The growing demand for shilajit, otherwise known as mineral pitch or mumijo has created an assortment of forms in which the substance is sold in the market. The most common of these formulations are powder, resin, oil, and tincture. Powder, for instance, is placed into a capsule that, although advantageous in some ways, is far more disadvantageous (as will be explained below). Worse, if the powdered product is not really mineral pitch, you could be exposing yourself to chemicals that are potentially harmful to your body.
In this article, we try to answer explain what shilajit capsules are, why they exist and why you should avoid buying them.
What Are Shilajit Capsules?
Of all the different configurations shilajit is marketed as the resin is the most reliably authentic. While powder, oil, tinctures or watered-down resin are the most common, these could be a cause for concern. These products may be fake or mere imitations. Other less-than-authentic substances with only the vaguest resemblance to mineral pitch could be presented in, say powder appearance, and none would be the wiser. However, it is much harder to present fake mumijo in resin format as any differences with real shilajit could be easily detected. That is why when you see mineral pitch resin sold in the market, you can be sure that you are getting the authentic kind.
Capsulized Shilajit
Shilajit capsules are essentially powdered variety placed inside capsules. The benefits of this form include ease of use, and pre-standardized weights and dosage. Powder dominates the market and is priced significantly less than the resin format but a cheaper, more convenient version of the powder are those in capsules. Although much less expensive, sellers claim that there is more substance per cap in these. A famous brand in capsulized design comes from Dabur India.
What Are Dabur Shilajit Capsules
A famous brand found in Amazon is Dabur Shilajit capsules manufactured by Dabur, India. This brand is mostly found in the Indian version of Amazon, although there are vendors in the United States as well.
What Is Dabur Shilajit Gold
Shilajit Gold capsules from Dabur are claimed to be more potent than the regular shilajit capsules from the same company.
Concerns about Capsulized Mineral Pitch
It is hard to recommend the purchase of shilajit capsules. The problem with those is the doubtful authenticity of the substance itself. Capsules contain powder, which, as mentioned, could easily be made of any material other than real mineral pitch. Of course, there could be a chance that it is the real thing, but there is a higher probability that it is not.
Due to over-collection in places where the mineral pitch was naturally found, marketers have to meet demand. They needed a way to try to bring into the market the product everyone wanted. The resin, however, is inherently difficult due to its unique properties. After the discovery of what bioactive components were naturally occuring in Shilajit, scientists discovered that some of those components could be found in sources other than the resin itself. As a way to meet demand, sellers started sourcing bioactives from humus, peat, and sapropels. They then added fillers and additives that are unnecessary but only there to give their product mass. A small amount of shilajit was then added to provide it with “legitimacy.” What most consumers do not know, however, is that shilajit efficacy is heavily influenced by the quality of the bioactives. Bioactives in imitations are usually inferior.
The same thing is being done with oil or tinctured based imitations. Those use watered-down shilajit as an attempt to “extend” the real substance as much as possible for profit. Remember, true shilajit is expensive and scarce. Nobody selling authentic shilajit will sell it cheap.
Why do imitators usually go with pills? These are some of the reasons:
- Imitators know consumers favor pills because they are convenient and are easy to use. They work well with our busy schedules. Pop a tablet, and you are done.
- Pills are easy to manufacture. You do not need any complicated laboratory equipment and manufacturing machines to place powders inside capsules.
- It is cheap for the manufacturer as well since fillers and additives are used.
These differences can be gleaned in the market. Authentic Shilajit is expensive, rare, and most often in resin form, while powder used in pills is cheap but readily available.
Authenticity is a big concern. Fulvic acid, for instance, can be sourced from humus, a part of healthy soil. The same thing is used in cheap fertilizer. To market their products better and to keep costs, many sellers source and standardize fulvic acid from these non-shilajit sources to up the fulvic acid levels in their products, claiming that this makes their products better. But this is not the case.
What makes shilajit unique and special are the ashless humic substances and not fulvic acid alone. Fulvic and humic substances found in soil sources are also lower in quality. Low-quality bioactives is not the only concern. Add-ons and fillers are usually added into these capsules to increase weight. Outside a laboratory test, there is no way for you to ascertain if what is inside a capsule is authentic, let alone safe fillers or additives.
Look for one with ashless humic substances when reviewing mineral pitch products. A certificate from the seller commissioned from an independent company is your proof of authenticity.
Legal Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the opinions and beliefs of the author, and not necessarily correspond to the position of the Pürblack brand or Adaptive Energy LLC.
