Fulvic Acid Vs Humic Acid – What’s The Difference?

Fulvic and humic acid are two of the three fractions of humic substances that are naturally found in soil, the other being humin. Humic acids usually provide the optimal growing environment for plants in soil while fulvic acids are more efficiently able to transfer important nutrients and amino acids through the cell membranes of plants. As such, they both fulfill very different roles within an ecosystem.

Humic acids are larger molecular structure than fulvic acids with a high degree of polymerization, higher oxygen content and heavier molecular weight. This results in them typically having a darker color with higher acidity than fulvic acids which contain much lower amounts of oxygen and carbon with smaller molecules, lighter molecular weight, and less acidic solutions.

Here is our summation about the difference between fulvic acid and humic acid.

About Humic Acids

Humic acids are complex molecules that vary in size and composition depending on their source. They consist of carbon chains and rings, as well as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and phosphorus. They are typically dark in color and are not soluble in acidic water, but can be dissolved in alkaline solutions.

Humic Acid, formed through millions of years of humification, is a naturally occurring substance stored within the earth’s crust.

Humification is a process that necessitates specific geological conditions, including pressure and temperature, as well as a precise blend of organic substances. As time passes, this organic matter becomes compressed, ultimately resulting in a newly formed and useful substance known as Humic Acid.

Humic Acid is made up of naturally preserved macro and trace minerals as well as other trace elements from ancient plant material, including seaweed. This is quite distinct in nature and cannot be artificially replicated, and it quickly replenishes nutrient levels in the body.

How Humic Acid Works

Humic Acid operates on exterior of our cell walls in several ways. Scientists have made findings that the substance may be inhibiting the attachment of viruses and toxins, decreasing inflammation, combating malignant cell growth, and activating physiological switches that regulate disease, resulting in the reversal of various serious conditions.

In the stomach, humic acid has important functions in the body, including assisting processing food for digestion and helping to fight against harmful substances as a part of the immune defense system. Humic Acid has the ability to eliminate toxins from the gut prior to entering cells, which enables the immune system to operate at optimal levels.

Humic Benefits

Studies conducted in recent decades have revealed potential advantages associated with humic acid.

Cancer: (Yinzhang Cui, Humic Acid, as in: Application of Fulvic acid and its derivatives in the fields of
agriculture and medicine; First Edition. June 1993; IHSS, Sevilla, Spain)

Thyroid tumors: (He, Shenyi, et al; Humic acid in Jiangxi Province, 1 (1982))

Enhances sleep: (Bingwen Su, Jiangxi Humic Acid, 3 (1985))

Fights viruses: (Klocking and Sprosig, 1972, 1975; Thiel et al., (1977))

About Fulvic Acid

Fulvic minerals are extracted from specific regions of the world that contain organic minerals at a depth of around 200-250 feet underground.

Fulvic acid is derived from the humification of plant matter and shares similarities with humic acid. Seaweed is among the sources of this substance. It is a group of molecules that originated millions of years ago through the burial of seaweed due to volcanic activity, which resulted in the covering of mineral-rich sea beds.

Under specific conditions of pressure and duration, the combination of seaweed, organic matter, and Fulvic acid can result in the formation of Humic acid over time.

Fulvic acids serve as the starting material for the production of Humic acid. Fulvic acid and Humic acid differ in molecular size and have unique impacts on the body.

How Fulvic Acid Works

On the cellular level, another difference between fulvic acid and humic acid is that fulvic acid primarily operates within the cell, enhancing cell membrane permeability and facilitating nutrient uptake and transport and waste elimination.

One of the advantages is that our cells receive a larger amount of nutrients in a more readily usable form.

Fulvic acid has been shown to potentially assist with the detoxification process by being water soluble, but its effectiveness depends on its purity and concentration.

Learn more about fulvic acid detoxification….

Fulvic Benefits

Based on some of the research findings below, it is possible.

Strengthen the immune system: (Jingrong Chen et al, jiangxi humic acid, 2 (1984))

May reduce pain: (Yuan, Shenyuan; et al; Application of Fulvic acid and its derivatives in the fields of agriculture and medicine; First Edition: June 1993)

Free radical damage reduction: (Fitoterapia, Volume LXVI, No 4, 1995, pg. 328.)

May stop ulcerous colon infections: (Yuan, Shenyuan; Fulvic Acid, 4 1988; in Application of Fulvic acid and its derivatives in the fields of agriculture and medicine; First Edition: June 1993)

Learn more about fulvic acid’s benefits…

Why Are Minerals Missing In Our Diet?

For the past 100 years, farming techniques such as monocropping, chemical pesticides, and artificial fertilizers have drastically depleted food of essential minerals. This is due to the extreme damage done to soils by overfarming and lack of replenishment.

