The Evidence / Shilajit: the evidence, and the part nobody talks about
The Evidence
Shilajit: the evidence, and the part nobody talks about
Key takeaways
Quick answer
- One randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in men aged 45 to 55 found total testosterone around 20 per cent higher than placebo after 90 days at 250 mg twice a day. A second trial found 500 mg a day helped retain muscular strength after fatiguing exercise.
- That is two properly controlled trials, not a large evidence base. Read it as a strong start rather than a settled question.
- Purity matters more here than with any herb. Shilajit comes out of rock, and independent testing in 2024 found real variation between products, including in heavy metals, so a certificate of analysis beats the word "purified" on a tub.
- EGGPLANT ENERGY uses a 30:1 shilajit extract at 400 mg per capsule, so the dose is identical every day.
Featured product
Eggplant Energy
Shilajit, ashwagandha, sea moss and tongkat ali. Every amount printed on the panel.
$35.00
$49.99Launch price
Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Shilajit went from obscure to everywhere in about two years, and the internet has not been kind to it. It is sold as tar in a jar, as gummies, as a testosterone miracle, and almost never with a number you can check. Here is what the actual trials found, and what to look at on a label.
What it is
Shilajit is a dark, resinous substance that seeps from rock in high mountain ranges, most famously the Himalayas, formed over centuries from compressed plant matter. It is not a herb. It is closer to a mineral-rich organic exudate, and its composition reflects that: roughly 15 to 20 per cent fulvic acid, plus humic acid, dibenzo-alpha-pyrones and a long list of trace minerals in ionic form.
Fulvic acid is the compound most of the research interest hangs on, and it is also the number reputable suppliers standardise to.
What the research shows
The most cited study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy men aged 45 to 55, who took 250 mg of purified shilajit twice a day for 90 days. Total testosterone rose by around 20 per cent and free testosterone by around 19 per cent against placebo, with DHEA-S also higher and the gonadotropins LH and FSH unchanged.
It is a real trial with a real control group, and it is also one trial in one age group with 96 participants. That is a starting point, not a settled question, and anyone quoting it as proof that shilajit "boosts testosterone" for everyone is going further than the paper does.
On physical performance there is a randomised trial of 63 recreationally active men over eight weeks, which found that 500 mg per day helped retain maximal muscular strength after fatiguing exercise, where a lower dose and placebo did not. Again: one trial, modest size, specific outcome.
So the fair summary is this. Shilajit is one of the better-studied newcomers in this category, the trials that exist were properly controlled, and the doses that produced effects were in the 250 to 500 mg per day range over 8 to 12 weeks. What it is not is a large evidence base. It is a handful of good studies, and the field needs more.
The part nobody wants to talk about
Shilajit comes out of rock. Raw, unprocessed material can carry heavy metals, along with soil, mould and microbes, which is why purification is not a marketing step but a safety one.
In 2024 ConsumerLab tested eight popular shilajit supplements and found meaningful variation between products, including in heavy metal content. Products labelled "purified" are not automatically clean; that is a claim, and claims are worth verifying with a certificate of analysis.
This is the strongest practical argument for a standardised extract in a capsule over resin in a tub. Resin has to be dissolved and eyeballed, the dose varies from scoop to scoop, and the purification is whatever the seller says it is. A capsule of standardised extract gives you the same amount every day.
How to take it
Daily, with food, for at least eight weeks before you form a view. The trials that found something ran for 8 to 13 weeks. Nothing in this category works on the first morning, and any product that promises otherwise is describing caffeine.
Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding, not under 18, and speak to your doctor first if you take prescription medication or have a medical condition. Do not exceed the serving on the label.
What is in EGGPLANT ENERGY
One capsule a day contains Shilajit Extract 30:1, 400 mg. The 30:1 matters: that is 400 mg of concentrated extract, made from roughly 12 grams of source material, not 400 mg of raw mineral pitch. It sits alongside ashwagandha, sea moss and tongkat ali, each listed with its own amount.
No proprietary blend, no combined total hiding a token dose. If it is in the capsule, the number is on the bottle.
Sources
- Pandit S. et al. Clinical evaluation of purified shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia, 2016.
- Keller J.L. 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.
- ConsumerLab tests shilajit supplements for amounts of fulvic acid and heavy metals, September 2024.
This article is general information, not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.