one a week and then it will slowly increase as per and you can go. The science always happens like that you increase the proportion, but I increase aspirin. You can go, rasayans always happen like that.

Speaker 2:

You increase the proportion, but I don't think so that that higher quantity, even if in therapeutic form, anybody can digest, because Shilajit's maximum dosage is sola gunj, which is like one gram or something. So maximum in a day you can give only that much. But as you said properly, as your Guruji said properly that if you don't cultivate a system, agni is a long way. Nobody has that agni. But at least if you don't cultivate a system, people don't even can't do a diet to assimilate something. Then it will be difficult and that is what I'm saying, that therefore rasayan shilajit should not be consumed. If you want to consume shilajit, consume it in some purified kalpa form, shilajit vati or something like that, and probably it might be still beneficial. But do it, check your system, see, and just don't do it because it is advertised in a particular way.

Speaker 1:

Shilajit has a lekkanaguna, which means it has a scraping action. This can be useful to scrape away excessive tissue or certain toxins in the body, but when used in excess it starts scraping away the healthy tissue. Dr Sumit talks about this accumulative poison effect.

Speaker 2:

Shilajit only people like us got for medicines, or people who used to stay in the highlands used to use it, sometimes One grain a week. Doses was one grain a week. Today we use it two times, three times Pure Shilajit. I'm not talking about tablets, so that is where I feel that we don't know. But if people are using it in that way, it is a cumulative poison. It may give you certain disorders which you won't know. Initially it will give its effect. Whatever you feel energy, you will feel boost of energy, but eventually it will start cutting through your system.

Speaker 1:

I asked Dr Raju about taking Shilajit long term and some is it a Rasayana that can be taken long term, like for every day for a year, or because some, like basmas, we only take for 40 days or 3 months.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, this is also not continuous and mostly this Shilajit also, if it is really, it can be taken in any season according to the need.

Speaker 1:

But mostly these Rasayanas, particular specific ones, they are given in the winter season, like that, like cool season, like that, not extreme summer, not heat conditions while Shilajit may fall into the area of occult herbal knowledge, what we call, in the eighth house of astrology, hidden or secretive knowledge, which is protected for a reason for its power. When we talk about the occult or secretive knowledge of body therapies in Ayurveda, we come to the knowledge of marma, of vital point therapy the administration of certain touch to the body to enliven prana or life force in that person's body. And we have a retreat coming up with the raju family, with dr jayaraju and his two children, parvani and harsha raju, in byron bay, australia, in april april 2 till april 8, 2025 and through this rare retreat you will learn the knowledge ofama how to enliven these concentrated storehouses of Prana within your own body and then as well in other people, if that's what you desire. So, whether it's you desire deep healing, the type of healing that you can't get from herbs or therapies or other people, but self-healing, and or if you want to help others heal on a deep level, it's wise to learn marma. So a lot of marma knowledge has been lost. This is the pure, authentic knowledge. You can learn more about the marma retreat in byron via the show notes of this podcast episode Patya.

Speaker 1:

Proper diet while taking Shilajit is often overlooked In Ayurveda. These guidelines are for a reason they're for the therapy, to ensure it's safe and effective. Without the right Patya, shilajit's full potential can't be realized. On the flip side, ignoring Apatya, which is harmful foods that can counteract the benefits of a therapy, such as a herb like shilajit, further diminishes the effectiveness of shilajit. And by considering both patya indicated diet and apatya contraindicated diet, can shilajit truly deliver the results it is destined to?

Speaker 2:

whatever I mentioned in the Rasayan Shastra anti-aging herbs right, they have a methodology. You have to prepare your body Like. It is like yoga, right. A lot of yogis do shatkarmas, cleanse their body so that they are not going to take that diet again. It is not that they'll eat a pizza and do a nali karma next day because they can cleanse their intestine. There is a method to it.

Speaker 1:

For Shilajit, especially taken for Rasayana effects, which is longevity effects. Here are some dietary guidelines, and this is from Charaka Samhita. By taking Shilajatu, the body of the person becomes like a stone to the effect of sturdiness in it. Therefore, certain substances have mutually contraindicating effects. One example is the legume horsegram lentil, known as kulata. Kulata, which is horsegram type of lentil, is an excellent lentil for breaking stones. It's good for kidney stones or even gallbladder stones. So this should be avoided when taking Shilajit. Even some physicians prohibit the use of Kulata for the remaining period of life of a person if they've used Shilajit.

Speaker 2:

Once they've used Shilajit, you can't take Kulata Because it is Shilajit it is coming from the rocks, so if you want to make it your body as a rock, you have to give it something slimy. No-transcript. Maharishi, chirag and Sushruta said that we want to use Shilajit Rasan. Shilajit is said in the Rasan section, but the Shilajit, what you want to use for medicine, we need to process it.

Speaker 1:

There is another reason why Shilajit is commonly taken with warm milk and lots of ghee. It gives that protection to the rock, that unctuousness to help make it as strong and deliver. And digest Shilajit to help make it as strong and deliver.

