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What Does Shilajit Do for Men? Testosterone and Sperm Trials
For men, shilajit has two trials that matter: in a 90-day randomised, placebo-controlled study, healthy men aged 45 to 55 taking 250 mg of purified shilajit twice a day had higher total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEAS than the placebo group, with LH and FSH unchanged; and in 28 infertile men taking 200 mg a day for 90 days with no placebo group, total sperm count rose 61.4%.1, 2 The testosterone paper's published abstract gives neither the number of men nor the size of the rise, and no one has repeated the trial.1 At 500 mg a day, young men also kept more strength after a fatigue test and showed a doubled marker of collagen synthesis.3, 4 No trial has measured erections, libido, penis size, lasting longer or energy, and erectile dysfunction that keeps happening is a symptom for a GP because it can be the sign of a health condition.8 This page sits with what shilajit is and its side effects inside the Wellgard mushroom guide.
What does shilajit do for men? The trials in one view
| Question | Trial | Dose and length | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testosterone | Pandit 2016: healthy men aged 45 to 55, placebo-controlled; number not in the abstract1 | 250 mg purified extract twice a day, 90 days | Total and free testosterone and DHEAS higher than placebo; size of the rise not in the abstract; LH and FSH unchanged |
| Sperm | Biswas 2010: 35 infertile men with counts under 20 million per ml, 28 completed, no placebo2 | 100 mg processed shilajit twice a day after meals, 90 days | Sperm count +61.4%, motility +12.4 to 17.4%, normal forms +18.9%, testosterone +23.5%, FSH +9.4% |
| Strength | Keller 2019: 63 recreationally active men, average age 21, placebo-controlled3 | 250 or 500 mg a day, 8 weeks | In the stronger half only, post-fatigue strength loss 8.9% at 500 mg against 17.0% at 250 mg and 16.0% on placebo |
| Collagen | Neltner 2024: 35 recreationally trained men, average age 21, placebo-controlled4 | 500 or 1,000 mg a day, 8 weeks | Collagen-synthesis marker from 42.5 to 82.3 ng/ml at 500 mg and 42.7 to 113.1 at 1,000 mg; unchanged on placebo |
| Erections, libido, size, lasting longer, energy, muscle mass | None | Never measured in any shilajit trial |
Does shilajit increase testosterone?
One trial says it did, in one group of men, and that is the whole record. Pandit and colleagues randomised healthy volunteers aged 45 to 55 to 250 mg of purified shilajit or placebo twice a day for 90 days; at the end, total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEAS were significantly higher in the shilajit group (p under 0.05), while the pituitary hormones LH and FSH were "well maintained", meaning the brain's signal to the testes had not changed.1 What the published abstract does not say is how many men took part, what their starting levels were, or how large the difference was, so the figure quoted on social media is not in the published abstract. The trial was in healthy men; a 2024 systematic review of 52 studies of "testosterone boosters" found that most do not raise total testosterone and lists purified shilajit extract as possibly effective for men with late-onset hypogonadism, a diagnosis a GP makes by blood test.5 The sperm study saw serum testosterone rise 23.5% in infertile men on 200 mg a day, but with no placebo group that number cannot be separated from time, season or regression to the mean.2 So: a real placebo-controlled result in middle-aged men, of unknown size, unrepeated after a decade. That is more than most "boosters" can show, and it is the whole of it.
Does shilajit raise sperm count?
In the one study, yes, with a caveat the size of the study. Sixty infertile men were screened and 35 with total sperm counts under 20 million per ml enrolled; 28 finished 90 days of 100 mg of processed shilajit twice a day after main meals. Total sperm count rose 61.4%, motility 12.4 to 17.4% depending on the time point, normal forms 18.9%, and a marker of oxidative damage in semen fell 18.7%; liver and kidney tests were unchanged.2 There was no placebo group, and semen parameters vary a great deal between samples, so the result needs a controlled trial before it is more than promising. If you are trying to conceive and worried about sperm, the NHS low sperm count page sets out the semen analysis your GP can arrange, which is the step that tells you whether there is anything to improve.9
Does shilajit help with fatigue, strength or muscle?
Strength after fatigue, in part. In 63 recreationally active men averaging 21, eight weeks of 500 mg a day meant strength fell 8.9% after a fatiguing set of leg extensions, against 17.0% on 250 mg and 16.0% on placebo; the effect appeared only in the stronger half of the group, and 250 mg was no different from placebo.3 In 35 similar men, eight weeks of 500 or 1,000 mg a day roughly doubled or nearly tripled a blood marker of type 1 collagen synthesis, with no change on placebo.4 In overweight adults, 500 mg a day for eight weeks switched on 17 connective-tissue genes in muscle biopsies without changing glucose, lipids or muscle-damage markers.6 None of these trials measured muscle size, body composition, how tired people felt or how they performed in sport, so "shilajit for energy" describes markers, not outcomes you would notice.
