Herbs
Ashwagandha and Shilajit
Ashwagandha and shilajit are often sold together. What each was studied for, where the two differ, and whether taking both at once makes sense.
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Topic
Adaptogens
The herbs and mushrooms paired with the resin in the capsule range. Ashwagandha, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and what each one is actually for.
Sections
Where this topic is split
Herbs
Ashwagandha Benefits and Side Effects, Trial by Trial
What ashwagandha trials actually measured, the liver case reports behind the European restrictions, and the country by country legal position with dates.
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The rest of adaptogens
Ashwagandha Dosage, Onset and Timing, Read Off the Trials
Every ashwagandha dose in the literature, tied to the extract it came from, plus when trials first measured a change and what morning or night means.
What Are Adaptogens? Eight Ranked by Strength of Evidence
Adaptogens ranked by published trial volume, not popularity. Eight herbs and mushrooms, the largest trial for each, and where the evidence runs thin.
Vocabulary
The words this topic uses
6
Glossary entries
Each one filed under a section of this topic.
6
Sources behind them
A definition names where its meaning comes from, or it is not published.
- अश्वगन्धाAshwagandhaWithania somnifera, a shrub of the nightshade family whose root is the most studied of the Ayurvedic adaptogens.Read
- CordycepsCordycepsA genus of fungi taken as a supplement, most commercial material being cultivated Cordyceps militaris rather than the wild caterpillar fungus.Read
- Hericium erinaceusLion's maneHericium erinaceus, an edible fungus that grows in white cascading spines on hardwood, used both as food and as a supplement.Read
- Lepidium meyeniiMacaLepidium meyenii, a root vegetable of the brassica family grown on the Peruvian high plateau and dried before it is powdered.Read
- 霊芝 (reishi)ReishiA hard, varnished bracket fungus of the genus Ganoderma, too woody to eat and taken instead as a decoction or an extract.Read
- tongkat aliTongkat aliEurycoma longifolia, a Southeast Asian shrub whose root is used traditionally and studied for effects on stress hormones and male hormonal markers.Read
Elsewhere
The other three topics
- ShilajitThe resin itself: what it is, where it comes from, how it is purified, and how to tell a real jar from an expensive one.Read
- Fulvic acidThe compound doing most of the work. What soil microbes make out of plant matter over centuries, and why it changes how minerals are absorbed.Read
- VitalityEnergy, focus, immunity and recovery as things that happen across a month, not in an afternoon. The outcome side of the range.Read
The questions everyone asks
What is shilajit, actually?
A dark resin that seeps out of rock at altitude in the Himalaya, made of plant matter pressed and broken down over a very long time. What comes off the rock is not the product. Shodhana, the purification step, is what separates the resin from everything it was sitting in, and that is the step worth asking a seller about.
Why does fulvic acid matter?
Fulvic acid is a carrier molecule. It binds trace minerals and is studied as a way of getting them across a cell membrane, which is why the interesting question about a mineral is not how much is in the jar but how much of it arrives. That is the mechanism the research is built on. It is a line of study, not a settled fact, and nobody should sell it to you as one.
How much do I take, and when would I notice anything?
A rice-grain portion, dissolved in warm water or under the tongue, once a day. A 30g jar lasts two to three months at that dose. Shilajit is not a stimulant and nothing here works like one, so the honest unit of time is a month rather than an afternoon. If you want the caffeine experience this will disappoint you.
Resin or capsules?
Resin is the whole-spectrum mineral load and it tastes like it does. Capsules are 500mg split evenly between a standardised active and purified resin, in a vegan HPMC shell with no rice flour, no magnesium stearate and no bulking agent. Six blends, each built on the same resin. One caution: the Sea Moss and Bladderwrack blend is naturally high in iodine, so if you have Hashimoto’s or any diagnosed thyroid condition, take that one to your doctor rather than to the checkout.
Where does it come from, and how do I know it is clean?
Collected at altitude in Nepal and purified in a GMP-certified facility. Rock carries whatever the rock carried, which in the Himalaya can mean lead, arsenic and mercury, so every batch is tested for heavy metals by a third-party laboratory and a certificate of analysis is held for the batch you receive. A jar that cannot show you what came out the other side is asking you to take that on faith.
Do you ship outside Europe?
The launch markets are the EU, the UK and Switzerland. Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland get shipping rates without a localised site. Rates and delivery times go up once fulfilment confirms them.