Speaker 2:

And digest Shilajit. But because it comes out from these rocks it has the ability to penetrate through hard stuff. So when you eat it unjudiciously, without softening your system, what happens? It retains into the system and it starts breaking Because Shilajit is. A lot of people take Shilajit to break kidney stones also. It is given right lot of time so it has the ability to break stones. But it is that Shilajit is given in therapeutic form. You have to dilute it and all the same Shilajit if you take in original form without understanding, like every day, then it is going to penetrate your tissue without understanding, like every day, then it is going to penetrate your tissue.

Speaker 1:

Other padya includes to avoid ingredients which are vidahin, which cause burning sensation, so very heating substances like chili and certain spices and certain inflammatory foods. These should be avoided while taking Shilajit. Another type of ingredient or quality of food is foods which are heavy guru. So when taking Shilajit it's so hard to digest. You need to be careful on the sweets. You need to be careful on the yogurt, the cheese, leftover foods. Another indication when taking Shilajit, you should take it in a relaxed way. The person should be calm before taking Shilajit. You should take it in a relaxed way. The person should be calm before taking Shilajit, not while aggressively working out and bodybuilding or boosting testosterone for your woman or whatever it is. The Pitta needs to be pacified. And when taking real Shilajit for Rasayan effect there are some serious dietary protocols.

Speaker 2:

Once you get that Shilajit then you prepare your body by being on milk for one mandal 42 to 48 days and trach only start with one grain. This starts affecting your nanoparts and starts giving you immunity. I understand that if I want to have this property, I need to follow a particular system. Then it doesn't matter 42 days, 60 days, that goes out of the window, but I have to follow it. If I digress from it, shilajit is either not going to stay in my body and go out or if it becomes an arm or toxin in my system, then it is going to cut through my system.

Speaker 1:

But if you don't want to take Shilajit for true longevity and expanded spiritual practices, perhaps you only want it for the more superficial therapeutic effects, like what supplement companies are marketing it for you still need to adhere to these protocols, that is, unless the Shilajit you take is adulterated and weak.

Speaker 2:

But the good part is that 90% of Shilajit which comes into the market is third-degree Shilajit. Anyways, it doesn't have any effect. So I don't think so. There is a risk when they pop in, apart from the money they lose ayurveda has clear herbal profiles for all herbs which we call rasa panchaka.

Speaker 1:

this shares the tastes, the thermal potencies, the post-digestive effects, the effects on doshas and the qualities of the substance. All of these factors will change, of course, according to the variety of Shilajit, but it is these qualities which are overlooked and not considered enough in the Shilajit supplement industries. Firstly, shilajit is very heating. Thus you need to consider certain conditions of increased pitta in people. Has the person got inflammatory skin like dermatitis? Has they got hives? Are they feeling angry, aggressive? Have they got certain hormonal imbalances? You need to consider these before taking Shilajit.

Speaker 2:

Let us say that we are dealing with original Shilajit. Okay, let's, for argument's sake, say Shilajit comes from the rocks. So they say it is the sweat of the rocks. You can only sweat when something is heaty, right? So when the snow melts, and these are, I'll talk about Himalayan mountains, though Shilajit is also found in the Andes, also found in Siberia. But let us say Shilajit which is found in the snow mountains, like original Shilajit, if you hold in hand a lot of people will bleed from the nose. They don't know it. It is that hot. If you go to Bhutan and all. Now there are different picking practices. It's called Kastur Shilajit because most time it comes in the mating season of snow leopards.

Speaker 1:

When Shilajit is in a formula, it can help balance the effects of these intense qualities.

Speaker 3:

Mostly it should be with the formula. Mainly it can be taken, but under very, very strict supervision of the Vaidya experienced Vaidya.

Speaker 1:

There are a variety of formulas with Shilajit. It is best to consult an Ayurvedic practitioner. If you'd like to book a consultation with me which we explore health from a variety of angles with the ultimate intention for you to be self-sustainable in balancing your own physiology, book a consultation at vitalvedacomau forward slash bookings. One more cool thing about Shilajit before we wrap up, shilajit, like honey, ghee and basmas which are certain metallic ash preparations, gets better with age. I cautiously approach Vaidyaharsha Raju, son of Vaidyajaya Raju, to ask if he might kindly share a glimpse into his herbal collections.

Speaker 5:

Well, in our family it's like, you know, people have gold passed on or like that. So in our family it is like how much shilajit do I have it? So it's like a property. How old is our honey, how old is the ghee? So one of those collections in ayurveda which you know, no money can even match, you know, like how a big, bigger size diamond or rupee becomes. You cannot put any cost to it. So Shilajit is one of that. When you have the purest form, we cherish that and we are like sometimes just to formulate that product, we take years and years. The discussion is still going on. Shall we do this? No, it's not right time yet. So we have been postponing, like my mother and father are still formulating and we discuss, because we know the quality is so good. So sometimes you know, taking a tiny part and putting it because it attains, because it has been part of our important procedures, yagyas, the mantra shuddhi, everything is involved in that. So, yes, if you have that valuable, proper collection, then it is much more valuable than gold.

Speaker 1:

So how old is that?

Speaker 3:

I think it is at least 40, more than 40 years old.