In previous times, farming practices like crop rotation, soil rest intervals and compost were used in order to naturally remineralize soils and maintain fertility. However, with modern agricultural methods this vital step is ignored for the sake of rapid crop production leading to severe mineral deficiencies in our current diet, as well as soil contamination with heavy metals.

In addition, as we no longer source our foods from pristine healthy soils this further exacerbates the issue of depleted minerals in our diet. Whereas natural hunters and gatherers relied on rich nutrient dense soils to provide a wide range of nourishing foods; intensive agriculture focuses solely on producing more crops with less respect for sustainability or regenerative practices.

The result is an impoverished soil lacking any trace elements which means that it can’t be used for natural bounty – all of which contributes towards essential nutrient deficits in today’s food supply.

Minerals Are Becoming More Depleted Every Year

Soil mineral depletion is an increasingly alarming problem that has been gaining attention over the past few decades. Research data points towards a drastic decline in mineral values of farm and range soil around the world, recording a 72% decrease in Europe, 76% decrease in Asia, and 85% drop off in North America since the last century. (https://www.johnandbobs.com/blogs/news/16705388-mineral-depletion-in-the-soil-directly-impacts-your-health)

The reality behind this trend is starkly worrying. For example, the decline of protein content in corn declined 30-50% between 1920 and 2001, while during the same time period the starch content increased and average of 0.3% per decade. (https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/140b830b-fa83-48f4-b4a6-0cf0d6faf0a1/content)

Despite some efforts to address this issue, trends indicate an overall net increase in mineral deficit on a global scale every year. The ramifications of this are significant; if current trends persist, entire economies can find themselves facing agricultural crises of catastrophic proportions that could spark worldwide fruit and grain shortages if left unchecked.

Farmers urgently need education and resources to help them understand how they can restrain their ecological footprint through soil stewardship. If we don’t all take action now, then generations to come might be forced to deal with the reality that volume of nutrient deficiency related diseases will continue to climb.

Avoid Nutrient Deficiencies

Getting enough minerals in your diet can be tricky considering how much the availability of minerals in our food has weakened over time. To get sufficient levels of all the essential minerals required for optimal health, it is beneficial to explore other sources or ways to supplement mineral intake.

The most reliable way to get enough minerals into our diets is from fresh, local and plant based sources, as well as nutrient dense proteins. Growing your own food if you have access is also a very healthy and effective option. When these measures are not possible, supplementing with targeted mineral supplements may help fill the gap if necessary.

It’s important, however, to do your research on different types of supplements available to ensure that you are getting ones that come from quality sources and contain bio-available forms of minerals. Additionally, one should strive for balance when supplementing with vitamins and minerals as too much of anything may cause unwanted effects such as elevated toxicities or deficiencies in other macro and micronutrients.

Organic Minerals vs Inorganic Minerals

Organic minerals found in plants are the most ideal and beneficial for our bodies. These minerals come from nature already in an ionic state and are easily absorbed, utilized, and then released by the body before it can accumulate to toxic levels.

This allows our body to enjoy the benefits of organic minerals without worrying about ill effects caused by accumulation of excess amounts of these minerals.

Moreover, since organic minerals come from plants, they provide not only the necessary elements such as vitamins, but also phytonutrients that aids in improving overall health by promoting immunity and metabolic functions.

Inorganic minerals on the other hand often come from ground up stone or mineral deposits with varying amounts of bioavailability / absorbability due to low processing power during manufacture.

Due to poor bioavailability of these types of supplements, some people may not experience any benefit at all even after ingesting it for prolonged periods. In contrast to organic minerals which are already in an ionic form that is easily breached by our cells, inorganic minerals need extra help from metabolism to be processed and absorbed, thus resulting in a much longer waiting period before any results can be observed.

Best Source Of Organic Minerals

When it comes to sourcing the best quality of fulvic and humic acids, research is key. There are various sources in countries around the world, including Russia, Canada, China, Mexico and the United States.

When looking for higher quality options, Leonardite or Brown Coal is not the way to go. The highest grade of fulvic and humic acid often comes from New Mexico thanks to its incredibly high alkaline pH and its superfine particles that make it much more bioavailable to the body.

The research behind this really should not be taken lightly either; while there may be cheaper or seemingly better sources available from other countries, it’s important to remember that a product’s efficacy will depend mostly on its quality.

Our high quality fulvic minerals go through a proprietary near-decade long process to naturally and biologically break down the mineral rich ore into a fine powder that maximizes the water extraction process to provide you with the highest quality and most highly concentrated fulvic acid supplement on the market today.