SHILAJIT: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Shilajit is a sticky substance that comes out of the cracks in high mountain ranges of Asia. It's made of animal, mineral, and plant material.

The exact makeup of shilajit depends on where it's found and the temperature. It typically contains vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and amino acids. It also contains the organic acids fulvic acid and humic acid. It's often used as an adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine and has antioxidant effects.

People use shilajit for Alzheimer disease, athletic performance, male infertility, fractures, muscle strength, osteoporosis, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Don't confuse shilajit with fulvic acid or humic acid. These are not the same.

Uses & Effectiveness ?

We currently have no information for SHILAJIT overview.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Processed shilajit is possibly safe when used in doses of 2 grams daily for 45 days or up to 500 mg daily for up to 48 weeks. It seems to be well-tolerated. But there isn't enough reliable information to know if crude or unprocessed shilajit is safe or what the side effects might be.

When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if shilajit is safe or what the side effects might be.

Special Precautions and Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if shilajit is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Surgery: Shilajit might lower blood sugar and interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop taking shilajit at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Interactions ?

Moderate Interaction

Be cautious with this combination

Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with SHILAJIT
Shilajit might lower blood sugar levels. Taking shilajit along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to drop too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely.

Dosing

Shilajit has most often been used by adults in doses of 200-500 mg by mouth daily for 8-48 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

View References

REFERENCES:

Alshubaily FA, Jambi EJ. Correlation between antioxidant and anti-osteoporotic activities of shilajit loaded into chitosan nanoparticles and their effects on osteoporosis in rats. Polymers (Basel) 2022;14(19):3972. View abstract.

Bansal P, Banerjee S. Effect of Withinia somnifera and shilajit on alcohol addiction in mice. Pharmacogn Mag 2016;12(Suppl 2):S121-8. View abstract.

Biswas TK, Pandit S, Mondal S, et al. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia 2010;42(1):48-56. View abstract.

Carrasco-Gallardo C, Farías GA, Fuentes P, Crespo F, Maccioni RB. Can nutraceuticals prevent Alzheimer's disease? Potential therapeutic role of a formulation containing shilajit and complex B vitamins. Arch Med Res. 2012;43(8):699-704. View abstract.

Das A, Datta S, Rhea B, et al. The human skeletal muscle transcriptome in response to oral shilajit supplementation. J Med Food 2016;19(7):701-9. View abstract.

Das A, S El Masry M, Gnyawali SC, et al. Skin transcriptome of middle-aged women supplemented with natural herbo-mineral shilajit shows induction of microvascular and extracellular matrix mechanisms. J Am Coll Nutr 2019;38(6):526-536. View abstract.

Ghasemkhani N, Tabrizi AS, Namazi F, Nazifi S. Treatment effects of shilajit on aspirin-induced gastric lesions in rats. Physiol Rep 2021;9(7):e14822. View abstract.

Ghezelbash B, Shahrokhi N, Khaksari M, Asadikaram G, Shahrokhi M, Shirazpour S. Protective roles of shilajit in modulating resistin, adiponectin, and cytokines in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Chin J Integr Med 2022;28(6):531-537. View abstract.

Ghezelbash B, Shahrokhi N, Khaksari M, Ghaderi-Pakdel F, Asadikaram G. Hepatoprotective effects of shilajit on high fat-diet induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig 2020;41(1):/j/hmbci. View abstract.

Jafari M, Forootanfar H, Ameri A, et al. Antioxidant, cytotoxic and hyperalgesia-suppressing activity of a native Shilajit obtained from Bahr Aseman mountains. Pak J Pharm Sci 2019;32(5):2167-2173. View abstract.

Jambi EJ, Abdulaziz Alshubaily F. Shilajit potentiates the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs and mitigates metastasis induced liver and kidney damages in osteosarcoma rats. Saudi J Biol Sci 2022;29(9):103393. View abstract.

Joukar S, Najafipour H, Dabiri S, Sheibani M, Sharokhi N. Cardioprotective effect of mumie (shilajit) on experimentally induced myocardial injury. Cardiovasc Toxicol 2014;14(3):214-21. View abstract.

Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Smith CM, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. The effects of shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength and serum hydroxyproline levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2019;16(1):3. View abstract.

Losa F, Deidda M, Firinu D, Martino MLD, Barca MP, Giacco SD. Exercise-induced anaphylaxis with an Ayurvedic drug as cofactor: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2019;7(5):623-627. View abstract.

Malekzadeh G, Dashti-Rahmatabadi MH, Zanbagh S, Akhavi Mirab-bashii A. Mumijo attenuates chemically induced inflammatory pain in mice. Altern Ther Health Med 2015;21(2):42-7. View abstract.

Mishra RK, Jain A, Singh SK. Profertility effects of shilajit on cadmium-induced infertility in male mice. Andrologia 2018;50(8):e13064. View abstract.

Neltner TJ, Sahoo PK, Smith RW, et al. Effects of 8 weeks of shilajit supplementation on serum pro-c1a1, a biomarker of type 1 collagen synthesis: A randomized control trial. J Diet Suppl 2022. View abstract.

Pandit S, Biswas S, Jana U, De RK, Mukhopadhyay SC, Biswas TK. Clinical evaluation of purified shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia 2016;48(5):570-5. View abstract.

Park JS, Kim GY, Han K. The spermatogenic and ovogenic effects of chronically administered shilajit to rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2006;107(3):349-53. View abstract.

Pingali U, Nutalapati C. Shilajit extract reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and bone loss to dose-dependently preserve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine 2022;105:154334. View abstract.

Rubab I, Routray I, Mahmood A, et al. Mineral pitch stimulates humoral, cellular and innate immune responses in mice. Pharm Biol 2013;51(8):997-1007. View abstract.

Sadeghi SMH, Hosseini Khameneh SM, Khodadoost M, et al. Efficacy of momiai in tibia fracture repair: A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Altern Complement Med 2020;26(6):521-528. View abstract.

Sharma P, Jha J, Shrinivas V, Dwivedi LK, Suresh P, Sinha M. Shilajit: evalution of its effects on blood chemistry of normal human subjects. Anc Sci Life 2003;23(2):114-9. View abstract.

Stavropoulos K, Sotiriadis A, Patoulias D, et al. Pseudohyperaldosteronism due to mumijo consumption during pregnancy: a licorice-like syndrome. Gynecol Endocrinol 2018;34(12):1019-1021. View abstract.

Surapaneni DK, Adapa SR, Preeti K, Teja GR, Veeraragavan M, Krishnamurthy S. Shilajit attenuates behavioral symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and mitochondrial bioenergetics in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2012;143(1):91-9. View abstract.

Tiwari P, Ramarao P, Ghosal S. Effects of shilajit on the development of tolerance to morphine in mice. Phytother Res 2001;15(2):177-9. View abstract.

Trivedi NA, Mazumdar B, Bhatt JD, Hemavathi KG. Effect of shilajit on blood glucose and lipid profile in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Ind. J. Pharmacol. 2004; 36(6):373-376.

CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

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© Therapeutic Research Faculty 2020.

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SHILAJIT - Uses, Side Effects, and More