Does shilajit do anything for erections, size or lasting longer?
No trial has measured erectile function, libido, ejaculation time or penis size, so every answer to "is shilajit a natural alternative to sildenafil?", "does it make you harder?" and "can it make you bigger?" is the same: not studied, and no trial has measured it. Sildenafil is a licensed medicine with placebo-controlled trials in erectile dysfunction; shilajit is a food supplement with one hormone trial in healthy men; they have never been compared. Erectile dysfunction deserves a GP appointment on its own account: the NHS erection problems page says occasional problems are usually stress, tiredness or alcohol, that problems which keep happening can be linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, anxiety, hormone problems or a medicine's side effect, and that they are a reason to see a GP or sexual health clinic because the cause may be treatable.8
What did the trials not show?
Four gaps. First, the testosterone trial was in healthy men; the 2024 review's "possibly effective for late-onset hypogonadism" rests on it, and nobody with a diagnosed deficiency has been trialled.1, 5 Second, no trial measured anything a man would feel: energy, mood, libido, erections, body composition or performance. Third, the magnitudes that matter are missing or small: the testosterone rise is unreported, the strength effect was a subgroup finding, and the collagen and gene results are blood and tissue markers.1, 3, 4, 6 Fourth, the doses by trial: 500 mg a day for testosterone, 200 mg for sperm, 250 or 500 mg for strength (the 250 mg arm matched placebo), 500 or 1,000 mg for collagen; no trial compared doses for hormones.1, 2, 3, 4 Shilajit for men is one interesting hormone trial and one promising sperm study waiting for replication.
When should a man see a GP about low testosterone symptoms?
Before trying anything from a shelf. The NHS lists depression, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, mood swings, loss of muscle, fat around the middle, low energy, poor sleep and poor concentration as the symptoms men in their late 40s and 50s report, and says that in many cases they have nothing to do with hormones: stress, poor sleep, alcohol and low mood are commoner causes, and testosterone deficiency is an uncommon, specific condition a GP can check with a blood test.7 A confirmed deficiency is referred to an endocrinologist; a normal result turns the search back to sleep, weight, alcohol and mood. Taking shilajit first can mask the question for months.
What may a UK label say about shilajit and testosterone?
Nothing. The Great Britain nutrition and health claims register has no row for shilajit, mumijo or fulvic acid, so no supplement may attach a testosterone, fertility, energy or vitality benefit to it.10 The one testosterone sentence a UK label may carry belongs to zinc, verbatim from the register: "Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood", and only where a serving supplies at least 15% of the reference intake.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when a man takes shilajit?
In the trials, nothing he would notice at the time: hormone, semen, strength and blood-marker differences measured after 8 to 13 weeks.1, 2, 3, 4 Who should take care is on the shilajit side effects page.
How much shilajit did the men's trials use?
500 mg a day of purified extract for testosterone, strength and collagen (250 mg twice a day with meals); 200 mg a day for sperm; 1,000 mg a day in one collagen arm.1, 2, 3, 4 250 mg a day did not beat placebo on strength.3
Is shilajit good for young men?
Men averaging 21 were in the strength and collagen trials; nobody under 18 was in any trial.3, 4
Shilajit, ashwagandha or another "booster": which is better?
No trial has compared them. The 2024 review found most "testosterone boosters" do not raise total testosterone; ashwagandha has its own trials, set out with their numbers on the Wellgard ashwagandha guide.5
Sources
- Pandit S, et al. Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia, 2016. PubMed 26395129.
- Biswas TK, et al. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia, 2010. PubMed 20078516.
- Keller JL, 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. PubMed 30728074.
- Neltner TJ, et al. Effects of 8 weeks of Shilajit supplementation on serum pro-c1α1, a biomarker of type 1 collagen synthesis: a randomized control trial. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2024. PubMed 36546868.
- Morgado A, et al. Do "testosterone boosters" really increase serum total testosterone? A systematic review. International Journal of Impotence Research, 2024. PubMed 37697053.
- Das A, et al. The human skeletal muscle transcriptome in response to oral Shilajit supplementation. Journal of Medicinal Food, 2016. PubMed 27414521.
- NHS. The "male menopause". nhs.uk/conditions/male-menopause.
- NHS. Erection problems (erectile dysfunction). nhs.uk/conditions/erection-problems-erectile-dysfunction.
- NHS. Low sperm count. nhs.uk/conditions/low-sperm-count.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. gov.uk.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Erectile dysfunction, low mood, persistent tiredness and fertility worries are reasons to see a GP; shilajit has no authorised health claim in Great Britain, has not been tested in men with low testosterone, and is not a substitute for a diagnosis.
