← All Articles
Holistic & AlternativeOctober 16, 2026· MK Wellness· 11 min read· Part of the Holistic & Alternative guide →
Humic and Fulvic Minerals: Why Minerals Come First, What the Research Shows, and How to Start
Minerals are the foundation your body runs on, and modern soil and food have less to give. Here's what humic and fulvic minerals are, what Caroline Alan of BEAM Minerals teaches in The Mineral Reset, what the research shows, and why we start with minerals before a cabinet full of supplements.
MK Wellness InsightsFounded by Danielle Cordova, Cypress, TX
On this page (9 sections)
Every heartbeat, muscle contraction, and nerve signal in your body runs on minerals. Your body can't make a single one of them, so they have to come in through food and water. And the soil that grows our food, and the food itself, has less to give than it used to.
That's why, at MK, we start with minerals. Before a cabinet full of supplements and a drawer of electrolyte powder sticks, give the body its foundation. Here's what humic and fulvic minerals are, what the people who've built their work around them teach, what the research shows, and what to know before you start.
At a glance
Research stageEmerging
Early human data: small studies, case series, clinic data.
What it is
Humic and fulvic substances form in soil as plants break down over a very long time. They carry a broad spectrum of minerals in a form that dissolves in water, and they're sold as liquid mineral supplements.
Why people choose it
To replenish minerals at the foundation, instead of adding many single-mineral pills. People use them for everyday energy, hydration, sleep, recovery, and gut support.
What the research shows
In a study of healthy volunteers, humic acids increased the amount of gut bacteria by about 30% while each person's own mix stayed the same. Fulvic acid was well tolerated in a safety trial, and fulvic-rich shilajit helped men hold on to strength after hard exercise.
Know first
Start with a small amount and build up over a few weeks, as BEAM directs, to avoid a rare detox reaction. Talk with your provider first if you're pregnant, take medication, or have kidney disease, since your kidneys balance your minerals.
Where to get it: Liquid minerals you add to water. Order online through our practitioner link (we'll send it to you), and we sometimes have bottles at MK.
What They Are
Humic and fulvic substances are the dark, mineral-rich material that forms in soil as plants decompose over thousands to millions of years. Deposits of this ancient plant matter are called humate. Humic and fulvic substances are both extracted from it, and they differ mainly in size: fulvic molecules are smaller and dissolve in water at any acidity, while humic molecules are larger (Antioxidants, 2025).
Researchers describe them as rich in "functional groups," the chemical hooks that let them hold on to minerals, act as antioxidants, and bind other compounds (Antioxidants, 2025). Shilajit, the dark resin used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, is a natural humic and fulvic material, made largely of fulvic acids plus minerals (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2019).
Why Minerals Come First
- Minerals run the body. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium carry the electrical signals behind every heartbeat, muscle contraction, and nerve impulse. Trace minerals like zinc, copper, and selenium help hundreds of enzymes do their jobs.
- Food has less to give. When researchers compared U.S. government nutrient data for 43 garden crops from 1950 and 1999, they found reliable declines in six nutrients, including calcium, phosphorus, and iron, with median drops of 6% to 38% across the nutrients that fell. They pointed to crops bred for bigger yields, a "dilution effect" (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2004).
- Modern life uses more. Stress, sweat, intense training, caffeine, and filtered water without minerals all raise the need or lower the supply.
- A foundation beats a stack. Rather than buying a separate pill for each mineral, humic and fulvic minerals bring a broad spectrum together in one liquid.
What the People Behind It Teach
- Caroline Alan, co-founder and CEO of BEAM Minerals, came to minerals after a demanding corporate career left her physically and mentally depleted. Her recovery led her to plant-based humic and fulvic minerals, and she now teaches people about mineral replenishment. Her book, The Mineral Reset: An Essential Guide to Replenishing Your Body and Restoring Your Health (Hay House, 2026), makes the case that minerals are the foundation of cellular life: "Without minerals life would cease to exist and in fact, our own bodies would stop functioning, within hours." She argues that common struggles like low energy, poor sleep, cravings, and weight issues can trace back to a mineral shortfall she calls a "hidden hunger," and she presents the body as a holistic ecosystem in which minerals are a cornerstone (Hay House).
