Mummy

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Purified Mumijo, content approx. 90%

Mumijo (also Shilajit , Asphaltum punjabinum ) is a natural product that has been used in Central Asian folk medicine for thousands of years as a remedy, but also as a tonic . Mumijo is an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine .

Appearance

Mumijo is a light to dark brown, depending on the content, a powdery to viscous, asphalt-like natural product with a resinous and smoky odor typical of the species.

Origin of name

The affinity of the word mummy has caused much confusion, especially in Western European literature. Mumijo has nothing to do with the " Mumia vera aegyptiaca - real Egyptian mummy", but was often mistakenly equated with it. In the ancient Persian language area, the term mum stands for wax (compare also Persian muminahi ). Due to the change in linguistic usage, bitumen and asphalt as well as piss asphalt (pitch bitumen) were added after the term was adopted in the Arabic-speaking area and the associated spread . These petroleum- based substances were used to embalm corpses because of their preservative properties . Today there are a wide variety of names for Mumijo in the various language regions of the Orient. However, all the names of the respective languages ​​indicate the appearance of the mumijo: In all languages ​​it is represented as a kind of exudation from the mountains . In India it is known under the name Shilajit and is an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine. In the southern Siberian region of Altai -Gebirges will Barachschin called; this means something like oil of the mountains . In the regions of Tibet , Mongolia and Transbaikalia one finds the name Brogschaun , which means something like mountain sap . In Iran and Iraq one finds the name Arakul dshibal , which means something like mountain sweat . In the regions with the main occurrences, Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as in most of the other CIS countries , it is called Mumijo.

Emergence

Despite exact botanical and geological recordings of the respective occurrences, it is not yet possible to make a final statement about the exact development process, which can vary depending on the site. The necessary site requirements are scientifically secured. All sites have in common that they are subject to long and intensive solar radiation, the air is particularly clean and a special spectrum of vegetation must be present. Especially latex -forming higher plants, especially here Euphorbia species, are a prerequisite for the formation of viscous, but very readily water-soluble Mumijo matrix.

The substance description of Mumijo formulated by DD Djenchorow in 1995 as “ a complex high-molecular organic-mineral metabolic product of aerobic microorganisms, originated in the decomposition process of plant residues, lichens and resins ” is the current consensus on the state of knowledge of the development process.

In the Indian specialist literature, the term humus is often used; the formation is not unlike a kind of compost formation . The arguments for a purely vegetable origin lie in the content of secondary plant substances such as B. alkaloids and the compact, rubbery appearance of the Mumijo, which is interspersed with organic fibers, sand and other earth components. There is no known comparable substance from the animal kingdom that forms a gel of this type. The chemical description of the aqueous solution, however, also suggests an animal origin, since both hippuric acid and albuminoid proteins appear in the aqueous extract . There is also a theory of an exclusively animal origin, the mumijo formation is seen analogously to the guano formation. It is assumed here that it is excrement from bats . This excrement is washed out of the mountains by rain and remains in the crevices and cracks of the rocks as residues and over time forms cluster-shaped sediments. This theory has weaknesses insofar as the number of higher animals that could excrete such a large amount of excrement is usually not available at altitudes above 4000 m. Furthermore, o. G. typical metabolic products occur, which is not the case in the expected amount. In caves, Mumijo is not only picked up from the floor (where contamination by e.g. bats is possible and likely), but is also scratched from the ceiling. There is a suspicion that samples contaminated by impure varieties were examined and the content of animal matter was considered natural, although it is only residues. The maturing process of the Mumijo is currently discussed in the professional world at around 20 years, and the trend is increasing, but here too the final proof of this discussed period is still pending, since this period is based on assumptions and projections that are naturally subject to statistical errors.

