Shilajit for women: what the evidence shows

Most shilajit marketing is aimed at men, and so is most of the research. Of the human trials we have found, only two tested shilajit on women alone. Both were small, both found something, and neither has been repeated, so we grade the evidence for women as weak.

That matters, because claims made for women online, about hormones, periods, fertility and energy, go well beyond anything that has been tested.

What has shilajit been tested for in women?

Two things: bone density after the menopause and skin.

A third trial included both men and women, but it tested a chromium blend with only 6 or 12 mg of shilajit a day, a small fraction of the doses above, so it tells us nothing about shilajit itself (Martinez et al., 2025).

Is shilajit good for bones after the menopause?

This is the best evidence there is for women. In a randomised, double-blind trial in India, 60 postmenopausal women with osteopenia (bone density lower than normal, but not yet osteoporosis) took a placebo, 250 mg or 500 mg of a purified shilajit extract every day for 48 weeks (Pingali and Nutalapati, 2022).

On placebo, bone density kept falling, as it normally does after the menopause. On shilajit it fell more slowly, and the difference from placebo was significant at 24 and 48 weeks. Blood markers of bone breakdown and inflammation improved too.

The limits: about 20 women per group, one research centre, no fractures measured, and no comparison with osteoporosis medicines. Shilajit is not a replacement for the treatment and advice your GP gives you. Our bone health page covers this trial and the fracture-healing research in full.

Does shilajit help skin in women?

It changed skin biology, not how skin looked. In a 14-week randomised trial in the United States, 45 healthy women aged 30 to 65 took 125 mg or 250 mg of purified shilajit twice a day, or a placebo (Das et al., 2019).

At the higher dose, blood flow in the facial skin improved, and small skin samples showed more activity in genes for blood vessel growth and collagen. But skin hydration, elasticity and barrier function, the measures closest to what people notice, did not differ from placebo. The shilajit maker part-funded the study and supplied the capsules. See skin and collagen for the details.

Does shilajit affect women’s hormones?

Nobody knows, because no study has measured hormones in women. The claim that shilajit “balances hormones” comes from research in men. In a randomised trial in healthy men aged 45 to 55, 250 mg of purified shilajit twice a day for 90 days raised total and free testosterone and DHEA-S, another hormone made by the adrenal glands (Pandit et al., 2016).

Whether anything similar happens in women is untested. That uncertainty matters most for women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, previously called PCOS), a condition the NHS says may involve hormones such as testosterone and insulin not working properly, and which can cause excess hair growth, acne and irregular periods (NHS, PMOS). If you have PMOS, talk to your GP before trying shilajit. This is a precaution based on the research in men, not a tested risk.

There is also no research on shilajit for periods, period pain, premenstrual symptoms or menopause symptoms such as hot flushes.

Can shilajit help women with fertility?

There is no human evidence. The research on female fertility is in rats. In one study, female rats given shilajit for six weeks ovulated more often than untreated rats, seven out of nine against three out of nine (Park et al., 2006). In another, shilajit protected rats’ egg follicles from radiation damage (Kececi et al., 2016). Neither tells us what shilajit would do for a woman trying to conceive.

If you’re trying for a baby, we would not start shilajit, because you could be pregnant for weeks before you know. Our fertility page covers the research in men.

Does shilajit help with iron and tiredness?

Shilajit contains iron, so it’s often sold to women for energy or low iron. No study has tested it in people with iron deficiency or anaemia. The only human study that measured haemoglobin found no change after 45 days of 2 g a day in healthy medical students (Sharma et al., 2003). If you’re tired all the time or have heavy periods, see your GP for a blood test. Iron deficiency is treated with prescribed iron, not shilajit. More on the iron and anaemia page.

Which women should avoid shilajit?

• Pregnant women. There are no studies in pregnancy. The only published case describes a 37-year-old pregnant woman who developed high blood pressure and low potassium after six months of mumijo, the Russian name for shilajit (Stavropoulos et al., 2018). Lead in contaminated products can also harm an unborn baby. See pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Breastfeeding women. Nobody has studied whether shilajit passes into breast milk.
• Women trying to conceive, for the reason above.
• Women with PMOS or a hormone-sensitive condition, unless their GP agrees.
• Anyone with allergies or mast cell problems. One published case describes a 43-year-old woman who developed hives after a meal that included shilajit, and later a severe allergic reaction after physical exertion; her doctors judged shilajit a likely contributing factor (Losa et al., 2019).

Product quality matters for everyone. Tests on Indian and Pakistani shilajit have found lead, arsenic and mercury above permitted limits in some samples (Aldakheel et al., 2022). Buy only products with a recent independent certificate of analysis: see heavy metals and how to read a certificate of analysis.

How much shilajit did women take?

Both trials in women used 250 to 500 mg a day of a purified extract, and in both the higher dose did better. That matches the range used in men. Our dosage guide explains how to measure resin and read the dose on a label, and the side effects page lists what has been reported.

The bottom line

For women, shilajit has one encouraging but unrepeated result, slower bone loss after the menopause, and one lab-level result on skin. Everything else marketed to women, from hormone balance to fertility to energy, is untested in women. If you want to try it for bone health, discuss it with your GP alongside proven measures such as weight-bearing exercise, calcium and vitamin D. See the benefits overview for how every claim compares.