How can you tell if shungite is real or not?

Minerologists around the world cannot come to a consensus regarding the formation of stone, but they agree on one thing: this is a very long process of formation of a mineral, which is at least two billion years old. This age is calculated from the moment of the appearance and birth of all life on Earth.

The first information about the healing properties of shungite was recorded in historical sources dating back to the 16th century.

In the North-West of Russia, in the Karelian expanses, local residents have long found a black noticeable stone and nicknamed it “slate”. Popular rumor passed from mouth to mouth tales of miraculous healing with this stone. By the way, our contemporaries geologists called this stone shungite, since a deposit of “slate” stone was found in the area of ​​a village called Shunga.

History says that Peter the Great’s great-grandmother, Tsarina Xenia, was exiled by Tsar Boris Godunov to the Tolvui Monastery. This monastery was located on the banks of the Onega, in an area where the healing spring became famous for its healing properties. It must be said that the queen not only did not dry out from illnesses in the monastery, but got rid of old illnesses. In the future, Ksenia gave birth to Tsar Mikhail Romanov, despite the fact that her first few pregnancies ended in miscarriages. And the Tolvui spring, breaking through the black strata of the “slate stone”, has since become known as the “Tsarven Spring”.

Later, similar shungite Marcial waters of the sanatorium founded by Peter I gained great fame. For almost five hundred years, Karelians treated their ailments with water from wonderful springs and healing mud. The therapeutic properties of these waters affected even with a hangover.

Tsar Peter, apparently remembering the family legend about Queen Xenia, a healing spring and a “slate” stone, in 1713 ordered to look for healing springs not on Onega, but closer to the new capital, St. Petersburg.

A year later, suitable sources were found and tested on working people and sick soldiers. The place where shungite mineral waters came to the surface was near the Ravdasuo swamp, near the Olonets factories.

To scientifically verify the healing properties of the found springs, Tsar Peter sent his personal physician Blumentrost and surgeon Ravelin to the Olonets factories. At that time, these were enlightened doctors and quite professional, and the sovereign trusted them. Medical scientists had to confirm the usefulness of water from newly discovered sources and evaluate the possibility of building a sanatorium on that site, which in its healing properties would not be inferior to the best famous European mineral water resorts.

Soon after the report of Blumentrost’s personal physician, the sovereign ordered the construction of the first Russian resort on domestic mineral waters to begin. The king called it “Martial Waters.” The resort received this name in honor of Mars, the god of war. It is believed that this happened to commemorate the victories of the Russian Emperor on the Baltic Sea, and also because soldiers’ wounds healed more easily after shungite waters and lotions. In 1719, the Martial Waters sanatorium was founded by decree of the sovereign.

Peter I, outwardly powerful, but suffering from serious illnesses, had hope for healing and the opportunity to improve his health. Great hopes were placed on shungite mineral waters. And indeed, today medicine recognizes that if it were not for the shungite water that was supplied to the Tsar’s table in St. Petersburg, he might not have lived to see his age. Drinking healing water relieved Peter’s attacks of epilepsy and provided respite from urolithiasis until his death in 1725.

After the death of the sovereign, the resort was abandoned for many years, but the local population, who had previously enjoyed the healing power, still visited the springs. They say that even the soldiers of Peter I carried a “slate stone” in their soldiers’ backpacks on the battlefields.

In Russia, there are unique deposits of shungite rocks, which are located in the Republic of Karelia, five kilometers from Lake Onega.

Currently, in the vicinity of the village of Tolvui, the world’s only industrial shungite deposit, Zazhoginsky, is being developed. It is from this that various shungite products are obtained, ranging from miraculous shungite pyramids to shungite crumbs for filling filters and producing mineral shungite water.

Composition of shungite

Shungite stone occupies an intermediate position between ancient anthracite coal and minerals. It turns out that it, like a crystalline structure, carries a lot of information, including healing information. Crystals and minerals are excellent conductors of information and were used very widely by all highly developed civilizations of our planet.