Occurrence

There are significant sites in Central Asia in the northern and southern foothills of the Himalayas, the Altai and in some mountain regions of southern Kazakhstan. The lower limit of distribution of Mumijo is about 1000 m above sea ​​level . The highest sites are at 4000 m above sea level. Rohmumijo is described in caves, niches and crevices as porous rocks hanging on the floor as well as on the ceiling. The rock types and the age of the mountains are obviously not of primary importance in the formation of Mumijo. The spectrum ranges from limestones to granite-like rock formations. The different sites are reflected in the different content of the minerals contained in the Mumijo.

There are other deposits in the Antarctic . The local mumijo are the waxy, petrified fossil deposits of the stomach oil of the snow petrels living in East Antarctica . Birds use this oil to defend themselves against their enemies. Deposits up to 50 cm thick can be found.

species

The following Mumijo species are currently distinguished:

  • Artscha-Mumijo: Most common occurrence. Resin-like, brown-black mass with a typical aromatic resin odor, occurs as encrustation in crevices in the rock. This type of Mumijo is also called Iron-Mumijo by some authors after the chemical element iron . There is also a variety known as red mummy or gold mummy because of its red sheen. In the Indian-speaking area there is still a blue mummy that is said to have its color due to an increased copper content. It is described by some authors as the Copper Mumijo .
  • Bitumen-Mumijo: liquid to waxy, viscous dark mass, often emerges on the walls of caves and crevices, the starting product is a wide variety of naturally pressed root juices, especially from Juniperus species.
  • Honey-wax mummy: brown or black mass, probably the starting product of wild bee colonies, which solidifies through natural chemical changes over time.
  • Mineral Mumijo: Characterized by sites at extreme heights. Black mass, according to more recent theories, is probably caused by bacteria and lower algae in connection with a large number of different minerals under strong UV radiation.
  • Lichen mummy as a metabolic product of lichens with the formation of proteins and organic acids typical of lichen.

The currently best quality Mumijo comes from the regions of Kyrgyzstan .

ingredients

In particular, the working group around Prof. Shibnath Ghosal at the University of Benares (India) has contributed a lot to the clarification of the ingredients of mumijo and published it in well-known scientific journals. The mineral content of the Mumijo is strongly dependent on the place where it was found, but it contains almost all of the physiologically important trace elements . 80-85% of the organic proportion is determined by latex and resin-like humus components, the remaining proportions essentially consist of low molecular weight organic substances, especially dibenzo-a-pyrone, triterpenes of the Tirucallan type, phenolic lipids , short-chain tannins , urolithins and gallotannins . The organic components of medium molar mass are mainly formed by humic and fulvic acids , which in turn serve as carriers for low molecular weight compounds. The latex-like basic structure of the Mumijo matrix is ​​very similar to the ingredients of the surrounding flora. Mumijo is increasingly found where Euphorbia royleana or Trifolium repens grows. Ingredients of the milkweed family were found in a slightly modified form in the Mumijo.

properties

Mumijo shows clear properties of a plant extract. The licorice-like appearance of purified Mumijo extracts is directly related to the content of residual water. Purified Mumijo as a plastic mass contains around 15% water. When it dries, it solidifies to form a glass-like melt that can be pulverized. This powder attracts humidity very strongly until the above. Water content is reached again. This behavior is known from plant extracts .

Therapeutic use

Mumijo / Shilajit has been an integral part of folk medicine in Central Asia since ancient times. The substance is used differently north and south of the Himalayas. While in India and Pakistan, the Shilajit is used therapeutically to Ayurvedic teachings, including the surrounding rock carrier, is extracted north of the Himalayas, the Shilajit from the reservoir rock and thickens to extract one. The substance there therefore has a higher content of active ingredients than in India or Pakistan. In the 1950s to 1980s, extensive large-scale studies of the therapeutic uses of mummy were carried out in the USSR by Adyl Shakirov at the University of Tashkent. The following main indications are considered medically secure:

The anti-inflammatory (anti-inflammatory) low molecular weight ingredients in combination with the fulvic acids were recognized as the active principle. In the aftertreatment of fractures , part of the effect is attributed to the occurrence of natural strontium . It is interesting that there must be extensive synergies between the active ingredients, because a dose-effect relationship cannot be established, particularly with the mineral components. When viewed in isolation, all inorganic substances are available in sub-therapeutic doses . However, an effect can be observed, for example in the prevention of osteoporosis . The storage of calcium in the bones can be proven by measuring the bone density , but the amount of calcium in the mummy is too low according to evidence-based medicine . Its use as a sexual enhancer , which is repeatedly praised on the Internet, lacks a scientific basis and is based on the constitution-strengthening effect of mumijo.

Individual references and sources

  1. Carl Reichert: The Mumia nativa or Muminahi, a kind of prehistoric antiseptic bandage in Persia. In: German Archive for the History of Medicin u. medicinische geographie 3, 1880; Reprint Hildesheim and New York 1971; Pp. 140-145.
  2. Benno R. Meyer-Hicken: About the origin of the substances called mumia and their use as remedies. Dissertation Department of Medicine, University of Kiel 1978.
  3. Mumijo. Retrieved September 21, 2019 .
  4. http://www.bgr.bund.de/DE/Themen/Sammlungen-Grundlagen/GG_Sammlungen/Objekt_Monat/1004_mumiyo.html

literature

  • Robert Talbert - SHILAJIT - a materia medica monograph - California College of Ayurveda "Shilajit" , 2004
  • Yarovaya, Sofiya Alekseevna - Medical preparations based on Mumijo [1]
  • The antioxidant - genoprotective mechanism of the preparation Mumijo-Vitas [2]
  • Igor Schepetkin, Andrei Khlebnikov, Byoung Se Kwon: Medical drugs from humus matter: Focus on mumijo . doi : 10.1002 / gdr.10058
  • S. Ghosal, J. Lal, Sushil Singh: The core structure of shilajit humus. Soil bio.biochem. Vol 23, No. 7, 673-80 (1991)
  • S. Ghosal: Shilajit VII: Chemistry of shilajit, an immunomodatory ayurvedic rasayan. Pure Appl. Chem. , Vol 62, No. 7, pp 1285-1288 (1990)
  • S. Ghosal, Reddy Lal, JP Shilajit I: Chemical Constituents J. pharm Sci., Pp 772-773 (1976)
  • S. Ghosal, S. Singh, R. Srivastava: Shilajit II: Biphenyl-metabolites form Trifolium repens. J. Chem. Research pp 196–197 (1988)
  • ASh Shakirov: Treatment of Infected Wounds by mumiyah. In the Experiment (Russian). In Materials of the Scientific Practical Conference of the Tashkent Advanced Training Institute for Physicians, pp. 58-59, Tashkent (1966)
  • ASh Shakirov: Antimicrobial Action of mumiyah-asil in Connection wih some Pus Causing Microorganism (Russian) In: Materials of the Secound Scientific Conference of the Young Scholar-Physicians of Uzbekistan, pp. 127-128, Tashkent (1966)
  • Shamarpa Rinpoche: Sangye Menla, approche spirituelle de la médecine tibétaine. Traduction de Jérome Edou, 47 p.Ed. Dhagpo Kagyu-Ling Montignac (1982)
  • Wolfgang Windmann: Mumijo- The black gold of the Himalayas. Windpferd-Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3-89385-475-2 .
  • Gerhard Steinmüller: Pearls of Russian Medicine. 1st ed. Stadtdruckerei, Pavlograd, Ukraine 1993, pp. 11–13.
  • Jürgen Bause: Health from the mountains of Asia. Wissenschaftsverlag Ulm, 2007, ISBN 978-3-9811471-0-0 .
  • Jens Brehl: What should I still believe? (Chapter “An old natural remedy still a mystery today”), Lerato-Verlag, Oschersleben 2007, ISBN 978-3-938882-58-0 .