EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Theoretically, it could be said, if you consume organic plants—fruits and vegetables—you’ll receive enough vitamins, minerals, and enzymes to support optimal health. But the truth is, there has always been unknowns to this theory. In addition, the “quantity over quality” intentions, and farming practices in conventional agriculture, has transformed the earth beneath you into something unrecognizable. Therefore, it could also be said, nutritional supplementation may be useful, necessary, or even essential.
By Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie, HWP, LC
Just as you begin to grasp the intricacies of dosages and applications for the sea of bottles in the vitamin aisle, a new media stand-out for “supplement of the year” floods your feed. Bewildered at the speed in which it is flying off the shelves, you begin to wonder, why the sudden popularity? Recently, social media posts have emerged claiming fulvic and humic acid as the new “superstars” in the health and wellness world. This assertion is backed by accounts of their ability to restore gut health, revitalize the immune system, reduce inflammation, and combat pathogenic infection. With these claims, that title may be well-deserved. So what are fulvic and humic acids exactly, and are they really all they’re cracked up to be?
Certainly, fulvic/humic acids may be familiar to farmers and gardeners, as these substances are often used to help support the growth of healthy plants, and aid in the retention of adequate soil moisture. It was only as recently as 2015 that humic/fulvic supplements were made available through online stores for human health, and began gaining traction in the wellness industry. Dr. Stuart Hoover, functional and foundational health expert, explains, “They are actually molecules that are made in the soil and simply how these molecules are created is when vegetation is broken down in the soil by microorganisms we get a substance called humic.” He continued:
“And within humic we have these different molecules; humic and fulvic… bottomline is these molecules are so important in our health because we should be consuming these in plants that we are eating today…you know vegetables, things like that. But the problem is with common, more commercial farming practices today- we’re really destroying the microorganisms in the soil that are used to break vegetation down. Plus we are not resting fields like we used to do. You know they are just over cultivating today. So really what’s happening is we are not getting the benefit of the humic in the soil that helps to bind and chelate vital trace minerals and elements out of the soil and into the plant. So when we are eating what we go to the grocery store and buy today, these vegetables that look really good, they are really pretty nutrient void today.”
Dr. Hoover is right. Traditional farming practices that humans have used successfully for thousands of years to preserve and continuously restore the land, have been replaced in the last 100 years with commercial/conventional farming’s poor practices. Over-cultivation, use of artificial fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides, monocropping, and overall inadequate crop management, with the singular goal of generating more food as fast as possible (with a bigger bottom line – $$$), is what has driven modern agriculture. These methods kill the soil microbiology that is responsible for breaking down the organic material (through decomposition) into humic substances. The unfortunate result of this broken system is deteriorated, depleted soil that cannot produce nutritious food meant to sustain you, no matter how much you eat.
Before the advent of commercial farming, (and now with modern, regenerative agriculture), the wise, traditional farmer knew how to tend to their soil in addition to their crops. They did that by regularly adding manure and other natural fertilizers (blood and bone meal, kelp, compost, etc.), growing cover crops (nutrient-dense plants that are grown between regular crops, and are turned back into the soil exclusively for its regeneration), interplanting (planting diverse crops in the same field to benefit each other), rotating crops (planting different crops sequentially in the same field), and mulching (covering the bare ground around crops to protect the soil from moisture loss and degradation). It was through constant amendment of the soil that the farmer could ensure fertile ground for the future. This was due to the optimal conditions that were established to create naturally-decayed organic matter that “fed” the soil; a.k.a humus.
In these protected, enriched soil conditions, humus (where humic and fulvic acids are derived) is able to form. The formation occurs when naturally-occurring soil-based bacteria, fungi, and earthworms break down organic material (dead plants, animals, and organisms) and form nutrient-rich humus deposits underground. While humates have several components (humic acid, fulvic acid, ulmic acid, and humin), humic acid is the resulting complex mixture of large organic molecules formed by this process, and fulvic acid is a smaller fraction derived from humic acid. The smaller fulvic acid molecules, however, are able to pass through cell membranes and deliver nutrition more effectively.
Infusing Your Health With Nutrient-Rich Minerals
Similar to their role in shielding plantsfromsoil toxins, humic and fulvic acids also safeguard you from toxins through various mechanisms. Initially, humic acid operates within the digestive tract by binding with toxic substances. Due to the substantial size of humic molecules, your body expels them along with the toxins, preventing absorption. Fulvic acid then functions at a cellular level, enhancing cell permeability. This enables cells to expel natural toxic byproducts, rather than retaining them internally. Once released, immune cells identify and eliminate these toxins from your body. According to Mother Earth Labs:
“During the decomposition of plant matter, friendly soil-based bacteria create these natural acids. As a plant’s minerals, amino acids, and other phytonutrients are released into the soil, they combine with humic and fulvic to create what is collectively known as humic substances.”
The dark, organic material that makes up humate is also abundant in minerals and nitrogen—crucial elements that promote the well-being of plants, as well as the human body. Without minerals, your body cannot perform essential functions. Dr. Deanna Minich Ph.D., functional medicine doctor, affirms:
“Vitamins and minerals interact with one another at a chemical and biophysiological level in the body, and each has important roles that facilitate normal functioning.”
