Nitrogen is an essential element for plant and animal life, and it is a key component of proteins, DNA, and other biomolecules. Nitrogen is found in the atmosphere as a gas, and represents roughly 80% of the air we breath. However, it must be "fixed" or converted into a form that plants and animals can use.

Shilajit is a black, tar-like substance that is found in the mountains of the Himalayas and other parts of Asia. It is composed of plant matter that has been subjected to extreme pressure and heat over millions of years, and is believed to have a range of medicinal properties. In Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated in India, shilajit is used to treat a variety of health conditions and is considered a "rasayana," or rejuvenating substance.

On average when healthy topsoil is analyzed, researchers find it is composed of roughly 45% minerals, 50% air and water, 2% plant and animal remains, 2% humus and 1% living organisms that include bacteria, fungi and insects.

Decompostion of animal and plant remains have multiple steps in which fungi, bacteria and insects essentially eat and breakdown these remains continually until they can no longer be reduced. These biochemicals form into highly stable end-products that cannot be broken down further. This process is known as humification and can take hundreds of years to occur. The end result is humus.