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Printed from https://bottledhope.co/supplements/shilajit/. Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Check the site for the latest version.

Shilajit

A tar-like substance that seeps from sedimentary rocks, used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and now sold for energy, stamina and memory.

Explained simply · Last reviewed

What it is

OPSS, the US Defense Department's dietary supplement program, describes shilajit as "a blackish-brown, tar-like liquid that seeps from sedimentary rocks around the world." It says the substance has a centuries-long history in Ayurvedic medicine in South Asia and in other traditions, and that it is now "marketed to enhance energy and vitality, stamina and endurance, and memory and mental performance." OPSS says it is commonly sold as a paste, powder, tablets or capsules, and that shilajit extract has turned up in products sold as testosterone boosters. OPSS adds that there is "very little information from well-designed, independent research studies to support the marketing claims made about shilajit products."

More about Shilajit

OPSS adds that there is "very little information from well-designed, independent research studies to support the marketing claims made about shilajit products."

The authors of a 2019 trial describe shilajit as "a rock exudate found in the sedimentary rocks of Himalayan, Altai, and other mountain ranges", and regarded in Ayurveda, a traditional medical system from India, as a "maharasa (super-vitalizer)". They say it contains fulvic acids as its main components, along with compounds called dibenzo-alpha-pyrones and more than 40 minerals.

The same authors say shilajit is an ingredient in a number of nutritional supplements. The trial they ran used a purified and standardized extract.

A 2008 study published in JAMA tested Ayurvedic medicines sold online for lead, mercury and arsenic, and one of those it found lead in was a shilajit product. Its authors explain that some Ayurvedic medicines, called rasa shastra, are deliberately made by combining herbs with metals, minerals and gems.

In the European Union, the European Commission's "Novel Food Status Catalogue" lists shilajit, as mumijo, as not novel when used in food supplements, and novel in other foods. In Canada, Health Canada warned in 2005 against shilajit products without market authorization, after finding high levels of heavy metals in a shilajit product it tested.

Also known as: mumijo, mumie, moomiyo, mineral pitch, asphaltum

At a glance

Safety: known risks and 2 groups who should avoid it or take extra care. See Safety ↓

Claims made about Shilajit, and how strong the evidence is for each:

Each rating follows our published rules and the sources cited for it. We don’t add our own medical judgment. How we rate

Safety

Read this before the ratings below.

Risks

  • Heavy metals: OPSS, the US Defense Department’s dietary supplement program, says shilajit develops from decomposing plant and animal matter and can contain minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury. It calls the presence of heavy metals in shilajit, “regardless of amount”, particularly concerning. It says that without laboratory testing there is no way to know what a shilajit product actually contains, or whether it is free of heavy metals.
  • OPSS says shilajit has been “a suspected cause of several adverse effects, including life-threatening allergic reactions, increased blood pressure, disorientation, dizziness, and cognitive disorder.” It says that research on using “up to 500 mg of shilajit extract” suggests it may be safe for short-term use, but that possible exposure to heavy metals is a concern.
  • Canada: in 2005 Health Canada warned consumers not to use certain Ayurvedic products after its own tests found high levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic in them. One of those products was shilajit capsules from an Indian manufacturer. As a precaution, it also advised Canadians not to use any other shilajit product that lacked the market authorization required in Canada, which it said authorized natural health products show with a Natural Product Number (NPN) or Drug Identification Number (DIN). It said heavy metals are a special health concern because they may build up in vital organs.
  • Heavy metals in Ayurvedic medicines: a 2008 study published in JAMA ordered 230 Ayurvedic medicines online in 2005 and tested the 193 that arrived for lead, mercury and arsenic. It found at least one of these metals in about one in five (20.7%), with no significant difference between products made in the US and in India. A shilajit product made in the US was among those with detectable lead. The study classed it as rasa shastra, the Ayurvedic practice of combining herbs with metals, minerals and gems. The authors report that every product with detectable metals would, taken as its label suggested, exceed at least one standard for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals.
  • The same 2008 study reports that the makers of three in four of the metal-containing products claimed Good Manufacturing Practices or testing for metals, and that those claims were not linked to fewer products containing metals.
  • A 2019 trial in 63 young men, funded by the maker of the extract it tested, reports no adverse events over eight weeks.

Who should avoid it or take extra care

  • Children: Health Canada’s 2005 warning about heavy metals in some Ayurvedic products, which included a shilajit product, says that children are the most vulnerable to harm from heavy metal poisoning.
  • None of the sources this page has read in full reports on use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or on interactions with medicines, so this page cannot say whether shilajit is safe in those situations.

Safety sources: Source [1]Source [2]Source [3]Source [4]Source [5]

What the evidence says

Each claim is rated on its own evidence. Ratings follow the scale on our methodology page.

  • Boosts energy, stamina or endurance Evidence rating: Insufficient

    People take it hoping it will give them more energy and stamina.

    OPSS, a US Defense Department program, says there is little reliable evidence that shilajit enhances energy, stamina or endurance; the one trial, in 63 young men, was funded by the extract’s maker.

