Shilajit
Human research is a handful of small trials, most testing one branded extract and several funded by its maker. They report higher testosterone, less strength loss with fatigue, and slower bone loss. Heavy-metal analyses disagree. One study found lead, arsenic and mercury above permissible limits in Indian and Pakistani shilajit, and another found toxic metals below thresholds.
Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-09
- Status
- Dietary supplement in the US. Not approved by the FDA as a drug for any use.
- Also called
- mumie, mumijo, moomiyo, momiai, salajeet, mineral pitch, Himalayan asphaltum, fulvic acid, PrimaVie, shilajit resin
- Taken for
- testosterone, energy, fatigue, strength, fertility, sperm count, libido, bone health, anti-aging
Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on
Shown to help4
- LimitedOne trial found purified shilajit raised total and free testosterone more than placebo in healthy men aged 45 to 55. The maker funded it.
- LimitedOne small study without a control group found sperm count rose 61% over 90 days in men with low sperm counts.
- LimitedOne trial found 500 mg a day lessened the fatigue-related strength drop, but only in the stronger half of active men. 250 mg did not differ from placebo.
- LimitedOne small trial found better spine and hip bone density than placebo over 48 weeks in postmenopausal women with osteopenia, more at the higher dose.
What people take it for, and what was found
Shown to help4
Testosterone
One trial found purified shilajit raised total and free testosterone more than placebo in healthy men aged 45 to 55. The maker funded it.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In healthy men aged 45 to 55, purified shilajit at 250 mg twice a day for 90 days raised total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEAS more than placebo, with LH and FSH unchanged [1]. A systematic review of testosterone boosters classed purified shilajit extract (PrimaVie) as possibly raising total testosterone in men with late-onset hypogonadism [2].
- Population
- Healthy men aged 45 to 55 [1]. Studies of 27 proposed testosterone boosters [2].
- Sources
- [1], [2]
- Caveats
- One trial, funded by Natreon Inc, which makes PrimaVie [1]. Its abstract does not give the number of participants or the size of the change.
Sperm count in men with low counts
One small study without a control group found sperm count rose 61% over 90 days in men with low sperm counts.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 28 men with sperm counts below 20 million per mL who completed 90 days of processed shilajit at 100 mg twice a day, total sperm count rose 61.4% and motility 12.4% to 17.4% from baseline. Serum testosterone rose 23.5% [3].
- Population
- 35 men with oligospermia enrolled, 28 completed [3].
- Sources
- [3]
- Caveats
- No control group. Changes are against each man's own baseline [3].
Strength during fatigue
One trial found 500 mg a day lessened the fatigue-related strength drop, but only in the stronger half of active men. 250 mg did not differ from placebo.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 63 recreationally active men, 500 mg a day of PrimaVie for 8 weeks led to a smaller fatigue-induced drop in maximal strength (8.9%) than 250 mg (17.0%) or placebo (16.0%), but only in the stronger half of the group. The low dose did not differ from placebo [4].
- Population
- 63 men, mean age 21.2 [4].
- Sources
- [4]
- Caveats
- The effect appeared in a subgroup split at the 50th percentile. The trial was funded by Natreon Inc [4].
Bone density after menopause
One small trial found better spine and hip bone density than placebo over 48 weeks in postmenopausal women with osteopenia, more at the higher dose.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 60 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 with osteopenia, bone density at the spine and hip fell on placebo over 48 weeks. With 250 mg or 500 mg of a standardized shilajit extract a day, the percentage change from baseline was greater than placebo at 24 and 48 weeks (p < 0.001), in a dose-dependent pattern. Bone turnover markers and hsCRP fell [5].
- Population
- 60 women in a three-arm trial [5].
- Sources
- [5]
- Caveats
- One small trial. The abstract does not report funding or fracture outcomes.
Doses studied
Trials used 250 mg twice a day for 90 days [1], 100 mg twice a day for 90 days [3], 250 or 500 mg a day for 8 weeks [4], and 250 or 500 mg a day for 48 weeks [5].
Risks
Reported risks1
Metals in Ayurvedic products sold online
One study found 21% of Ayurvedic products sold online had lead, mercury or arsenic. Shilajit was not reported separately.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Of 193 Ayurvedic medicines bought online in 2005, 20.7% contained detectable lead, mercury or arsenic, with similar rates for US-made (21.7%) and Indian-made (19.5%) products. Every metal-containing product exceeded at least one standard for acceptable daily intake, and 75% of them claimed Good Manufacturing Practices [9].
- Population
- 193 products from 25 websites [9].
- Sources
- [9]
- Caveats
- This study covers Ayurvedic products in general. Its abstract does not report results for shilajit separately [9].
Mixed results1
Lead, arsenic and mercury content
Limited evidence: product tests disagree. One found lead, arsenic and mercury above limits, while others found toxic metals mostly below limits.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In Indian and Pakistani shilajit analyzed by three methods, aluminum, nickel, chromium, lead, arsenic and mercury were among elements found above standard permissible limits. Mercury was detected only in the Indian product [6]. A review of published analyses found about 65 metals reported in shilajit, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, with levels mostly below WHO and FDA limits except in a few studies [7]. In 12 samples from different regions, toxic metals including lead, cadmium and mercury were below established toxicity thresholds [8].
- Population
- Product samples [6][7][8].
- Sources
- [6], [7], [8]
- Caveats
- The analyses disagree, and each tested a small number of products. Composition varied by origin [8].
Claims tested and not found
- That a lower dose of shilajit preserves strength during fatigue. At 250 mg a day, strength loss did not differ from placebo [4].
Sources
- Pandit S, Biswas S, Jana U, et al. Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/and.12482
- Morgado A, Tsampoukas G, Sokolakis I, et al. Do "testosterone boosters" really increase serum total testosterone? A systematic review. International Journal of Impotence Research. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-023-00763-9
- Biswas TK, Pandit S, Mondal S, et al. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0272.2009.00956.x
- Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, et al. The effects of Shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength and serum hydroxyproline levels. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0270-2
- Pingali U, Nutalapati C. Shilajit extract reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and bone loss to dose-dependently preserve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154334
- Aldakheel RK, Gondal MA, Alsayed HN, et al. Rapid Determination and Quantification of Nutritional and Poisonous Metals in Vastly Consumed Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine (Rejuvenator Shilajit) by Humans Using Three Advanced Analytical Techniques. Biological Trace Element Research. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-03014-4
- Hussain A, Saeed A. Hazardous or Advantageous: Uncovering the Roles of Heavy Metals and Humic Substances in Shilajit (Phyto-mineral) with Emphasis on Heavy Metals Toxicity and Their Detoxification Mechanisms. Biological Trace Element Research. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-024-04109-4
- Kamgar E, Angaïts A, Zembrzuska J, et al. Characterization of metal composition and molecular weight distribution in Shilajit. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2026.127913
- Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, et al. Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in US- and Indian-Manufactured Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet. JAMA. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.300.8.915