# Shilajit and diabetes: does it lower blood sugar?

Source: https://shilajit.uk/benefits/blood-sugar-and-diabetes/
Author: Sam Rowan · Updated 2026-10-24

**Short answer:** The evidence is weak. In one Indian trial, 40 people with type 2 diabetes took 500 mg of shilajit twice a day for 3 months and their fasting blood sugar fell by about 24%, but there was no placebo group. In healthy people shilajit hasn't changed blood sugar. It is not a diabetes treatment.

**Evidence grade:** Weak evidence. Small, short or poorly controlled human studies, or animal and lab work only.

Shilajit has been used in Ayurveda for *prameha*, a group of urinary disorders that includes what is now called diabetes, so blood sugar is one of the most common claims made for it. The modern evidence is thin. There is one small human trial in people with type 2 diabetes, it had no placebo group, and two studies in healthy adults found no change in blood sugar. Most of the rest comes from rats.

We grade the evidence as weak. The more practical point is safety: if shilajit does lower blood sugar, it could add to the effect of diabetes medicines.

## What did the diabetes trial find?

Blood sugar fell, but the design can't show that shilajit caused it. In a study at Banaras Hindu University in India, 90 adults aged 30 to 80 with type 2 diabetes were enrolled and 80 completed it (Gupta et al., 2016). Forty took a 500 mg capsule of shilajit twice a day for 3 months. The other 40 took a different Ayurvedic herbal remedy, Asanadi Ghana Vati, not a placebo.

In the shilajit group:

| Measure | Change after 3 months |
| --- | --- |
| Fasting blood sugar | Down about 24% |
| Blood sugar after meals | Down about 20% |
| HbA1c (average blood sugar over 2 to 3 months) | Fell; the paper reports this as significant but the text gives no figures |
| Side effects | None reported |

The herbal comparison group improved by a similar amount (fasting blood sugar down about 26%).

## Why is that trial not enough?

- **There was no placebo group.** Both groups were compared with their own starting values. Blood sugar often improves when people join a study and get more attention, change their diet or take their usual medicines more regularly.
- **We don't know what else people were taking.** The paper doesn't say whether participants were on metformin or other diabetes treatment, or whether that changed.
- **The paper doesn't mention blinding**, so participants and assessors probably knew who got what, which matters for the symptom scores it reports.
- **It was short and small**, and it hasn't been repeated.
- **It didn't measure what matters most** in diabetes: complications such as eye, kidney, nerve and heart disease.

## Does shilajit affect blood sugar in healthy people?

Not in the two studies that measured it. In 20 healthy students taking 2 g a day for 45 days, blood sugar didn't change (Sharma et al., 2003). In overweight and mildly obese US adults taking 500 mg a day of a standardised extract for 12 weeks, blood glucose was also unchanged (Das et al., 2016).

A 2025 trial in adults with signs of metabolic syndrome reported some improvement in insulin sensitivity with a supplement of chromium, amla fruit extract and shilajit, alongside a diet and exercise programme (Martinez et al., 2025). Each dose held only 6 or 12 mg of shilajit, and chromium and amla were also in it, so this tells us nothing about shilajit itself. An ingredient supplier funded it.

## What do animal studies show?

They consistently report lower blood sugar, but in rats at high doses. Shilajit at 250 mg per kilo lowered fasting blood sugar in normal rats and in rats given alloxan, a chemical that destroys insulin-making cells (Bharati et al., 1996). In another alloxan study, 50 to 200 mg per kilo for 4 weeks lowered blood sugar, with the best effect at 100 mg per kilo, and shilajit combined with glibenclamide or metformin lowered it more than the drugs alone (Trivedi et al., 2004). In rats with fatty liver from a high-fat diet, shilajit reduced blood sugar and insulin resistance (Ghezelbash et al., 2022).

For scale, 100 mg per kilo in a 70 kg adult would be 7 g a day, many times the 250 to 1,000 mg used in human trials. Results in rats with chemically damaged pancreases often don't carry over to people.