- BEAM's view of humic and fulvic minerals is that they deliver "the full spectrum of minerals your body needs to function," that they're easy to take in liquid form, and that they replace a long list of single-mineral supplements (BEAM Minerals).
- Dr. Zach Bush, a triple board-certified physician, ties human health directly to the soil: "you literally cannot create human health if we don't solve these agricultural systemic issues" (Wellness + Wisdom). It's the same terrain-first idea behind starting with minerals.
Why People Choose Them
- Everyday energy and hydration, especially for people who drink a lot of filtered water or sweat hard
- Sleep and calm, since minerals like magnesium are part of how the body winds down
- Workouts and recovery, for cramps, tight muscles, and long training days
- Women's cycles, from period cramps to PMS, and the night sweats of perimenopause, which cost minerals too
- Gut support, based on the gut microbiome research below
- Simplicity: one or two bottles instead of a shelf of separate supplements
What the Research Shows
~30%more gut bacteria after taking humic acids, while each person's own mix and diversity stayed the sameWorld Journal of Gastroenterology, 2017
8.9% vs 16%strength lost after fatiguing exercise in men taking shilajit (higher amount) compared with placebo, among the stronger half of the groupJ Int Soc Sports Nutrition, 2019
75% vs 30%of men with a meaningful rise in a collagen-building marker on shilajit (higher amount) compared with placeboJournal of Dietary Supplements, 2024
- Gut microbiome. Researchers at Charité in Berlin gave humic acids to 14 healthy volunteers for 45 days. The total amount of gut bacteria rose from about 20% higher at day 10 to about 30% higher by day 31, and it held there through day 45. The growth came from bacteria each person already had, so their individual profile and diversity stayed the same. The authors concluded humic acids "have a profound effect on healthy colonic microbiome" (World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2017).
- Safety and inflammation. In a double-blind safety trial of 30 men with allergies, fulvic acid was taken twice a day for up to a week at several strengths. Heart tests, blood work, and physical exams stayed normal throughout, no serious side effects occurred, and allergy skin-test reactions went down (Clinical Pharmacology, 2012).
- Skin. In a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 36 people with eczema, a topical fulvic acid improved investigators' overall rating of the skin more than placebo over four weeks. The only side effect was a brief burning sensation on application (Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2011).
- Strength and recovery. In a randomized trial of 63 active men, 8 weeks of shilajit helped the stronger half of the group hold on to their strength after a hard leg workout: they lost 8.9% of their strength on the higher amount, compared with 16% on placebo. Their blood also showed less of a marker of connective tissue breakdown (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2019).
- Collagen. In another randomized trial, 35 trained men took shilajit or placebo for 8 weeks. Both shilajit groups showed a significant rise in a blood marker of type 1 collagen building, the collagen in skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments, and the placebo group didn't (Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2024).
- Minerals and the menstrual cycle. In a review of 6 randomized trials with 739 women, zinc reduced period pain significantly more than placebo, with more relief after 8 weeks or longer (Nutrients, 2024). A review of magnesium in women's health found it helps prevent period cramps, PMS, and menstrual migraines (Magnesium Research, 2017).
- Inflammation, in reviews. A review from the University of Pretoria found that humic substances lowered C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, in people with knee osteoarthritis, and eased the skin reaction to allergens in people with hay fever (Phytotherapy Research, 2015). A 2025 review of the biomedical research describes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-balancing, and mineral-binding activity, and calls for standardized products and more human studies (Antioxidants, 2025).
What to Know Before You Start
Know first
- Start slowly (see How to Start below). A rare detox reaction is easier to avoid than to ride out.
- Quality matters. Humic and fulvic products vary a lot in source and purity. Choose a company that tests every batch and shows its full mineral breakdown.
- Kidney disease: your kidneys balance your minerals, so talk with your doctor before adding any mineral supplement.
- Medications: humic and fulvic substances bind other compounds, so space them away from medications and ask your pharmacist.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: talk with your provider first.
- Food still comes first. Minerals in a bottle support a real-food plate of protein, vegetables, and fruit, and don't replace it.
