Shilajit is all the rage. But is it a holistic hero or just Himalayan hype?

“I want to be able to go on treks, travel, discover new places and experiences, even when I am old," he says.

His goals are precise: lean muscle mass, deep sleep, biological metrics that track healthy ageing, and a supplement stack that includes NMN (said to mitigate ageing-related disorders) and Shilajit. Not because they’re trendy, but because they work for him.

Singh, with such a clear blueprint for his 70s, 80s and 90s, is still cautious. “I don’t believe Shilajit is a cure-all, but I do feel the benefits when I am on it. Better mental clarity, steady energy levels through the day, and better recovery from and resilience for my workouts," Singh says.

He dislikes the reductive branding of Shilajit as a testosterone booster or “natural viagra". “It’s limiting its benefits," Singh says. “It has over 80 trace minerals, and if used the right way, its benefits can go beyond gender."

At 48, Mumbai-based film director Abhishek Agnihotri hit a health crisis. He experienced bouts of dizziness and blurred vision that baffled multiple specialists—cardiologists, internists, even psychiatrists. Despite numerous tests, no one could offer a clear diagnosis. His vitals were mostly normal, barring high blood pressure, which stabilised with medication — yet the symptoms persisted.

“At one point, I decided to start my own research. Doctors gave me pills and more pills. But why was I feeling so out of whack?" Agnihotri says.

He turned to Instagram. Doctor influencers, in particular, Gary Brecka and Eric Berg, gave him clues for further testing. Agnihotri decided to navigate the rabbit hole of nutrient deficiencies, metabolism and the integrative axis of midlife biology, environment and mental and emotional stress. Tests revealed several atypical markers, including low testosterone.

A year and many consultations later, he found a protocol that helped him feel like himself again. Besides regular exercise, a diet and lifestyle overhaul, and a set of supplements to address mineral deficiencies, which included Shilajit. 

“After about six months, my blood markers were at a normal range. Testosterone came back up to a 300-plus. I can’t say for sure it was just because of Shilajit. But it has its role to play in the entire protocol. Everything worked together," Agnihotri says. He takes a pea-sized dose of Kapiva Shilajit resin at night, along with Ashwagandha and Moringa.

So what really is this sticky pale-brown to blackish-brown herbal biomass from the Himalayas and Hindukush ranges that people the world over are spending their money on? Why is Shilajit now a TikTok favourite and a wellness influencer’s go-to content for vitality?

The myth of the rejuvenator

It is a complex mixture of organic humic substances and plant and microbial metabolites occurring in the rock rhizospheres of its natural habitat. In Ayurvedic texts, it is categorised as a rasayana—a rejuvenator that enhances the quality of plasma and, in turn, tissues, and prolongs life by healing and preventing disease.

Its literal Sanskrit meaning: conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness.

“Joh mritak ko zinda kar de, woh Shilajit hai (what brings the dead to life is Shilajit)," says Ajay Sharma, a 67-year-old Ayurvedic physician from Lucknow.

Disproportionate to the hype around it, scientific studies on Shilajit are limited.

Also Read: Move over K-Beauty. Ayurveda beauty is here

Ancient pedigree, modern problems

A handful of studies, mostly done in the US, extol its benefits. But many come with the caveat that, being an exudate of various mountainous plants and rock surfaces, unpurified Shilajit could contain lead and toxic heavy metals.

In general, many Ayurvedic and herbal medicines contain such toxic elements. And like most Ayurvedic supplements, there’s no way to know for sure which one is authentic enough for you to take.

Ashwin Bhadri, founder and CEO of Equinox Labs, one of the largest food, water and air testing laboratory in India says, “Shilajit may be ancient in origin, but verifying its safety requires modern science. Unfortunately, many Shilajit products today are contaminated with toxic metals like lead and mercury, posing serious health risks."

If you’re consuming Shilajit, here’s what you must check: an FSSAI license number, NABL-accredited lab test reports – especially for heavy metals, a batch-wise certificate of analysis (COA), and a clear ingredient list with no vague or exaggerated claims, Bhadri said.

In India, Ayurvedic supplements must comply with both Ayush and FSSAI guidelines, but very few brands follow this rigorously. “As consumers, we need to stop trusting trends blindly and start asking better questions. Look beyond the label. Ask for the report. Your health depends on it," says Bhadri.

Tapas Biswas, owner of Kolkata-based Actizeet, says Shilajit is not safe for human consumption unless it is purified according to the process outlined in Ayurvedic texts and then lab-tested for traces of lead or other heavy metals.

“The distillation process has to be thorough," Biswas says. His brand of Shilajit has had the same pricing for several years now. He says he sustains it because of loyal customers who have trusted it over the years.

“I have not felt any new surge in sales in the last two years; it has remained constant," he adds.

Actizeet sells one of the most expensive Shilajit in resin form in India: ₹6,450 for a 40-gram bottle.

