Biochemical Study of Mumijo in Uvs province , Mongolia

The authors cleared mumijo by extractive and distil methods, defined pure output of natural mumijo and compared difference between these two methods. We defined the amount of dry and extractive substances, raw oil, antioxidant-rutin, vitamin C, fulvic acid, common nitrogen and total protein, content of protein amino acids, and mineral elements in natural mumijo. We exposed 13 protein amino acids in sample of natural mumijo. The content of total irreplaceable amino acids (5) were 26.2%. The authors defined macro and microelements (42) in ash of natural mumijo. In sample of mumijo exposed 10 elements are oxide form, W, Y, Cs, La-rare metal of the earth, and actinoidsNd, Th, U; lantanoids-Pr, Sm. The same exposed non-ferrous metal-Cu, Mo; light metalAl, mixed metal-Pb, Zn. However, the valuable metals-Au, Ag and white gold are not exposed.


Introduction
umijo, also known as momia and shilajit is a thick, sticky tar-like substance with a colour ranging from white to dark brown, which sometimes found in Caucasus, Altai mountains and Tibet mountain chains.Mumijo is a word of Greece origin.The substance is mentioned in the works of Aristotle and Avicenna as a remedy with antiseptic and general stimulant properties used people in Caucasus.Most scientists agree that people observed wounded animals frequenting caves with mumijo and discovered the substance, similar substances are used for medicinal purposes throughout Tibet (Berun, 10 th century; Jambaldorj, 1978).
Some scientific research on mumijo has been done in the former USSR, including fullscale clinical trials.Most information on mumijo is known from Russian literature sources.
Mumijo is still unclear whether it has geological or biological origin as it has numerous traces of vitamins and amino acids.
Mumijo is not toxic, at least in reasonable quantities.A mumijo-like substance from Antarctica was found to contain glycerol derivatives and was also believed to have medicinal properties.Mumijo has a wide spectrum of pharmacological activity.A unique plant extract in combination with dozens of minerals: six amino acids, vitamins, A, B, C and P, natural steroids, terpenoids, phospholipids and polyphenol complexes.Mumijo contains trace and micro-elements (cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and others) (Shakirov, 1963).
Fulvic acid, one of two classes of natural acidic organic polymer that can be extracted from humus found in soil, sediment or aquatic environments.This name derives from latin fulvus, indicating its yellow colour.
Fulvic acid (not to be confused with folic acid) is rapidly being recognized as one of the key elements in many outstanding health and scientific breakthroughs of the 21 st century.Scientists and doctors throughout the word are beginning to discover fulvic acid and starting to recognize its extraordinary potential.Fulvic acid has always occurred naturally in organic plants and soils.It increases energy, it is a ferocious antioxidant and free radical scavenger, chelates heavy metals and body toxins, removing them from the system (Ponomareva et al.,1969).

Experimental
Material and methods.Mumijo material was collected from "Yoliin shil" of the Umnogovi sum of the Uvs province in September, 17. 2009.Mumijo sample was purified by extraction and distillation methods (MNS 5725:2007).Dry substance was determined by method of weight stability, the raw oil by method soxhlet, extractive substance by method of Pleshkov, total protein by Kjeldahl method, protein amino acid by paper chromatography, vitamin C by titration method 2,6dichlorinephenolindophenol sodium, rutin was determined by method of Murri, fulvic acid by vacuum evaporate method.

Results and Discussion
We cleared natural mumijo by extractive and distil methods (Table 1).Purely output compared in between two methods: by extractive method was-54.8%,by distil method was-20.4%.An extractive method was more effective (34.4%) than distilling method.Dry substances of natural mumijo was 95.23%, water 4.77%.
We have determined biochemical components of natural and pure mumijo.We exposed 13 protein amino acids in sample of dry natural mumijo.The content of essential amino acids (methionine, valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and leucine) were 26.2%.The content of replaceable amino acids (cysteine, serine, arginine, threonine, histidine, alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid) were 47.01%.The content of leucine was high (10.5%)more than other essential amino acids.Aspartic acid was high in content (15.76%) than other replaceable amino acids.Content of cysteine was very little (0.27%) than other amino acids.
We have defined content of mineral elements in ash of natural mumijo, where exposed 42 mineral elements.Most elements measured in ppm.But, we calculated it in percentage.In sample of natural mumijo exposed 10 elements were oxide form.
Chromatogram of experimental and standard amino acids.Amino acids in natural mumijo have been determined by paper chromatography.(Fig 2).

Table 1 .
Purely output compared by two methods.

Table 2 .
Some results of biochemical characteristics of natural and pure mumijo.

Table 3 .
Amount of mineral elements in ash of natural mumijo (%).Dry substances of natural mumijo was 95.23%.The extractive substance of natural mumijo was 38.73%, and in pure mumijo it was 21.05%.The raw oil of natural mumijo was 3.02%, and in sample of pure mumijo it was 2.53%.Antioxidant vitamin C and rutin of natural mumijo were 130mg%, 0.53mg%.The contents of latter were equal in sample of pure mumijo 121mg%, 0.41mg%.In the sample of natural and pure mumijo we defined total protein.The fulvic acid in sample of natural mumijo was 23%. The content of essential amino acids were 5, replaceable amino acids were 8.  In ash of natural mumijo, we defined 42 mineral elements, of which 10 elements were in oxide form.In ash of natural mumijo exposed some rare metals, nonferrous metals, light metals, mixed metals, actinoids and lantanoids.