Today isn’t just ANY ol’ Friday. It’s Friday the 13th. It’s actually the second for 2026, which will have a total of three “Fridays the 13th”! Usually, you only have one per year. 2026 must be an election year.
South Africans aren’t friggatriskaidekaphobic at all, right? And they surely do not suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia. After all, if you could get hit by a minibus taxi on any day of the week, month or year, why worry about Friday the 13th? You get desperate Nigerian princes emailing you daily, why should today be any different? Black cats crossing a South African road lose all nine lives in one go. Come to think of it, that rabbit’s foot dangling from your rear view mirror belonged to a particularly unlucky rabbit…
Using an umbrella indoors might not be a bad idea when listening to a speech by the leader of the Ekonomik Fridom Parti. Walking under a ladder is actually a sign of good luck, since it means someone is replacing the bulb on that broken street lamp at last.
But please don’t break any mirrors, in case it keeps the ANC in power for 7 more years.
If you’re lucky enough to travel along South Africa’s Garden Route, you will notice the unusual colour of the river water. Some call them “coffee-coloured” (they clearly have addiction issues). Others call them “tea-coloured” (&*$# colonialists). And some excitable marketers call them “champagne-coloured” (prossit!). Whatever your substance of choice, the water seems to conjure it up (sorry, red wine lovers not invited yet).
The first time you cross a bridge and see the fresh, clear brown water flowing way down there, you may find it weird. But by the next bridge, you’re already used to it. And so you cross bridge after bridge without asking, “Why?” After all, you’re on holiday.
Why Is The River Water So Brown?
We’re glad you asked – finally!
When a tree falls in the forest, it decomposes (even if there is no one to hear it decompose). The forest giants in the Garden Route can weigh as much as a whale. In the humid conditions, fungi and
bacteria get to work to digest the massive carcass so it can be recycled into food for new trees. This process takes decades, even centuries. Forests have all the time in the world.
Much of the wood ends up as humic and fulvic acids. Rains leach these acids into the soil and eventually some of them end up in the rivers, turning them brown. And while the water has not been turned into wine, you have witnessed a miracle.
In places like Japan, where dead trees ended up under lava and volcanic debris, the acids remain trapped underground. This substance is mined and sold as something called “shilajit”. Yes, that sounds like something you say when a minibus taxi jumps the red light or the ladder you just walked under, collapses. In Sanskrit, “shilajit” means “mountain conqueror”, likely referring to the trouble of getting it, with a nod to the health effects it has.
You see, fulvic acid is one of the most amazing molecules in all of creation. Call it the “omni” molecule – it does everything.
Some Benefits Of Taking Fulvic Acid
- It kills / weakens viruses.
- It kills most nasty fungi, especially Candida.
- It kills / weakens most parasites.
- It selectively kills bad bacteria, while helping good ones to thrive.
- It binds heavy metals, making it possible for them to be excreted via the urine.
- It binds urea in the body, including the brain. Urea in the brain is a major contributor to many neurological diseases.
- It has potent anti-inflammatory effects.
- It modulates the immune system, meaning it boosts white blood cells while reducing excessive inflammation. As such, it has powerful effects against auto-immunity.
- It is a potent anti-oxidant.
- It boosts the absorption of good minerals.
- It is a powerful anti-oxidant, neutralising toxic free radicals.
- It causes cancer cells to self-destruct (apoptosis).
- It strengthens the gut mucosa, leading to healing from ulcers, leaky gut and more.
Oh, and one more (for good luck):
14. It inhibits the proliferation of mRNA (Now WHERE did we hear about mRNA?).
So Why Isn’t Everyone Taking Fulvic Acid?
* Access
The concentrations of humic and fulvic acids in that brown river water aren’t high enough to produce clinically significant results. You’d need to drink lots of that water to get to a meaningful dose. As for shilajit, you need to buy a ticket to the East and some climbing gear.
* Cost
Shilajit is rippingly expensive.
* Purity
Since fulvic acid is such a good chelator of metals, it often comes with unwanted heavy metals already attached. This is true for shilajit and fulvic acid derived from brown coal.
Our Solution (Literally)
At Integrow Health, we invested in something called CHD-FA. That stands for Carbohydrate-Derived Fulvic Acid. This is a grand way of saying that a factory turns potatoes into fulvic acid (using a cold process involving enzymes). Call it “potato conqueror” if you will, or “spud fudge”.
Since this process delivers a liquid, we sell fulvic acid as a liquid, with about 500 mg of fulvic acid per 15 ml of solution. This works out relatively cheaply, compared to the other options out there.
Another advantage of CHD-FA is that it does not contain any heavy metals. Shilajit and fulvic acid derived from brown coal has been in contact with the soil for a very long time. As such, it is likely saturated with heavy metals. Spud fudge does not have any heavy metals hiding inside.
Matters Of Taste
Another reason why people don’t drink fulvic acid is because it tastes like vinegar brewed by Jason Voorhees. You can’t have it all, sorry. If you want Mother Nature’s best medicine, you have to pay a small price for it.
But don’t despair – we made some plans.
We offer Fulvic Acid (Natural) for those who like their health products neat. Diluted one tablespoon to a glass of water, it is palatable to such hardy folks.
We also have Fulvic Acid (Buffered), where we used bicarbonate of soda to neutralise the acidic taste to some extent. It is relatively easy to mask this taste using natural fruit juice, for example.
Lastly, we have Fulvic Acid Capsules. This is the easiest way to get it down, but it costs more per dose and you likely have to take two capsules to get the same effect as one tablespoon of the liquid.
Indications
Fulvic acid may be of benefit in the following conditions (no claims of a cure are made):
Internal use
1. Parasite cleanse
2. Chronic gut issues (H. pylori, Candida, SIBO, IBS, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis)
3. Immune conditions (auto-immune diseases, low or weakened immunity)
4. Urinary tract infections
5. Chronic brain conditions (cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease)
6. Heavy metal detoxification
7. Chronic kidney disease
8. Chronic liver conditions (fatty liver, hepatitis)
9. Cancer management
Topical use
10. Nebulisation for lung conditions and infections (asthma, COPD, bronchitis, pneumonia)
11. Wound healing
12. Candida / Chlamydia / Gardnerella of the genital tract
13. Fungal infestations of the nails skin or scalp
How Much Of A Good Thing?
Liquid
The standard dilution of the liquid is one tablespoon to a cup of water. That is 15 ml per 200-250 ml of water. This is the recommended strength for most uses. This is true for internal as well as topical use.
The dose for children is 5 ml on a glass of water.
For adults (and kids 12 years and older), the recommended dosage is 15 ml on a glass (or more) of water.
If using it to kill parasites / Candida in the gut, it is best to take it on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. Otherwise, it can be taken with food.
Capsules
Children under 12 years: Take 1 capsule daily.
Adults and children 12 years and older: Take 2 capsules daily
And Still There’s More
We don’t have to stop at 13 uses…
* Apply it on the skin to treat acne.
* Gargle with it to kill throat infections.
* Use it as a nasal spray / rinse for sinusitis and runny nose
To your (lucky) health
The Integrow Health Team