Shungite is of organic origin. This includes the remains of plankton, living organisms, various organic substances, soil particles and minerals. This is what makes the soil fertile and rich in essential substances for plant growth. In appearance, shungite comes in brown, gray and black colors.

Shungite is a unique natural material. It is unusual in origin, the structure of the carbon it contains and the structure of the rocks themselves.

Shungite carbon is fossilized ancient oil, or amorphous, non-crystallizing, fullerene-like (i.e. containing certain regular structures) carbon. Its content in the rock is about 30%, and 70% are silicate minerals – quartz, mica.

– oxides of iron, potassium, silicon, aluminum, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, sodium, titanium;

– barium, cobalt, vanadium; strontium, zinc, chromium.

Application of shungite

The wonderful stone did not immediately reveal its secrets to its contemporaries. It turned out that local residents used it as black paint. “Chernyad” was cheap and stable in printing and foundry production. Cameos are good as cladding – they still decorate St. Isaac’s and Kazan Cathedrals in St. Petersburg, as well as some buildings in Petrozavodsk.

Taking into account the high thermal conductivity of shungite and its resistance to alkalis and acids, it began to be used as a metallurgical fuel. Use as a flux and carbon reducing agent in ferroalloy electric furnaces. It turned out that there is a high-siliceous variety of shungite – liddite. This mineral was immediately in demand by jewelers; it replaced the import of Turkish touchstone. Plus, Karelian lyddite, according to geologists, surpasses the favorite eastern stone agate in its aesthetic qualities.

The stone received its unique “abilities” thanks to the world-famous fullerenes. These molecular compounds belong to the class of allotropic forms of carbon. These include diamond, carbine and graphite. Due to their origin and crystalline structure, they resemble living matter. It is believed that they are active in interacting with the cells of the body and contribute to their restoration.

Laboratory synthesis of fullerenes is too expensive.

It turns out that Russia has a priceless treasure, because Karelia is the richest source of shungite. Fullerenes are the secret thanks to which shungite water has remarkable properties.

When interacting with water, shungite transfers healing fullerene complexes to it. This is the effect of marcial waters. With long-term hydrotherapy, many life-threatening diseases go away, hair loss stops, and cosmetic defects disappear. This mineral seems to be aimed at making us healthy.

Filters for individual use began to be produced quite recently, but have already gained great popularity among buyers. They effectively purify water from radicals and dioxides, disinfect and saturate it with micro- and macroelements. Shungite gives water all its unique properties.

Shungite is used as a filler in therapeutic blankets, rugs and pillows. Added to belts and hats, it is believed that thanks to such headwear, headaches and girdle pain go away.

In lithotherapy, shungite is used in the form of plates, which are applied to the sore spot, and massage is also performed using shungite balls.

Attention! Learn to distinguish real shungite from a fake!

The unique properties of shungite have been known for a long time. It is no secret that unscrupulous entrepreneurs often pass off completely different stones, similar in color and structure to shungite, as shungite. Recently, unscrupulous manufacturers have been increasingly selling shungizite under the brand name “Shungite” – a material that is similar in appearance, but has no similar properties to shungite. Shungizite is an artificial porous material obtained by firing shungite-containing rocks. Shungizite is used as a filler for lightweight concrete (shungizite concrete) and as a thermal insulation backfill.

The shungites of the Turastamozersky deposit are the most promising for the production of shungizite in terms of the quality of their raw materials.

Its price is much lower, but the content of all components, including carbon (in the structure of fullerenes) in shungizite is several times less (less than 10%) than in shungite (26% and higher).

It is difficult even for a specialist to distinguish a fake from an original at first glance. There is one simple but most reliable way to distinguish real shungite. Real shungite can be distinguished from a fake, as well as from shungite slate, due to the presence of electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity is an extremely rare phenomenon in rocks. Under normal conditions, it is enough to have a regular battery, a flashlight bulb and two wires. Connect a light bulb and a battery in series, touch the two wires to any shungite product – the light bulb will light up. If not, then you purchased a fake.

