Shungite is a natural product that comes from the earth and contains carbon, a commonly used water filtration substance. Since Shungite stones contain carbon as well, it is perfectly safe to use them in water. Because of the carbon, Shungite stones have a purifying effect and can clean the water.

Shungite sometimes contains trace elements of pyrite and quartz. This is perfectly normal for Shungite to contain them, and white-like traces on the stones are a normal phenomenon.

Shungite stones are messy because they are raw. To clean Shungite stones, you should wash them under running water and use a colander to strain excess water. If you want to use the stones for drinking water, you disinfect them. This is done best by boiling the stones for 10 minute, rinsing them, and then placing them in the water to purify and drink it.

Shungite stones are a bit messy, and since they are raw, they can stain various surfaces while using them. If you need to clean Shungite stone marks off a stained surface, you can simply use the rough side of a wet sponge and hand soap to gently rub the surface in a circular motion. Make sure to use lukewarm water and simply rinse the surface afterward. If you have found Shungite stone residue on your clothes, you can simply wash the clothes in the washing machine as usual. The stains may or may not come off, depending on the material of the clothes, but you can use the same wet soapy sponge technique, rinse it off, and wash it in the machine at the end. Remember to air dry and check for stain removal and try again if stains remain; heat drying will set stains.

There are several theories about the origin of Shungite. Since it has unique properties formed by extreme temperatures known only to occur naturally in stellar interiors and during lightning strikes, some believe it came from a meteorite that crashed into an area of northwestern Russian, two billion years ago. This location, on the shores of Lake Onega in the Russian Republic of Karelia, is the primary place Shungite is found on Earth.

For hundreds of years, local inhabitants have used the waters which spring from Shungite rock formations around this lake for curing various ailments. Chronicles of the healing power of Shungite water date back to the 1500’s. Peter the Great (1672-1725) discovered that miners stricken with copper poisoning could recover within 3 days by drinking the waters that flowed through the Shungite deposit.

Shungite has antiseptic properties. Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, engaged in military campaigns and instructed his troops to each carry a piece of Shungite to purify their drinking water. Allegedly, enemy forces succumbed to dysentery while the Russian troops remained strong because of the Shungite advantage.

Shungite is mostly carbon. However, the distinguishing characteristic of Shungite is the unique nature of that carbon; it contains fullerenes—hollow, soccer-ball shaped, molecular carbon spheres that are responsible for the protective and curative properties of Shungite. These spherical structures are rarely found in naturally occurring minerals.

Because of fullerenes, Shungite has unique physical, chemical and physico-chemical properties. It is electrically conductive, chemically resistance, catalytic, adsorptive and has redox properties.

Fullerenes are also responsible for the biological, bioenergetic, and geobiological effects of Shungite.