Biswas claims that the market also has chemically formulated fake Shilajit—make a formulation with 65 %+ fulvic acid, the main ingredient in the resin, add other trace minerals, and add an edible dark brown colour to the mix, and you have an Instagram-ready Shilajit mock-up to keep a business going.

That hasn’t stopped demand. According to a 2024 study by the US- and India-based market research company Grand View Research, the global market for Shilajit is estimated at $175.6 million. The Indian market for Shilajit generated $18.7 million in 2024, it said.

Several health and wellness companies in India and abroad have introduced their brand of Shilajit.

Brands like Baidyanath and its new-age label Kapiva, Dabur and others, sell their products, marketed largely through wellness influencers. Many of these brands refused to be interviewed for this story.

Omkar Kulkarni, an Ayurvedic doctor and chief formulator at Panchamrit Ayurveda, says their signature product, an effervescent Shilajit composite, infused with other herbs like Ashwagandha and Gokshura, is priced at ₹600 for 15 units (tablets).

Shilajit prices vary in India from ₹999 to ₹6,500 for a 15-40 gm pack.

Also Read: Confused by wellness trends? Some common sense advice to cut through the noise

From the Himalayas to the studios

In the West, Shilajit has found its way into elite wellness regimens. One of the first wellness coaches to discuss its properties in the Western world was the founder of the California-based company Cymbiotika Chervin Jafarieh.

“In addition to sustained energy, Shilajit has wide-ranging benefits from building resilience to stress, sleep normalization, digestion, mood balancing, and joint wellness, which is why it’s an essential product in many of our bundles," Jafarieh has said.

Cymbiotika charges $67 for 15 grams of its resin, and its website asks customers to join the waitlist for its forthcoming liquid formulation. Jafarieh once coached tennis champion Novak Djokovic, known for his unconventional health choices.

In Hollywood, actors Robert Downey Jr. and Ashton Kutcher have openly endorsed Shilajit. In India, actor Sonu Sood and cricketer Hardik Pandya have also promoted its benefits.

The Nugenix Shilajit capsules, also an American brand, are marketed for “total testosterone boost" and cost $53 for 120 capsules.

Also Read: Magnesium mania: Startups get to ride a new wellness craze. But is it all hype?

No one-size-fits-all

Priyanka Oka, 34, a Pune-based Ayurvedic practitioner and consultant with the Healing Hands integrative health clinic, says Shilajit is one of the most potent medicines of Ayurveda with a high concentration of fulvic acid and humic acid.

“We mostly use Shilajit as a catalyst… It enhances the properties of other medicines while also doing its bit," she says.

Dosage depends on every patient's unique biology. “Shilajit creates a lot of heat in the body, and for some people, like those with an active kidney disease, it can have adverse effects," Oka says. “I wouldn’t recommend more than 1 gram of Shilajit per day from a trusted brand."

Though a Western medicine doctor is unlikely to prescribe Shilajit, some see value in a complementary approach. Delhi-based cardiologist and functional medicine specialist Alok Chopra says, “Ayurveda is a part of our Indian culture and is a powerful tool. Having said that, it has its own limitations. It may be a somewhat limited science, but I often work with Ayurvedic doctors to help my patients with specific needs."

"Faith is an important part of any treatment, and if one accepts this without doubt, it would help."

Long-time users like Annie Kohli, 73, a Mumbai-based agriculture and plant medicine entrepreneur, swear by its benefits. She began taking Shilajit in her late 60s after feeling a dip in stamina.

“I take Shilajit, the resin form, dissolved in warm water every morning. I take it for a month, then stop for two months, and then take for another month, according to my Ayurvedic doctor’s prescription. I am as energetic as I was in my 50s," Kohli says.

Deepa Kannan, an ayurveda and functional medicine expert based in Tamil Nadu, cites Ayurvedic texts to list its benefits: rejuvenative, improves sexual potency, helps boost intellect, alleviates painful urination, scrapes toxins from tissues, heals bones.

It all depends on the individual on whom it is used. The next time your gym trainer suggests you start Shilajit as a precursor to your workout, consider a deep dive into your own biology.

A sensible lesson from the blistering hype around this ancient elixir is this: Whether you are a man, a woman, or any other combination of genders, Shilajit only works when you know your singular requirement for it. Ayurveda is not an exact science; prescriptions are not based on large-scale clinical trials.

An Ayurvedic approach is more complex and holistic, and its enduring quality is that it treats an individual, not symptoms.

Take Harpreet Vir Singh of YHL, for instance. He doesn’t position Shilajit as a miracle cure, just one part of a longer journey. He tracks how his body feels with and without it. He knows what he’s trying to achieve.

His grandmother lived to 98, and he wants to aim for that. "But with more mobility and exuberance than my grandmother could imagine in her 90s."

Sanjukta Sharma is a Mumbai-based journalist, and founder of the wellness and health IP, @the_slow_fix.