This natural resinous mixture of organic and inorganic substances can be found in rock crevices, where it occurs and accumulates in the form of films, “plugs” and outgrowths mixed with sand and pebbles. It is called mumijo; it is the most ancient medicament of natural origin, known in oriental medicine for more than 3,000 years. Its origin has long remained a mystery, most naturalists and now cannot come to a common “denominator”, believing that it is a product of the vital activity of animals and plants. This natural medicinal material is used in animal husbandry as an immunomodulator that help prevent and treat various diseases.
Let’s turn to ancient sources. Aristotle, who lived in the 4th century BC, described the medicinal properties of mumijo and how to test its quality. A Central Asian encyclopaedist Al-Biruni (973-1048) writes, “Mountain resin in some respects is identical to amber and aromatic resins. It is a gum that flows from a certain rock in the mountains, and no one knows where its source is. I was in one village and asked about it, and they told me that they go up to hard-to-reach places, look for it and there they find it stuck to stones in the same way as gum grows onto a tree.” A renowned healer Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980-1037) notes, “Mumijo has the same strength and the same nature as zift (asphalt) and bitumen mixed together, but it is more perfect and brings great benefits.”
