Shilajit: A review
Shilajit, also known as salajit, shilajatu, mumie or mummiyo is a pale-brown to blackish-brown exudation, of variable consistency, from layers of rocks in many mountain ranges of the world, especially the Himalayan ranges of the Indian subcontinent (Kong et al., 1987; Srivastava et al., 1988) (Fig.). It is also found in Russia, Tibet, Norway and other countries,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, however, vary in their physiological properties.
Shilajit, an ancient traditional medicine has been ascribed a number of pharmacological activities and has been used for ages as a rejuvenator and for treating a number of disease conditions (Acharya et al., 1988). Modern scientific research has mystematically validated a number of properties of shilajit and