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Synopsis There are a number of natural humic substances which have been identified and used as part of traditional medicine worldwide. The usage has evolved from centuries of knowledge sharing, careful observation and practical experience gained from using these amazing bio-products of nature. Shilajit or Mummiyois one such humic substance that has been used for centuries as part of folk medicine and has been ascribed with miraculous rejuvenating and healing properties. Research over the last century has proven a number of these ancient claims to be true. Recent research by the authors has demonstrated remarkable drug complexing and bioavailability enhancing properties of humic substances derived from Shilajit which can advantageously be used for increasing the solubility, dissolution, permeability and hence bioavailability of problematic drugs of modern system of medicine. A lot of interest has recently been generated amongst the international scientific community in studying the nature and applications of humic substances like Shilajit in modern drug development. The present book tries to collate all this and other remarkable properties of humic substances under one cover. The present book is a single-source reference work to cover the classic as well as modern studies on this traditional herbo-mineral ancient remedy. This book aims to highlight the ancient claims of Shilajit, how these have been validated and reviews information about its occurrence, nature and uses in traditional and modern system of medicine. It also describes the extraction of novel components, fulvic and humic acids from Shilajit and their use as bioavailability enhancers in modern medicine.

Contents:
Humic substances : An introduction, Traditional uses of humic substances in folklore medicine, Shilajit-A humic substance with therapeutic properties, Physicochemical characterization of shilajit, Extraction and characterization of humic substances from shilajit, Surfactant properties of humic substances, Drug complexing properties of humic substances, Solubility-and dissolution-enhancing properties of humic substances, Permeability-enhancing properties of humic substances, Bioavailability-enhancing properties of humic substances, Safety and toxicity studies on humic substances, Humic substances in drug development, References Index