Shilajit
EVIDENCE: MIXEDAlso sold as: shilajith, mumijo, mineral pitch, fulvic acid extract
Shilajit is a mineral-containing resin with small human studies. A trial using 500 mg daily for 90 days measured increased testosterone and DHEAS; an earlier study measured sperm changes. Purification and fulvic-acid concentration matter because contaminated products have been documented.
Compiled by iSupplementReviews editorial team ·Updated 2026-10-13 · 4 sources
- Type
- Rock exudate (Ayurvedic rasayana)
- Studied dose
- 200–500 mg/day (trials: 250 mg twice daily)
- Best form
- purified extract standardized to ~50–60% fulvic acid (e.g. PrimaVie-class); '5% fulvic acid' standardization is a tenth of the branded norm
- Upper limit
- No established upper intake limit established — contamination, not toxicity, is the limiting variable
- Our rating
- MIXED — Some human evidence, inconsistent or indirect
What is shilajit?
Shilajit is a resin formed from plant material in mountain rock. It contains fulvic acid, humic substances, and trace minerals and has traditional Ayurvedic uses. Small human studies concern male hormones and sperm measures, rather than dental health.
The standardization problem
Shilajit products differ more by processing than by source:
| Tier | What it means | Fulvic acid |
|---|---|---|
| Branded extracts | Purified, standardized (PrimaVie-class) | ~50–60% |
| Generic purified powders | Cleaned resin, variable spec | ~10–30% |
| Raw/unprocessed resin | As collected — the contamination-risk tier | low + variable |
The single most informative number on a shilajit label is the fulvic-acid percentage. ‘5%’ (as on one dental chewable) sits at the bottom of the range, roughly a tenth of the branded standard.
What does the research show?
| Claim | Evidence | Dose | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testosterone/DHEAS ↑ | 1 trial, men 45–55 | 500 mg/day × 90d | Early positive — single trial |
| Sperm count/motility ↑ | 1 clinical trial in low sperm count | 200 mg/day × 90d | Early positive |
| Energy/altitude adaptation | Traditional use + animal/lab work | — | Traditional claim |
| Cognitive support | Review-level preclinical + mechanism | — | Preclinical |
| Teeth, gums, breath | Nothing published | — | Not studied |
The trial the industry quotes
One trial found higher testosterone and DHEAS with a specific purified shilajit extract in men aged 45–55. It does not establish the same effect for other extracts or populations.
Pandit 2016 gave men 45–55 a purified extract at 250 mg twice daily: total and free testosterone plus DHEAS rose significantly vs placebo over 90 days, with LH/FSH preserved. It’s a real randomized trial, and it’s one trial, in one demographic, on one standardized extract. Extracts at 5% standardization are not obviously the same product.
What dose was studied?
| Goal | Dose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Testosterone | 500 mg/day | 90 days |
| Spermatogenesis | 200 mg/day | 90 days |
| Typical supplements | 200–600 mg/day | — |
Inside a 120 mg four-ingredient blend, a plausible share is 10–40 mg, roughly 5–20% of studied amounts, at one-tenth the branded standardization.
Side effects
The extract itself is well-tolerated in trials. The contamination file is the story: Saper’s JAMA study found ~20% of Ayurvedic products sampled contained lead, mercury, or arsenic. Unprocessed shilajit can also carry mold toxins and free radicals. Purity documentation is not optional with this ingredient.
Drug interactions
- Iron supplementation: shilajit contains iron; stacking can overshoot
- Diabetes drugs: traditional blood-sugar claim; additive effect possible
- Uric acid disorders/gout: may raise uric acid in some reports
Who should not take it?
Pregnant or nursing women (no safety data), people with hemochromatosis or gout, and, frankly, anyone buying an unpurified product without a certificate of analysis.
What the authorities say
No health body endorses shilajit for any condition. The safety literature (JAMA’s Ayurvedic heavy-metal work) is the closest thing to an official position: the ingredient’s risk is the supply chain, not the molecule.
What to know about shilajit
Shilajit has limited human hormone research using purified, standardized material. Contamination and fulvic-acid content are important. A 5% extract in an undisclosed blend does not automatically match the roughly 50–60% branded preparations cited in studies.
Frequently asked questions about Shilajit
What is shilajit, actually?
A tar-like substance that seeps from Himalayan and Altai rock: plant matter decomposed over centuries into a mix of fulvic acid, humic compounds, and a broad trace-mineral profile. In Ayurveda it's a rasayana (rejuvenator); in supplement science it's a fulvic-acid delivery system with a small but real human trial file.
Does shilajit raise testosterone?
One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial says it moved the needle: 250 mg twice daily for 90 days in men aged 45–55 raised total and free testosterone plus DHEAS versus placebo (Pandit 2016, Andrologia). It's the strongest item in the file: one trial, one branded extract, one age band. Promising, not settled.
What does '5% fulvic acid' mean on a label?
It tells you how little of the extract is the active marker. Branded shilajit extracts standardize to roughly 50–60% fulvic acid, the compound family credited with most of the activity. A 5% spec is a tenth of that; it signals a cruder, more dilute resin. Standardization percent is the single most important number on a shilajit label.
Is shilajit safe?
The molecule file is clean; the contamination file isn't. A JAMA study of Ayurvedic medicines sold in the US and India found about 1 in 5 contained lead, mercury, or arsenic, and raw unprocessed shilajit is exactly the category that carries this risk. 'Purified' and a named extract are the safety words that matter.
Does shilajit help teeth or gums?
Nothing published. The marketing logic is 'trace minerals nourish tissues': plausible in the abstract, untested for any oral outcome. Its real evidence is hormonal and sperm-related.
References
- [1]Pandit S et al. — Purified shilajit on testosterone in healthy men, RCT (Andrologia, 2016)
- [2]Biswas TK et al. — Shilajit on spermatogenesis in oligospermia, clinical trial (Andrologia, 2010)
- [3]Saper RB et al. — Lead, mercury, arsenic in Ayurvedic medicines sold online (JAMA, 2008)
- [4]Carrasco-Gallardo C et al. — Shilajit: phytocomplex with potential procognitive activity — review (Int J Alzheimers Dis, 2012)
Products we reviewed containing Shilajit
Based on recorded labels or seller-described formulas. Inclusion does not establish a match to the strains, preparations or amounts studied here; check each review's disclosure limits.