    OPSS, the US Defense Department’s dietary supplement program, says shilajit is marketed to enhance energy and vitality, and stamina and endurance. It concludes that there is little reliable evidence to support those claims. It says studies of shilajit have mostly been limited to rats and mice, with only a few small studies in humans. It adds that some results could be biased, because the funding came from companies selling shilajit products.

    No systematic review of shilajit for energy, fatigue or endurance was found for this page. The cited evidence is one randomized, placebo-controlled trial, published in 2019. It gave 63 recreationally active young men a purified, standardized shilajit extract at a lower or a higher amount, or a placebo, for eight weeks. It measured how much leg strength the men lost after a bout of tiring leg exercise. It did not measure energy or tiredness as people feel them.

    Across all 63 men, the only significant difference the paper reports is less strength loss with the higher amount than with the lower amount, not compared with placebo. In the stronger half of the men, 10 per group, strength loss with the higher amount was smaller than with either the lower amount or placebo. The trial found no effect on strength before the tiring exercise.

    The trial was funded by Natreon Inc., the company that makes the extract it tested. Its authors declare no competing interests. They write that there is limited research on shilajit in humans, and that their findings should be viewed within the limits of the study’s design.

    One trial, whose only significant result against placebo rests on 10 men per group, is too little evidence to show an effect, and not evidence that there is none. On the OPSS statement, this page rates the claim insufficient.

    Sources: Source [1]Source [2]

  • Improves memory or mental performance Evidence rating: Insufficient

    People take it hoping it will sharpen their memory and thinking.

    OPSS, a US Defense Department program, says there is little reliable evidence that shilajit enhances mental performance, and that most studies of shilajit have been in rats and mice.

    OPSS, the US Defense Department’s dietary supplement program, says shilajit is marketed to enhance memory and mental performance. It says “There is very little information from well-designed, independent research studies to support the marketing claims made about shilajit products.” It concludes that there is little reliable evidence to support claims that shilajit can enhance mental performance. It says studies of shilajit have mostly been limited to rats and mice, with only a few small studies in humans.

    No systematic review and no trial of shilajit for memory or thinking in people was found for this page. That is too little evidence to show an effect, not evidence that there is none. On the OPSS statement, this page rates the claim insufficient.

    Sources: Source [1]

Which form the evidence used

Supplements are sold in several forms. This is what the sources on this page say about them — which form the research used, and any comparison those sources themselves made. Where they made none, this page does not rank the forms.

  • Purified, standardized extract, What the sources supportDetails

    The one trial this page cites tested a commercial purified and standardized shilajit extract, made by the company that funded the trial. Its authors describe the extract as standardized to fulvic acid and to compounds called dibenzo-alpha-pyrones. No cited source compared one form of shilajit with another, so this page cannot say whether any form works better or is safer than another. OPSS, the US Defense Department’s dietary supplement program, says shilajit extract is obtained by washing and filtering debris and impurities from raw shilajit, and that it has been found in products marketed as testosterone boosters. Source [1]Source [2]

  • Raw shilajit, paste or powder, Details

    OPSS says shilajit is commonly sold as a paste, powder, tablets or capsules. No trial cited here tested raw shilajit, a paste or a powder. OPSS says that without laboratory testing there is no way to know what a shilajit product actually contains, or whether it is free of heavy metals. Source [1]

Sources

  1. Shilajit as a Dietary Supplement Ingredient
    Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS), US Department of Defense, 2024 · Health authority summary · Primary source
  2. 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 · Randomized controlled trial · Supporting source
    This source discloses industry funding.
  3. Health Canada warns consumers not to use certain Ayurvedic medicinal products
    Health Canada, 2005 · Health authority summary · Primary source
  4. Novel Food Status Catalogue: Asphaltum punjabianum (Mumijo, Shilajit)
    European Commission, 2025 · Health authority summary · Primary source
  5. Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in US- and Indian-Manufactured Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet
    JAMA, 2008 · Observational study · Supporting source
    Some of its authors disclose ties to industry.

Page history

Show all 4 changes to this page
  • — Published.
  • — Wording revised after the first review round: closer attribution and quotation of OPSS and Health Canada, the EU food status moved out of the safety list (it stays in the text), and the JAMA study’s sample described more accurately. Ratings and sources unchanged.
  • — Added three authority sources after the owner admitted their domains: the US Defense Department’s OPSS article on shilajit, Health Canada’s 2005 warning on heavy metals in Ayurvedic products, and the European Commission’s “Novel Food Status Catalogue”. Energy and stamina stays insufficient, now on the OPSS statement. Memory and mental performance added, rated insufficient on OPSS. Safety section now leads on OPSS, with Health Canada’s warning and the EU food status.
  • — First drafted. Energy and stamina rated insufficient, on one trial funded by the extract’s maker. Testosterone, sperm quality, memory, bone density, altitude sickness and iron status are not rated: no source on them that this page could cite was read in full. Safety section leads on heavy metals in Ayurvedic medicines, including a shilajit product, from a 2008 study in JAMA.