A Little Love From The New York Times For My Story On Shilajit, India's Ultimate Health Drink

 

A while back I wrote about an old Indian health drink called shilajit that is regarded by Ayurvedic healers for its restorative properties. This resin pitch is made of humic substance, and it's very rich in fulvic acid, which is created by the decomposition of plant material. Translation: you're drinking really old, hardened compost. When the weather warms, the stuff oozes out of the ground — mainly in Himalayan mountains between India and Nepal — to be collected by its believers.

Which is all well and good, but let me tell you, the stuff tastes gnarly.

At The Springs, an adorable multipurpose restaurant, workspace and wellness spa in DTLA, they dilute a brand of shilajit called PurBlack with water and sell it in a 1 oz shot form with a lemon wedge chaser for $4.  I couldn't resist a taste when I heard the crazy story from one of the bartenders, and ended up writing about my experience sipping on the stuff for a story headlined "L.A's Latest Bizarre Health Drink Tastes A Lot Like Bong Water."

Apparently the ridiculous recounting grabbed the attention of NYT writer Brooks Barnes, who did a bang-up job of making me chuckle in his story about The Springs, which you can check out here. I can't blame him for poking fun of L.A. in this story. I mean, much as I am obsessed with the design of The Springs, the place offers everything a caricature of a health crazed Angeleno would need: yoga, food, juice, music, and colonics, all under one roof.

So, tell me, have you tried shilajit? What's the strangest thing you've done for the sake of health?