Shilajit
Shilajatu (purified mineral pitch)
A mineral-rich Himalayan exudate — buy only purified, tested.
Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
16 verified / 16
Classification
Ayurvedic
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.
What is Shilajit?
Shilajit (Shilajatu (purified mineral pitch)) is an Ayurvedic herb used for possible testosterone support (one extract). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Shilajit is a tar-like exudate that seeps from Himalayan rocks, used in Ayurveda as a rejuvenator. A single proprietary-extract trial reported a ~20% rise in total testosterone over placebo, and lab work suggests fulvic acid has antioxidant and mitochondrial effects — but independent replication is thin and most claims are preliminary. The dominant real-world issue is purity: unpurified products frequently exceed safe limits for lead and arsenic.
Purported Benefits
✓Possible testosterone support (one extract)
✓Possible anti-fatigue / energy
✓Antioxidant (fulvic acid)
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testosterone supportA single proprietary-extract RCT raised total testosterone ~20% vs placebo; independent replication is lacking. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 1 |
| Fatigue / muscle strength preservationOne 8-wk RCT preserved strength after fatigue in a subgroup; supporting pilot was uncontrolled single-arm. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 2 |
| Antioxidant / oxidative stress markersOpen-label RCT in elderly hypertensives lowered MDA/ox-LDL, but did not change arterial stiffness or endothelial function. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · moderate | 1 |
| Bone mineral density (postmenopausal osteopenia)One 48-wk RCT (n=60) dose-dependently attenuated BMD loss with favorable turnover markers; single trial, needs replication. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · moderate | 1 |
| Heavy-metal contamination (lead, arsenic, thallium)Commercial and crude samples have exceeded WHO limits for lead/arsenic and contained under-monitored thallium; a purity not efficacy issue. | Moderate | ⚠ risk | 3 |
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
250–500 mg/day of a PURIFIED, lab-tested extract. Never use raw shilajit.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
⚠ Unpurified shilajit can contain dangerous heavy metals (lead, arsenic). Use only purified, third-party-tested products. Avoid in pregnancy and with iron-overload conditions (hemochromatosis). Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Shilajit with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 16 studies
randomized controlled trial
Mosavi 2023 (Traditional Medicine Research)
✓ Full text
In a 60-day triple-blind RCT, 200 mg/day purified shilajit raised mean female sexual function (FSFI) score to ~28.9 vs ~22.1 with placebo in reproductive-aged women; sexual quality-of-life improvement was not statistically significant.
randomized controlled trial
Bhavsar 2023 (Indian J Physiol Pharmacol)
✓ Full text
Open-label RCT in 60 elderly hypertensives: shilajit 500 mg twice daily for 30 days added to antihypertensives significantly lowered oxidative stress markers (MDA, ox-LDL) and raised antioxidant capacity vs control, but did not change arterial stiffness or endothelial function.
RCT
Pingali & Nutalapati 2022 (Phytomedicine RCT)
✓ PubMed
In 60 postmenopausal women with osteopenia, 48 weeks of standardized shilajit extract (250 or 500 mg/day) dose-dependently attenuated bone mineral density loss at the lumbar spine and femoral neck versus placebo (significant percent-change increases vs placebo at 24 and 48 weeks, p<0.001), with decreased bone-turnover markers (CTX-1, BALP, RANKL), increased OPG, lower oxidative stress (MDA down, GSH up) and lower hsCRP.
RCT
Neltner 2022 (J Diet Suppl RCT)
✓ PubMed
In 35 recreationally trained men, 8 weeks of shilajit at 500 and 1000 mg/day significantly raised serum pro-c1a1, a biomarker of type 1 collagen synthesis (roughly doubling to ~82 and ~113 ng/mL from ~42 ng/mL baseline; p=0.008 and 0.007), with no change in placebo; a greater proportion of the high-dose group exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (75% vs 30% placebo, p=0.03).
Safety / toxicology
Thallium in Shilajit 2025
✓ PubMed
Analytical study detected thallium up to 0.226 ug/g in natural Shilajit and up to 0.5 ug/g in some supplements (sometimes exceeding crude levels), raising long-term toxicity concerns and a need for standardized testing.
Clinical trial
Pandit 2016 (Andrologia)
✓ PubMed
Purified shilajit raised total testosterone ~20% vs placebo in one trial.
randomized controlled trial
Keller 2019 fatigue RCT (PMC)
✓ Full text
Double-blind placebo-controlled RCT in recreationally active men: 500 mg/day shilajit for 8 weeks reduced fatigue-induced decline in muscular strength and lowered serum hydroxyproline vs placebo.
RCT
Keller 2019 (J Int Soc Sports Nutr RCT)
✓ PubMed
In 63 recreationally active men, 8 weeks of PrimaVie shilajit 500 mg/day (high dose) preserved maximal muscular strength after a fatiguing protocol: adjusted mean MVIC decline 8.9% vs 16.0% placebo and 17.0% low dose (p=0.044 and 0.022) in the stronger 50th-percentile subgroup, and lowered baseline serum hydroxyproline (1.5 vs 2.4 ug/mL); 250 mg/day did not differ from placebo.
clinical trial
Biswas 2010 (Andrologia)
✓ PubMed
In 28 oligospermic men completing 90 days of processed shilajit 100 mg twice daily, total sperm count rose ~61%, motility improved 12-17%, semen MDA fell ~19%, and serum testosterone rose ~23.5% versus baseline (uncontrolled).
review
Carrasco-Gallardo 2012 (Int J Alzheimers Dis)
✓ PubMed
Review proposing shilajit's fulvic acid as a procognitive, antioxidant agent that inhibits tau self-aggregation in vitro, suggesting a possible anti-Alzheimer role; evidence is preclinical with no human efficacy data.
review
Meena 2010 (Int J Ayurveda Res)
✓ PubMed
Narrative review positioning shilajit as an adaptogen and rejuvenator that may improve tolerance of high-altitude stress and immune function; conclusions are hypothesis-generating, not based on controlled altitude trials.
Review
Stohs 2013 (Phytother Res review)
✓ PubMed
Authoritative narrative review concluding that human and animal data support shilajit's safety and document antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, immunomodulatory and anti-dyslipidemic activity, enhanced spermatogenesis, and a 'revitalizer' role improving physical performance and relieving fatigue via enhanced ATP production; attributes effects mainly to dibenzo-alpha-pyrones and fulvic acid, while noting few well-controlled human trials exist.
Study
ConsumerLab 2024 / analyses
✓ Source
Commercial samples have exceeded WHO limits for lead and arsenic.
open-label pilot study
TruBlk Shilajit pilot 2026 (PMC)
✓ Full text
28-day open-label single-arm pilot in 25 healthy men: shilajit resin increased leg-press strength (~13%) and VO2max, and reduced Fatigue Severity Scale (~32%) and CRP (~25%); no control group limits inference.
analytical study
Najari 2025 (BMC Chemistry)
✓ Full text
Analysis of 13 crude shilajit samples and 5 commercial supplements detected thallium up to 0.226 ug/g (crude) and 0.5 ug/g (supplements), with up to 0.095 ug per tablet, flagging thallium as an under-monitored toxic-metal risk requiring standardized testing.
Preclinical
Fatigue / mitochondria (preclinical)
✓ PubMed
Fulvic-acid effects shown mainly in animal/cell models.