Shilajit

Mumijo · Mineral pitch · Fulvic acid · Asphaltum

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Testosterone support¹ Male fertility² Bone mineral density³ Tibial fracture healing⁴ Fatigue^{5, 6} Muscle adaptation⁷	Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁸ Kidney disorders⁸ Gout or kidney stones⁸

Shilajit (mumijo, mineral pitch) is a mineral-rich resin that oozes from Himalayan rock and contains fulvic and humic substances. It is taken as a traditional rejuvenator, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity as the proposed driver^{3, 6}. Uses include testosterone and sperm support in men², physical performance and fatigue, bone density in postmenopausal women³, fracture healing⁴, and memory support, where human data are sparse.

A systematic review of testosterone boosters, most of which failed, judged a purified shilajit extract possibly effective in men with late-onset hypogonadism. Randomized trials report attenuated bone loss in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and shorter tibial union time after fracture. In a 2024 case report, a farmer with pesticide-related infertility had improved sperm quality after panchakarma therapy and shilajit; no trial has tested this. There are 687 products listing shilajit, mostly capsules, with powders, tablets, liquids, and resin; see Form comparison.

Health Canada labels ask users with benign prostate hypertrophy, prostate cancer, or diabetes to consult a practitioner first⁸. Health Canada labels advise against use in pregnancy, and a case report linked mumijo to a licorice-like syndrome of hypertension and hypokalemia in pregnancy⁸.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

46 sources, 31 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources