What is shungite?

Shungite has been around for a very long time--more than two billion years in fact--but we have only recently become more aware of the stone in this country. Shungite has been used in Russia for many generations, for its many curative powers. The name 'shungite' is derived from the Karelian village of Shun’ga, where the mineral was first discovered.

There are three types of shungite, each with their own properties. 

• Type 1 is the most rare and represents only about 1% of all the shungite available, and therefore, the most expensive. It is a vitreous mineral with a semi metallic appearance and is composed of 90-98% organic carbon. This type has been used primarily for water purification. Type 1 shungite can be identified by its conchoidal structure. Due to this structure, it does not lend itself to shaping into jewelry.

• Type II shungite, or Black shungite, contains 50-70% organic carbon. This type can be shaped and polished to a high finish, and formed into various objects like pyramids, spheres and other forms of jewelry. It is the most common type of shungite used for manufacturing products.

• Type III shungite, or Gray shungite, contains 30-50% organic carbon.  It can also be shaped and made into various forms of product.

All three types of shungite have one thing in common--they conduct electricity! This is one way of ensuring that you are getting real shungite and not a knock-off that unscrupulous vendors might try to sell you.

Shungite has an interesting story relative to Russian history and the Romanov dynasty of the tsars. To read more about this history and much more about shungite itself, we highly recommend the book “Shungite: Protection, Healing and Detoxification” by Regina Martino.

It has been determined that the benefits of shungite--in particular elite shungite--is due to the presence of fullerenes. Fullerenes are a new form of carbon discovered by Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) in a laboratory. Hence the name fullerene in commemoration of his discovery. Since this discovery, fullerenes were considered to be nonexistent in nature. But in 1992, they were found to exist naturally in the shungite stone. What makes this important is the ability of fullerenes to attract free radicals to their surface, binding them to the fullerenes. Having numerous free radicals side by side on a fullerene base leads to their molecular transformation into a neutral compound. What is truly amazing, is that fullerenes do not lose their continuous ability to attract free radicals. So, they are a permanent catalyzer of free radicals.

What does this mean for human health? Well, when there is a deficiency of antioxidants in our body, or an excess of free radicals, there is a negative impact on our cells that can lead to heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and many other illnesses. When the body is exposed to harmful factors like radiation--be it ionizing (i.e. X-rays) or non-ionizing (i.e. emitted by cell phones)-- free radicals proliferate and weaken the body’s defenses. Anything that can reduce free radicals in the body can therefore benefit by helping us prevent these health issues.

This is where shungite comes to the rescue with its natural fullerene composition. "Studies have shown that natural fullerenes derived from shungite normalize cellular metabolism, increase enzymatic activity, stimulate the ability of tissues to regenerate, possess anti-inflammatory properties, and foster the exchange of neurotransmitters.

Natural fullerenes also act against toxins and can neutralize toxins present in the body.  Specifically, active fullerenes in the liver reduce toxicity levels and foster the elimination of certain toxins present in this organ.”¹

Many different studies have been done about the benefits of using water purified by Elite shungite with various levels of success. Since many of those studies were done in Russia and Ukraine, they are not widely published in English. However, there is positive evidence that consuming water that has been treated with Elite shungite, can have many benefits to your health.

How does shungite protect us from EMF?

One of the benefits that shungite has been shown to possess is its ability to protect us from electromagnetic radiation (EMF). The human body is affected by everything around it, and anything that it comes into contact with. That includes EMF, which is an artificial substance that can cause physical and emotional harm to our well being. Electromagnetic radiation is a principal source of what is described in the literature as having a left torsion field. Research has shown that shungite has the ability of reversing or neutralizing the negative effect of emanations from electromagnetic fields. It does this without interfering with the waves emitted by electronic devices so those devices continue to work, but without their harmful effects on the body.

An interesting study done in Russia a few years back showed the effectiveness of shungite in how it affects a physical body. Hens at a poultry farm, protected by shungite from an EMF source (a cell phone), had a hatchling loss rate of only 10.5%, as opposed to those without protection, with a loss rate of over 79%.

Another interesting application of shungite was done a few years back by a bee keeper in Washinngton state.  He had been having problems with the colony collapse disorder so many bee keepers have had in recent years.  He painted the outside of his hives with paint that he had put shungite powder in and also put some shungite stones on the entrance to one of his hives.  After a short period of time he noticed the honey output of that hive increased, his colony collapse problem went away, and his hive population actually increased!

With the impending development and growth of 5G and the internet of things, exposure to the dangers of EMF and non-ionizing radiation is sure to drastically increase over the coming months and years. It is our hope that you will become well informed of those dangers and explore the benefits that shungite might have for your health and the health of those you love.

If you would like to give shungite a try, Shungite City offers the highest quality material available that is directly sourced from the region in Russia where it was originally discovered.

 

^1.Regina Martino, “Shungite: Protection, Healing, and Detoxification”,  Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 2014