How to Start
These are BEAM's own directions from their labels and website, the way we walk clients through them at MK. Always follow the label on your bottle, and ask us at your visit if you have questions.
Electrolyze: one capful instead of the powder sticks.
- Take about 1 fl. oz. a day (roughly one capful) in water, juice, coffee, or tea. It replaces sugary sports drinks and electrolyte powder sticks, with minimal taste, like mineral water.
- Take it again after you sweat. After a workout, game, race, or a session in the infrared sauna, take another capful to replace the minerals you sweat out. BEAM recommends extra Electrolyze for post-workout recovery, and for long endurance events, adding at least 1 oz to your water during the event.
Micro-BOOST: start low, then build.
- Week 1: about ½ oz a day in a glass of filtered water. If you're sensitive, start even smaller, with a teaspoon, and build up.
- Week 2: stay at ½ oz, and start increasing gradually toward 1 oz.
- Week 3 and on: up to 1 oz a day (one capful). It can go in water, juice, coffee, or tea, any time of day, and it won't break a fast.
- Feeling run down? BEAM suggests an extra ½ oz in water before bed.
Taking both? BEAM's label starts at ½ oz (half a capful) of each a day. We suggest building up from there to 1 oz of each, the way Dani takes them every morning.
If you feel a detox reaction. BEAM calls Herxheimer reactions rare, but when they happen they can include headaches, achy muscles, digestive upset, flushed skin or a rash, breakouts, a low fever, or anxiety. That's the body releasing more than it can comfortably clear at once. BEAM's advice: stop for 24 to 48 hours, then restart at a much smaller amount, sipped slowly, and build up more gradually. "A gentle, gradual detox is better than one that overwhelms your body." If symptoms are strong or don't settle, call your doctor (BEAM Minerals).
How This Fits at MK Wellness
- Our two main suggestions: BEAM Micro-BOOST (humic and fulvic minerals) and Electrolyze (liquid electrolytes), with BEAM's mists for specific needs: Insta-Lytes for muscle cramps and period cramps (BEAM says it “quickly relieves muscle or menstrual cramps when sprayed directly on aching areas”), and Respra-Lytes, a sinus-opening mist with eucalyptus and other essential oils, for allergy and flu season (essential oils aren't for babies or young children). Use the form below and we'll send you our practitioner link to order online, delivered to your door. We sometimes have bottles at MK too.
- Recovery that works with your minerals: a deep sweat in the infrared sauna or a long training day uses minerals, so replenishing them is part of recovering well.
- Real food first: see Food Is the Terrain and Dani's daily ritual.
BEAM Minerals at MK Wellness
Interested? We’ll send you our link
Order online with our practitioner link and code, delivered to your door. BEAM asks practitioners to share them one-on-one rather than post them, so tell us how to reach you and we’ll send them over. We sometimes have bottles at MK too, so ask if you’d like to pick one up.
Go Deeper
- The Mineral Reset: An Essential Guide to Replenishing Your Body and Restoring Your Health, by Caroline Alan
- How Humic and Fulvic Substances Promote Mineral Balance, from BEAM Minerals
- The Role of Minerals in Athletic Training and Recovery, from BEAM Minerals
- Biomedical Applications of Humic Substances, a 2025 research review
- Holistic Therapies: The Basics, and every holistic and alternative guide
MK Wellness services are non-medical and not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. This article is general education, not medical advice. Amounts are BEAM's own label directions; follow the label on your bottle. MK Wellness sells BEAM Minerals and may earn a commission on orders through our practitioner link. Talk with your provider before taking a mineral supplement, especially if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication, or have kidney disease.
Put This Into Practice
The Energy & Vitality Protocol at MK Wellness
We build this goal around modalities that work better together. The core of the protocol:
About MK Wellness
MK Wellness was founded by Danielle Cordova after years of searching for real answers for her own family. Our Insights follow The MK Way: root cause over symptoms, the whole body as one system, and honest reporting on what the evidence does and doesn't show. This article is for general education, not medical advice.
Read our story →The MK Way Letter
Root-cause wellness, in your inbox.
Dani's notes on functional health, recovery science, and the habits and tools we actually use, with honest takes on what the research shows. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Keep Reading
Ready to start your protocol?
Book at MK Wellness