## Is it safe to take shilajit with diabetes medicines?

Nobody has tested it, so the safe answer is to ask first. The rat finding that shilajit added to the effect of glibenclamide and metformin, and the human trial's 24% fall in fasting sugar, both point to a possible extra lowering effect. With insulin or sulfonylureas such as gliclazide, that could mean a hypo. The NHS lists shaking, sweating, hunger, a fast heartbeat and confusion as signs of low blood sugar.

If you have diabetes and want to try shilajit:

- talk to your diabetes team or pharmacist before you start, and tell them the exact product;
- check your blood sugar more often for the first few weeks;
- never cut or stop your prescribed medicine on your own;
- choose a product with a recent lab report showing heavy metals within GB limits. Diabetes already strains the kidneys, which also clear lead and cadmium. See [heavy metals](/safety/heavy-metals/) and our [lab report checker](/buying-guide/lab-report-checker/).

Our page on [drug interactions](/safety/drug-interactions/) covers other medicines, and [side effects](/safety/side-effects/) lists what trials have reported.

## Can sellers say shilajit helps diabetes?

No. In the UK a food supplement can't claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease, and diabetes is a disease. No health claim for shilajit has been authorised. A product page that says it "controls diabetes" or "balances blood sugar" is a warning sign about the seller (see [is shilajit legal in the UK?](/buying-guide/uk-legal-status/)).

## What helps with type 2 diabetes?

The NHS recommends a healthy diet, regular exercise and losing weight if you are overweight, with medicines such as metformin when needed. Some people put type 2 diabetes into remission through weight loss. These have strong evidence; shilajit doesn't. If you think you might have diabetes, a blood test through your GP is the first step.

For other claims, see the [benefits overview](/benefits/), which grades each one, and the [dosage guide](/how-to-take-shilajit/dosage/) for the amounts used in research.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is shilajit good for diabetes?

There isn't good evidence that it is. One small trial without a placebo group reported lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, and rat studies point the same way. No well-run trial has tested it, and no study has looked at long-term outcomes such as eye, kidney or heart problems.

### Can I take shilajit with metformin or insulin?

The combination has never been tested in people. If shilajit does lower blood sugar, adding it to insulin or tablets such as gliclazide could raise the risk of a hypo. Speak to your diabetes team or pharmacist first, and check your sugars more often if you go ahead.

### Does shilajit raise blood sugar?

No human study has found that it does. In healthy adults, blood sugar didn't change after 45 days at 2 g a day (Sharma et al., 2003) or 12 weeks at 500 mg a day (Das et al., 2016).

### Can shilajit replace diabetes medication?

No. Don't stop or reduce prescribed diabetes medicine without your GP or diabetes team. Uncontrolled blood sugar damages the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart, and treatments with strong evidence exist.

## References

1. [Gupta V et al. A comparative study of Shilajatu and Asanadi Ghana Vati in the management of Madhumeha w.s.r. to type-2 diabetes mellitus. Ayu. 2016;37(2):120-124.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29200750/) Methods and percentage changes from the full text on PubMed Central.
2. [Sharma P et al. Shilajit: evaluation of its effects on blood chemistry of normal human subjects. Anc Sci Life. 2003;23(2):114-9.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22557121/)
3. [Das A et al. The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation. J Med Food. 2016;19(7):701-9.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27414521/)
4. [Martinez V et al. Effects of 12 Weeks of Chromium, Phyllanthus emblica Fruit Extract, and Shilajit Supplementation on Markers of Cardiometabolic Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss in Men and Women with Risk Factors to Metabolic Syndrome Initiating an Exercise and Diet Intervention. Nutrients. 2025;17(12):2042.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40573153/) Funded by Kerry Inc.
5. [Bharati, Singh RH, Chansouria JP. Hypoglycaemic property of shilajeet and yashada bhasma. Anc Sci Life. 1996;16(2):118-21.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22556779/)
6. [Trivedi NA, Mazumdar B, Bhatt JD, Hemavathi KG. Effect of shilajit on blood glucose and lipid profile in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Indian J Pharmacol. 2004;36(6):373-6.](https://www.proquest.com/docview/195853156) Abstract only.
7. [Ghezelbash B et al. 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.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35258780/)
8. [NHS. Type 2 diabetes.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-2-diabetes/)
9. [NHS. Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/low-blood-sugar-hypoglycaemia/)