Speaker 5:

Yes, and in Ayurveda one beauty is we were taught from very young, like when you are collecting, when you are becoming like a custodian for honey, ghee, shilajit, all these special herbs if in your lifetime that need comes, very good you get to use it. But your intention should be it could be 500 years later, that will be useful thousand years later. So we are once in a while we become guardians to something so special and how that will be that karma, your good karma, passed on to someone utilizing it. Like even in recent times, you know, some scientists discovered 5,000 years or 1,000 years old honey and they're doing research on it. So like that, these valuable things that we learn from Ayurveda, we have to have that collection like certain dedication. So once that you are putting your attention on Shilajit, you are going to discover, and on the journeys we will go, like what is the difference when you have two, three varieties that you have collected? Then you will know the potency. Just the smell itself has an impact and the taste of it.

Speaker 1:

To conclude, as impressive and powerful as Shilajit is, please don't take it without supervision of the Vedya. Don't self-prescribe or buy online. Consult an Ayurvedic practitioner who really knows. There are so many factors to consider the type of Shilajit, the formula, the vehicle for you to take it, with how to take it, the dosage, the associated program alongside it. Always, it is best to work with a practitioner. As you heard, vaidya Jaya Raju and Vaidya Sumit Kisaka and even Dr Harsha and Dr Parvani Raju. These are extracts from interviews I did with them. If you want to hear the full interviews, which has a lot more knowledge, including more details of purity tests, more about shilajit as a rock high up or as a form of clay and mixing with different rocks. If you want to hear vedya jayaraju share about his stories of potentially meeting immortal humans in the himalayan mountains, or vedya sumit's journey of how he got into ayurveda in the himalayan life and miraculously or incredibly healing his father. About Shiva energy of healing compared with Dhanvantari, which is Vishnu energy of healing. So much more is discussed. You can listen to the full interviews. You'll have to visit the Vital Veda Community Facebook group, which is a supportive space for sharing Ayurvedic wisdom, wellness tips and vibrant discussions to nurture holistic health and wellbeing. You'll find the links to both of those full interviews on the Vital Veda community Facebook group. They will also be shared in Vital Veda's Instagram broadcast channel, which is called Conscious Living Broadcast. So make sure that you're part of our broadcast channel on Instagram and that's at VitalVeda. One word these two online spaces is where you'll find deeper knowledge and discussions and collaborations in general. You can also ask questions there. If you have anything to ask about this podcast, please ask it there. Please share it on Instagram. Share it with someone who's taking Shilajit or who's interested in taking Shilajit. Share it on social media. I'd love to hear your feedback and if you'd like to learn more, follow Vital Veda. Subscribe to our podcast channel.

Speaker 1:

We've got a lot of good stuff coming out for 2025. Happy New Year, by the way, and our Instagram channel. And lastly, we have for 2025, abhyanga courses teaching Ayurvedic massage how to instill an experience of bliss within someone through something so much more than a massage. It is a treatment that enlivens bliss within the physiology and creates a state of inspiration in that person on wanting to take more action on their health, and it naturally happens that their cells start taking action on the health. This is achieved through the Ayurvedic treatment of Abhyanga, ayurvedic massage oil, medicated oils applied in certain ways. I'll be teaching that in Perth, february 2025, byron Bay area in July, july 2025, as well, as I'll be sharing a bit more specific treatment in Ayurveda, called external busties, which are certain oil applications to treat certain pathologies as well as to prevent certain pathologies from manifesting, specifically areas of the body that include the neck and the spine and the whole back. So for treating disc issues and lumbar issues, cervical issues, it goes on. And To treat the center of the nabi, with the center of the body, which we call nabi, which is the navel area for immunity, for reproductive power, reproductive nourishment, for energy levels it goes, goes on for the knees, for the eyes, for the liver. We can apply these medicated oils in various ways to treat various organs and musculoskeletal systems. For all the courses that we offer at VitalVeda, check out vitalvedacomau forward slash courses, and we have courses in Australia and the UK.

Speaker 1:

If you like this podcast episode, not only should you leave a review or share with me what you enjoyed I would love to hear but also check out some other podcast episodes. I think that you will like Number 104 with Dr Sumit Kesarka and that's called Coffee Whiskey and Lord Shiva Whiskey and Lord Shiva integrating Ayurvedic tantric algorithms with artificial intelligence, dna energy and Mahashivaratri, the great knight of transcendence. Another episode you'll probably like is episode 57 with Bharat Mitra, named Sparking an Organic Herbal Revolution, and Prana Potent Herbs. There's a bunch of other episodes you'll like. Thank you for listening.

Speaker 1:

If you made it to the end of this podcast, much love to you. It's a bit of a niche topic. Getting onto the occult herbs, the powerful herbs, again, not for everyone, shilajit, and maybe not at all in your lifetime, but there will be a time where it'll come. Not at all in your lifetime, but there will be a time where it'll come, and right now, in Kali Yuga. Maybe it's not for you, but please don't try to get it, don't ask for it, don't really persevere. Speak with the Vaidya, speak with the physician, with the practitioner, and let it come when it's meant to.