Ancient texts make reference to a mysterious substance described as the "destroyer of weakness." Today, scientists are finding that this description of an herb called shilajit may not be too far from the truth.

Sanskrit holy texts from India, over 3,000 years old, list the powerful health and spiritual benefits and the positive changes that shilajit brought about in the lives of those who used it. The sacred substance, found in the Himalayan region, was prescribed for many different health problems and became a powerful tool in Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Hindu science that focuses on treating the complete person - mind, body and spirit.

An ancient Indian medical treatise known as Charaka Samhita says that "there is hardly any curable disease which cannot be controlled or cured with the aid of shilajit."

Though this ancient wisdom was passed from generation to generation among Indian and Nepali alchemists and holy men, it escaped the notice of the Western medical establishment until the end of the 20th century.

According to Ancient Remedies Inc., a manufacturer of products with natural ingredients, John Anderson, an explorer from the United Kingdom, heard of the amazing benefits of this substance and developed the process for delivering the purest, most concentrated forms of it to other parts of the world.

To this day, shilajit has been used by local residents in regions such as the Hunza Valley in Pakistan, where it is collected. The people who use shilajit as a local remedy are some of the longest-living in the world.

But you don't have to travel to the Himalayas to reap the benefits of shilajit. You can find the herb in some all-natural products in the U.S., such as Ciatra.

Made by Ancient Remedies, Ciatra blends shilajit with a combination of other herbs to help men treat impotency. It also is effective in reducing stress and increasing energy.