Shilajit Purification: What Most People Get Wrong About Shilajit--amchi kunga
Updated: 5 days ago
If you search for Shilajit online today, you’ll see all kinds of claims:
More energy, better male vitality, anti-aging, improved metabolism, support for healthy blood sugar, better skin, weight management, and even benefits related to brain health and physical endurance.
Over time, this has led many people to see Shilajit as simply a supplement for improving sexual performance.
As a sixth-generation practitioner of traditional Tibetan medicine, I believe this misses two of the most important questions about Shilajit.
-The first is:
Why has traditional medicine used Shilajit for so many different aspects of the body?
-The second is:
Raw Shilajit collected from the mountains may contain unwanted substances, including four heavy metals that need to be carefully controlled. Has it actually been purified and processed properly before it reaches the consumer?
These two questions are, in my view, more important than simply asking:
“What are the benefits of Shilajit?”
The first is: Why has traditional medicine used Shilajit for so many different aspects of the body?
In the Tibetan medical tradition passed down through my family, Shilajit has never been viewed as something that works on only one organ or one specific problem.
After it has been properly purified, we traditionally understand Shilajit as helping the body in two important ways: first, by supporting the body’s natural process of clearing unwanted substances from the blood and maintaining healthy circulation; and second, by providing a wide range of naturally occurring minerals and organic compounds，Shilajit contains more than 80 or 85 minerals.
In traditional Tibetan medicine, healthy blood flow and strong circulation are considered essential to the strength of the kidneys and the rest of the body. I often explain it in a simple way: when circulation is strong, it is almost like having a good charger supplying energy to the body.
From this traditional point of view, when the kidneys are strong and the body is functioning well, a person may gradually experience better energy and metabolism, greater endurance, healthier-looking skin, and stronger overall vitality. The kidneys are also traditionally understood to support the brain and the other major organs, helping the whole body function in a more balanced and energetic way.
This is why, in our traditional understanding, Shilajit has never been seen simply as a “male vitality supplement.” Its role has always been much broader.
Modern research has also shown that Shilajit is a highly complex natural substance containing humic substances, fulvic acid, and a wide range of mineral components. However, scientists are still studying exactly how these different compounds may affect the body and which traditional uses can be confirmed through modern research.
But Before Talking About Any Benefits, There Is an Even More Important Question
The second question is:Has the Shilajit You Are Taking Actually Been Properly Purified?
This is one of the most overlooked issues in today’s Shilajit market.
Shilajit is not a pure substance manufactured in a laboratory.
It comes directly from mountains, rock formations, and soil environments.
Because of this, raw Shilajit may naturally be mixed with:
soil, rock particles, sediment, plant matter, and various naturally occurring elements and impurities.
This also means that before proper purification, raw Shilajit may contain potentially harmful heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
Health Canada also recognizes that natural health product ingredients or finished products may contain elemental impurities such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, either naturally or through processing. For this reason, these contaminants need to be properly controlled and tested.
As a sixth-generation practitioner of traditional Tibetan medicine, I often remind my patients:
“Raw Shilajit is not finished Shilajit.”
In other words:
Shilajit collected directly from the mountains is not the same as Shilajit that is ready to be consumed.
Why Does a Sixth-Generation Tibetan Medicine Family Place So Much Importance on Purification?
I was born into a family with six generations of Tibetan medical tradition.
In my family, preparing Shilajit is not something we only began learning in recent years because it became popular in the wellness market.
As far back as my grandfather’s generation, my family was already preparing traditional Tibetan medicines, including Shilajit.
This knowledge did not come from modern supplement manuals, online articles, or commercial product instructions.
It was passed down in a very traditional way:
The elders taught, the younger generation learned and remembered, and the knowledge was passed from one generation to the next.
At that time, there was no Google.
No YouTube.
And certainly no ChatGPT.
Many traditional Tibetan medicine preparation methods were never systematically recorded in academic papers or books. Instead, they were preserved through the practical experience of different medical families and lineages.
That is why, even today, if you search online:
“How is Shilajit actually made?”
you will find a great deal of information about what Shilajit is supposed to do, but far less information clearly explaining how the raw material is washed, separated, purified, processed, and traditionally judged to be ready.
This is one of the reasons I want to document and share the traditional method that was passed down in my family.
For us, the first step in making Shilajit is not simply concentrating it.
It is removing unwanted impurities and reducing potentially harmful contaminants through proper purification.
The overall process can be summarized as:
5–10 days of soaking → separation of large amounts of soil and sediment → purification with eight traditional herbs → more than 18 hours of processing → traditional observation of multicolored foam → laboratory testing of the finished product.
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