Conditions such as leaky gut syndrome that can block the absorption of minerals and nutrients in the gut can also be helped by humic substances. Humic acid can bind to these minerals enhancing their bioavailability. Almost 85 years ago, Sir Albert Howard, hailed as the progenitor of the organic farming movement, was quoted as saying, “The health of soil, plant, animal, and man is one and indivisible.” Most experts in health, nutrition, and regenerative agriculture today would likely still agree with this holistic approach. In the past, you would naturally acquire humic and fulvic acids through humate residue on the produce you consumed. This was only true, however, if you ate fresh fruits and vegetables regularly. Although more research is needed to quantify residual amounts on organic produce, and what would be required to impact your health directly, it is widely-known that humus rich soil produces more nutrient-dense plants.
With conventional farming methods, and the modern consumer’s “hygienic” practices of overwashing and peeling produce, what is removed and often killed off, may in fact hold the benefits of beneficial microbes, as well as humic/fulvic residue. To be noted, it is these same farming practices that are responsible for stripping the soil of almost all humic substances. This has inadvertently diminished the mineral content in the soil that plants can absorb. Consequently, this depletion negatively impacts the quantity of vitamins a crop can produce. An excerpt from Scientific American, “Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?” states:
“A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. A similar study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980, published in the British Food Journal, found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Yet another study concluded that one would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one. What can be done? The key to healthier produce is healthier soil.”
With only an estimated 2% of American farmland being organic, and undoubtedly even less applying regenerative/biodynamic practices (a farming philosophy blending ancient wisdom with modern, sustainable innovation, focused on building soil and preserving the planet’s ecosystems), most of the produce you come in contact with will not only be devoid of vitamins and minerals, but will also be missing the healing qualities of humic substances your ancestors once took for granted. When choosing food high in humic/fulvic acids, opt for organic or homegrown. The produce with the highest levels of fulvic/humic acid will always come from an organic, regenerative farm that has been continuously applying rich, organic material to their fields for years. This will inevitably be the best place to source from. Of course you can replicate this in your backyard by utilizing regenerative practices in your own garden. This soil will need adequate time to gather organic material and break it down thoroughly, via the decomposition process to become bioavailable humate (fulvic and humic). According to Santa Fe Oxygen Bar:
“One way to tell how pure and bioavailable humic and fulvic acids are is to see how well they dissolve with and bind to water. The finer and more concentrated the humic and fulvic acid, the more bioavailable it will be to the body and the more easily and quickly it will dissolve in water.”
Foods that grow underneath the soil tend to have the highest natural amounts of fulvic acid. Potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, turmeric, onions, garlic, and fennel are excellent examples. Sea vegetables (including seaweed: nori, dulse, arame, and kelp, etc.) and blackstrap molasses also contain fulvic acid. Remember that sourcing your produce from an organic farm is key. Chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers kill the soil bacteria that are responsible for the decomposition that results in healthy soil full of humic/fulvic acids. Eating foods raw and washing minimally will also optimize your access to their humic/fulvic acids. From “In-Depth Information about Fulvic and Humic”:
“Researchers have known for years that at least 90 nutrients are needed to maintain optimum health. These nutrients include a minimum of 60–84 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids, and 3 essential fatty acids. Though plants manufacture their own vitamins, minerals are a different story. Whether a plant (or the animal that ate the plant) contains a sufficient amount of fulvic/humic minerals depends on the quality and quantity of minerals in the soil.
Plants get their minerals by uptaking them into their root systems from the soil in which they are grown. Those minerals can only be supplied from the soil. If the minerals are not in the soil to begin with, they won’t ever be in the plant. And remember, vitamins can only be absorbed by the body if minerals are present to create the reactions that enable them to be activated by the body. When you supplement with fulvic/humic you are literally feeding those missing nutrients to all the vital processes of your body. Fulvic/Humic enhances the body’s natural ability to uptake nutrients and produce energy on a cellular level.”
Examining Supplementation
Beyond their crucial role in the agricultural world, humic and fulvic acids have been shown to exhibit therapeutic properties when used as a supplement for human health. Fulvic acid, in particular, is renowned for its ability to enhance nutrient absorption, detoxify the body, and boost the immune system. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that contribute to aging and disease. Dr. Bob McCauley, certified master herbalist and nutritional consultant, is a huge proponent of supplementing with humic and fulvic acids. He stated:
“Humic acid is a very powerful detoxifier. It brings and takes things out of the body that don’t belong there. It oxygenates the blood extremely well. It’s antimicrobial. It’s an immune system builder and it’s an anti-inflammatory. It balances the cell’s electrical currents so we don’t have too much of the positive and too much of the negative. It leaves it very well balanced. It assists with mineral transfer throughout the body and it’s incredibly mineral dense. It’s one of the main reasons you take humic and fulvic acids, it’s for the minerals. That’s all been farmed out of the soil… Every physiological process in the human body depends on minerals. As I’ve said many many times before, minerals are the keys that start the engine of our health.”