Scientists explain the unique properties of shungite by its unusual structure. Shungite carbon forms a matrix in the rock in which dispersed silicates with an average size of about 1 micron are evenly distributed. The properties of shungite rock are determined by two factors: firstly, the properties of shungite carbon, and secondly, the structure of the rock, the relationship between carbon and silicates.

There are several options for using this unique stone for water purification both at home and in the field, both individually and for purifying collective water sources. For individual use at home, there are cartridges for household filters that use this stone. In camping conditions or at the dacha (200 grams of stones will not weigh down the backpack too much), the water is purified directly in a glass jar or jug. Shungite for water purification can also be used to purify large volumes of water, for example, in a well, but this will require not grams, but kilograms of the substance. Due to its quality as an active sorbent, this mineral is increasingly used in collective water purification systems and at the stages of water treatment in food industry enterprises.

Shungite for water purification at home (video)

Only purchased shungite should be washed under the tap. If it is small, you can use a colander or gauze. You need to rinse the stones thoroughly, stirring occasionally until the water runs clear.

It is better to clean large pieces of rock with sandpaper, then their service life will be very long.

To prepare shungite water, you can use any container, but it is best to choose glass products. They do not affect the resulting water.

After washing, the stones are placed in prepared containers based on 100 grams per 1 liter, and fill with water at normal temperature. Shungite does not combat high water hardness, so it is better to fill it with good tap water or water after a filter.

On large stones, you can drink water after an hour, but it sits for three days. If the shungite is small, then it will also take less time, since the water may become oversaturated with minerals.

The finished water needs to be poured into another container and fresh water added to the stones. You cannot cover dishes with shungite water with a tight lid. The drained purified water is stored at room temperature for no more than three days.

During water purification, impurities settle at the bottom of the jar. Therefore, you need to drain the water carefully, leaving the bottom layer at 3-5 cm. It can be drained, or you can strain it and use it for washing.

Important! You also need to wash and clean the pebbles you use at least once a month, as all the dirt from the water collects on them. Small shungite needs to be changed every six months, and large ones simply need to be washed thoroughly.

You can extend the service life of shungite by following the following recommendations:

• Pour a liter of water into a pan and heat it to 50°C;
• put a tablespoon of oxalic or citric acid into it;
• put the shungite in a container with a tightly closed lid;
• fill it with water and acid;
• allow the cleaning process to take place for 3-5 hours;
• Rinse the shungite under running water for about an hour.
• You can repeat this cleaning once six months, but no more than 20 times.

Turbidity, unpleasant taste or odor in the water indicates one of the following violations:

• shungite is not real;
• the stone was poorly washed;
• insisted with the lid tightly closed;
• under- or overexposure to water;
• the source water is of too poor quality.

If the shungite is small (1-2 cm), it purifies the water faster. It can be drunk after 10 minutes and left for no more than two days. This shungite needs to be washed more often and changed every six months.

Shungite is also very often used to purify water in a well., because various harmful substances can get into it with wastewater.

The rock can simply be poured into the well in the amount of 30-60 kg and in such a way that a layer of shungite of at least 5 cm is formed at the bottom.

Next, for 1-3 days, the water in the well is infused and cleared of contaminants.
Once a year, the shungite layer needs to be replaced, and if this is not possible, then simply add a new one on top.

You can also put shungite in a mesh bag into water. Then it can be taken out from time to time for cleaning and replaced as needed.

A labor-intensive method of using shungite to purify water in a well is that you need to clean the well from water, dirt and plaque, remove the old substrate, load a new one and pour a layer of shungite on it.

The larger the well, the more shungite needs to be poured into it. Also, the amount of rock depends on the volume of water consumption.

If no more than 20% of all water is taken per day, then you need to add 10 kg per 200 liters. If more than 20% is used, then 10 kg per 100 l.