# Shilajit and bone health: density and fractures

Source: https://shilajit.uk/benefits/bone-health/
Author: Sam Rowan · Updated 2026-10-16

**Short answer:** Two randomised, placebo-controlled trials are encouraging. In 60 postmenopausal women with osteopenia, 250 or 500 mg of shilajit extract daily for 48 weeks preserved bone density that fell on placebo. In 160 adults with a broken shin bone, 1,000 mg daily for 28 days cut healing time from 153 to 129 days.

**Evidence grade:** Moderate evidence. At least one good-quality human trial, not yet replicated.

Bones are where shilajit's evidence is strongest, which is not the same as strong. Two separate randomised, placebo-controlled trials, one in India and one in Iran, found benefits on two different bone problems. Neither has been repeated, so we grade the evidence as moderate.

Using shilajit for bones is an old idea. Persian medicine used "momiai" for broken bones, and Soviet doctors published on "mumie" for fractures from the 1960s onwards. Modern trials have started to test that tradition properly.

## Does shilajit slow bone loss after the menopause?

In one well-run trial, yes. Researchers at a medical institute in Telangana, India, randomly assigned 60 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 with osteopenia (bone density lower than normal, but not yet osteoporosis) to a placebo, 250 mg or 500 mg a day of a standardised water-based shilajit extract for 48 weeks (Pingali and Nutalapati, 2022).

Bone density in the lower spine and hip was scanned at the start, at 24 weeks and at 48 weeks:

- In the **placebo** group, bone density at both sites fell steadily, as is normal after the menopause.
- In both **shilajit** groups, the loss was reduced, and more so at 500 mg than at 250 mg.
- The difference from placebo was statistically significant at 24 and 48 weeks.

Blood markers told a consistent story. Markers of bone breakdown (CTX-1 and RANKL) fell, a protective protein (osteoprotegerin) rose, and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation (MDA and hsCRP) improved in the shilajit groups but not on placebo.

The limits are real. Sixty women split three ways is small. It measured bone density, which predicts fracture risk, but not fractures themselves. And the abstract doesn't say who funded it or name the product, so we can't tell how far the results apply to other shilajit.

## Does shilajit help broken bones heal faster?

One trial suggests it does. Across three hospitals in Tehran, 160 adults aged 18 to 60 who had surgery for a new break of the shin bone (tibia) were randomly given two 500 mg capsules of momiai (shilajit) or placebo each day for 28 days (Sadeghi et al., 2020). X-rays tracked healing.

| | Shilajit | Placebo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Patients | 80 | 80 |
| Average time to bone union | 129 days | 153 days |
| Side effects | No significant difference between groups | |

That's about three and a half weeks faster on average. The statistical result was only just significant (reported as p < 0.049), which means a repeat trial could easily find a smaller effect or none. The study also involved a team working in traditional medicine, which is not a conflict in itself but is worth knowing.

## What do lab and animal studies add?

They support the idea that shilajit can act on bone cells, with one notable warning about dose.

- **Rats with steroid-induced osteoporosis:** a shilajit water extract given for eight weeks improved blood calcium, phosphorus and osteocalcin, a bone-building marker (Alshubaily and Jambi, 2022).
- **Rats with a drilled shin-bone defect:** high-dose shilajit injected for four days alongside a bone graft produced the most new bone, 78% of the defect area (Guler et al., 2025).
- **Human stem cells in a dish:** shilajit sped up their transformation into bone-forming cells (Kangari et al., 2022).
- **Human bone-like cells in a dish:** low concentrations of mumie helped the cells multiply, but the highest concentration tested reduced growth and increased cell death (Abbasi et al., 2019).

That last finding is a reminder that more is not necessarily better. None of these studies tells us what dose is right for people.

## Who might consider shilajit for bones?

Postmenopausal women with low bone density are the group with the best evidence, and only for slowing loss, not reversing osteoporosis. If that is you, it is worth discussing with your GP rather than starting alone. Proven measures such as weight-bearing exercise, adequate calcium and vitamin D, and prescribed medicines where needed, come first.

Two precautions:

- **Heavy metals matter more for bones than most people realise.** Lead is stored in bone. Testing of Indian and Pakistani shilajit found lead, arsenic and mercury above permitted limits in the samples analysed (Aldakheel et al., 2022). Choose a product with a recent independent certificate of analysis (see [heavy metals](/safety/heavy-metals/)).
- **Gout:** some people worry shilajit raises uric acid. Read [gout and uric acid](/safety/gout-and-uric-acid/) if that applies to you.

The trials used 250 to 500 mg a day for bone density and 1,000 mg a day for fracture healing. Our [dosage guide](/how-to-take-shilajit/dosage/) covers how those compare with products on sale, and the [benefits overview](/benefits/) shows how bone health ranks against other claims. Related evidence on collagen is on the [skin and collagen](/benefits/skin-and-collagen/) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can shilajit replace osteoporosis medication?

No. Shilajit has never been compared with osteoporosis medicines, and the trial in postmenopausal women studied osteopenia (mildly low bone density), not osteoporosis. Don't stop or delay prescribed treatment.

### How long does shilajit take to affect bone density?

In the 48-week trial, the difference from placebo was already significant at 24 weeks, the first scan after starting (Pingali and Nutalapati, 2022). Bone changes slowly, so short courses are unlikely to show anything.

### Should I take shilajit after breaking a bone?

One trial suggests it may speed healing of a broken shin bone after surgery (Sadeghi et al., 2020), but it hasn't been repeated. Ask your fracture clinic before adding any supplement, particularly if you take other medicines.

## References

1. [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.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35933897/)
2. [Sadeghi SMH 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.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32310691/)
3. [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.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36235920/)
4. [Guler R et al. High-Dose Shilajit Enhances Xenograft-Mediated Bone Regeneration in a Rat Tibial Defect Model: An In Vivo Experimental Study. Life (Basel). 2025;15(10):1528.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41157202/)
5. [Kangari P et al. Accelerating effect of Shilajit on osteogenic property of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). J Orthop Surg Res. 2022;17(1):424.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36153551/)
6. [Abbasi N et al. The effects of mumie extract on cell proliferation and enzyme expression of human osteoblast-like cells (MG63). J Stem Cells Regen Med. 2019;15(2):18-23.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31983854/)
7. [Aldakheel RK et al. Rapid Determination and Quantification of Nutritional and Poisonous Metals in Vastly Consumed Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine (Rejuvenator Shilajit) by Humans Using Three Advanced Analytical Techniques. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2022;200(9):4199-4216.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34800280/)