Just as effectively as it transports nutrients for plants, fulvic acid serves as an essential vehicle that carries nutrients to the right places in your body. It is so powerful that one single fulvic acid molecule is capable of carrying 65 minerals and trace elements directly into cells. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 9 out of 10 Americans are deficient in potassium, 7 out of 10 are deficient in calcium, and 50 percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. It is easy to see why fulvic acid could have a dramatic impact on all types of diseases and ailments, especially if they are due to nutritional deficiencies. In addition, humic acid has been found to absorb, deactivate, and remove glyphosate from your body. It is such a heavy hitter, that glyphosate cannot destroy your gut bacteria because humic acts as a neutralizer.
There are three main sources of humate deposits in four locations across the globe—Himalayas, Western U.S., Southern U.S., and South America. They come from coal deposits (250–400 million years old), Shilajit (55.6 million years old) and prehistoric compost (33.9 million years old). These deposits were formed in areas that had massive beds of decaying material at one time that were protected and covered by a heavy layer allowing them to be preserved. Although coal deposits may be high in humic acid, harsh chemicals (such as sodium hydroxide lye) are needed for extraction, leading to potential for human toxicity. Shilajit and prehistoric compost contain more complex nutrient profiles, and are therefore more revered for their healing properties. Prehistoric compost (available in mineral blends at grocery wellness departments, and online), found in ancient peat bogs, sea beds or sediment layers, is a valuable source of humic and fulvic acids due to its long-term decomposition, and natural processes of organic material transformation. For over thousands of years, plant and animal remains undergo microbial breakdown, which results in the formation of these complex organic acids.
Wellness Mama explains: “Humates form as ancient seaweed, plants, vegetation, and fruit trees compress over time, leaving us with a mineral-rich humic acid shown to drastically benefit human health.”
While prehistoric compost is a great source of humic and fulvic acids used in modern supplements, the ancient, resinous Shilajit may also have its place in your healing arsenal. It can be taken as a tea, or placed directly under your tongue for absorption. Shilajit, a sticky, tar-like substance found in the Himalayas, is rich in both humic and fulvic acids. Legend has it that Himalayan villagers first observed monkeys gathering to eat this mysterious soft black resin, and soon realized why the monkeys were traveling to the mountain tops during the summer. Once the people began consuming it as well, they noticed the health benefits, including increased strength and endurance. It was evident to them after taking the Shilajit, as they could feel the differences in their bodies’ performance.
To this day, the Sherpas (Tibetan ethnic group) incorporate Shilajit as part of their diet, and are arguably some of the most fit and healthy people on the planet. Shilajit contains a wide spectrum of minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive compounds. It has been used in Ayurvedic and other Eastern traditional medicines for centuries, and is believed to enhance vitality, boost energy, and support overall well-being. Studies are now able to document the benefits of Shilajit; prior, they were simply anecdotal stories. One such study showed that Shilajit supplementation in healthy adult women “induced genes relevant to endothelial cell migration and growth of blood vessels.” If it weren’t for endothelial cells expanding and reworking the blood vessels in your body, tissue repair would not be possible. Risks: Although Shilajit and other sources of humic and fulvic supplements are safe to take internally, they also come with cautions you should be aware of. If improperly prepared, or sourced from a contaminated deposit, lead, mercury, arsenic, free radical, and mycotoxin exposure are possible. A more detailed explanation from “What is Shilajit? History, Chemical Properties & Processing” states:
“When Mumie [Shilajit] is harvested, it contains impurities such as dirt, rubble, and plant matter. It is estimated that any given mass of raw Mumie consists of 2-15 times more impurities than the actual pure substance itself.
To remove these impurities, the Mumijo undergoes extraction via water, filtration, centrifugation (or stirring) and evaporation to dry it out.
During these processes, the product also becomes more organic, losing any inorganic components, such as minerals which have not bound to fulvic acid in an org
Once you have an understanding of what all the “fulvic fuss” is about, you may feel enthused to supplement with this dynamic mineral blend. And if you aren’t eating a substantial amount of organic fruits and vegetables, you’re likely not receiving the benefits of humic and fulvic acid naturally. Trying to navigate the abundance of products on the market, however, may bring about more questions than answers. This breakdown from Buoy Health includes several options for supplements, and lists their pros and cons. This is a non-exhaustive list, so digging more deeply on your own could prove helpful. If you do choose to supplement with Shilajit, make sure it is from a safe and reputable source. Heed the words of British author and conservationist, Isabella Tree, in “Wilding”:
“The great concerns of our time – climate change, natural resources, food production, water control and conservation, and human health – all boil down to the condition of the soil.”
Taking steps to prioritize your health inevitably leads to the source of sustenance—the soil. Healthy soil forms the foundation for cultivating nutritious plants, and raising robust animals essential for survival. Moreover, it harbors beneficial microbes crucial for medicinal purposes, and gut health specifically. In today’s world, these concepts have been mostly lost to the illusion that dirt is “dirty,” and needs to be cleaned. In most cases this couldn’t be further from the truth. So make it a priority, whether through the food you eat or the supplements you take, to include a little “dirt” in all the ways you can.
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Published on August 08, 2024.
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