Shilajit

Is shilajit safe?

Probably, if it is a purified extract from a maker that tests every batch for metals. That is a bigger "if" than for most supplements. Shilajit is a sticky black resin that seeps from rock in the Himalaya and other mountain ranges, made of decayed plant matter, fulvic acid and minerals. Ayurveda has used it for centuries as a tonic, and it has become a social media favourite for energy and testosterone.

The substance itself has a short safety record in people. A handful of trials of purified extract, at 250 mg twice a day for up to 90 days, reported no serious side effects, and LiverToxLiverToxA free US National Institutes of Health database that summarises what is known about liver injury caused by medicines, herbs and supplements.More in the glossary, the US database of drug-induced liver injuryDrug-induced liver injuryLiver damage caused by a medicine, herbal product or supplement. It is usually rare and unpredictable, but it can be serious.More in the glossary, has no entry for it. The risk is what comes with it. Shilajit forms in rock, so every sample contains metals, and Ayurvedic products bought online have a long record of lead, mercury and arsenic contamination. We rate it with low confidence because both the benefits and the harms are so thinly studied.

Does shilajit contain lead and other heavy metals?

Some products do, and you cannot tell which from the label. The evidence comes in two layers.

Ayurvedic products generally. In a JAMA study (2008), researchers bought 193 Ayurvedic medicines from 25 websites. One in five (20.7%) contained detectable lead, mercury or arsenic, and every one of those exceeded at least one safety standard for daily intake. Products made in the US were no cleaner than those made in India (21.7% against 19.5%), and three-quarters of the contaminated products claimed good manufacturing practice. In December 2025 the FDA warned consumers about heavy-metal poisoning from unapproved Ayurvedic products after testing one that caused very high blood lead in a user. Its Import Alert 99-42 lists Ayurvedic supplements that FDA concluded "would likely be injurious to health" from lead or mercury exposure.

Shilajit specifically. The newer tests are more reassuring for established brands. ConsumerLab (2024) tested eight shilajit resins, capsules and gummies and found lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury below levels of concern at one dose a day. A 2026 analysis of 12 shilajit samples from several countries found lead, cadmium, mercury, cobalt and nickel, all below toxicity thresholds. But a 2025 study in BMC Chemistry found thallium, a highly toxic metal, at up to 0.5 µg per gram in supplements, in some cases more than in the raw resin.

Why products differ so much

There is no standard for what "shilajit" must contain. ConsumerLab found fulvic acid, the main active compound, ranging from 6.9 mg to 2,206 mg per serving, and one product had far more than its label claimed. Resins contained much less than extracts in capsules. Trials have used specific purified extracts, so their results say little about a jar of raw resin or a gummy with an unstated amount.

Liquid products bring a separate problem. In May 2026 a US firm recalled a shilajit tonic in 16 and 32 ounce bottles because it may have been under-processed, allowing Clostridium botulinum to grow, and because it carried health claims (Class II, FDA enforcement records).

Does it work?

The evidence is thin. A 2016 randomised trial in Andrologia gave healthy men aged 45 to 55 purified shilajit at 250 mg twice a day for 90 days and found higher total and free testosterone and DHEA-S than placebo. Other small trials have looked at fatigue, bone density and collagen markers. None is large enough to show a clear benefit, and none tested the resin and gummy products that dominate social media. Claims that it treats cancer, diabetes or kidney stones are illegal for a supplement; in 2017 the FDA sent an advisory letter to one US seller of shilajit resin over exactly those claims.

Who should be careful

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women and children, because no safety data exist and lead harms the developing brain.
• Men on testosterone or other hormone treatment, or anyone with a hormone-sensitive condition, because of the trial showing raised testosterone. See our DHEA page for a related hormone supplement.
• People with kidney disease, who clear metals less well.
• Anyone taking several Ayurvedic products, since contamination adds up.

If any of these apply, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you start.

How to choose a safer product

1. Buy a purified extract, not raw resin of unknown origin.
2. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis showing lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, and ideally thallium.
3. Look for third-party testingThird-party testingTesting of a supplement by an independent lab to check that it contains what the label says and is free of set contaminants.More in the glossary from an independent lab rather than the seller's own claims.
4. Avoid liquid tonics that are not shelf-stable or refrigerated as labelled.
5. Take one product at the labelled dose, and stop if you notice nausea, rash or palpitations.

How we scored it

Product quality (50) is the weakest factor: metal contamination in Ayurvedic products, a more than 300-fold spread in strength, and thallium findings. Dose safety (68) and organ toxicity (72) reflect few reported harms but very little data. Interactions (75) are unstudied rather than known to be safe. Regulatory actions (70) cover FDA import alerts and warnings on Ayurvedic products and a 2026 recall, with no ban. It sits just above sea moss, which has a similar mix of thin evidence and contamination risk.