Short answer

In a 2003 study, 30 healthy medical students aged 16 to 30 took either 2 g of purified shilajit a day (20 students) or sugar capsules (10) for 45 days. In the shilajit group, total cholesterol fell from 145 to 125 mg/dl and HDL rose slightly. Liver and kidney tests didn't change. Groups weren't compared statistically.

This is the oldest human study of shilajit in our library. Researchers at SMS Medical College and the National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur wanted to know whether shilajit changed routine blood tests in healthy people, partly to check safety and partly to look for effects on cholesterol and antioxidants.

Cholesterol and triglycerides fell and HDL (“good”) cholesterol rose slightly in the shilajit group, while the placebo group stayed the same. But the study was small, the students had healthy cholesterol to begin with, and the statistics compared each group only with itself, not with the other group.

What did the Sharma 2003 study do?

Thirty medical students from the National Institute of Ayurveda, aged 16 to 30 (median 24), took part. All were healthy, non-smoking, lacto-vegetarian and taking no medicines or supplements. Twenty took 2 g of purified shilajit a day as four 500 mg capsules for 45 days, under the supervision of an Ayurvedic physician. Ten took sugar capsules as a placebo. The paper calls it a double-blind placebo study and says participants did not know what their capsules contained (Sharma et al., 2003).

Detail What the study reports
Design Placebo-controlled, described as double-blind; randomisation not described
Participants 30 healthy medical students aged 16 to 30: 20 on shilajit, 10 on placebo
Dose 2 g a day, as four 500 mg capsules
Product Raw shilajit from the National Institute of Ayurveda pharmacy, purified in-house by the traditional “Agnitapi” method; tested at 6.61% fulvic acid
Length 45 days
Outcomes Blood pressure, pulse, weight, blood counts; blood sugar, urea, creatinine, uric acid, liver enzymes; cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, VLDL; antioxidants (SOD, vitamins C and E)
Results In the shilajit group, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL fell and HDL, SOD and vitamins C and E rose (all p < 0.01 vs before); no changes on placebo
Safety No change in blood pressure, pulse, weight, blood counts, or liver and kidney tests
Funding and conflicts Not stated
Main limitations Very small, no between-group statistics, young people with normal cholesterol, non-standard product

What did it find?

In the 20 students taking shilajit, average blood fats changed as follows over 45 days. We have added the UK units (mmol/L) alongside the paper’s mg/dl.

Measure Before After
Total cholesterol 145.3 mg/dl (3.8 mmol/L) 125.1 mg/dl (3.2 mmol/L)
Triglycerides 116.9 mg/dl (1.3 mmol/L) 92.7 mg/dl (1.0 mmol/L)
LDL cholesterol 81.8 mg/dl (2.1 mmol/L) 63.3 mg/dl (1.6 mmol/L)
HDL cholesterol 41.2 mg/dl (1.07 mmol/L) 43.6 mg/dl (1.13 mmol/L)

All of these changes were statistically significant compared with the starting values (p < 0.01). The antioxidant enzyme SOD rose from 160.5 to 200.7 U/L, and vitamins C and E also rose. In the placebo group, none of these measures changed significantly.

Blood sugar, urea, creatinine, uric acid, total protein, albumin and the liver enzymes SGOT, SGPT and alkaline phosphatase did not change. Nor did blood pressure, pulse, body weight, haemoglobin or blood cell counts.

What does this mean?

It is a small early signal that shilajit might lower blood fats, and some reassurance that 45 days at a fairly high dose didn’t upset liver or kidney tests in young, healthy people. Later trials using standardised extracts have not confirmed a cholesterol effect: a 12-week study at 500 mg a day found no change in lipids in overweight adults (see Das 2016).

That is why we grade shilajit for cholesterol as weak.

What doesn’t it show?

  • That shilajit beats placebo. The paper compared each group’s before and after values, but did not test whether the shilajit group changed more than the placebo group. That between-group test is what a placebo is for.
  • Any benefit for people with high cholesterol. The students’ cholesterol was already at healthy levels to begin with. Whether shilajit would help people who need to lower theirs is unknown.
  • Any effect on heart disease. Cholesterol is a risk marker, not an outcome.
  • What products today would do. This shilajit was purified by hand and had 6.61% fulvic acid. Modern standardised extracts are described as containing around 50% or more (Keller et al., 2019), so 2 g of this material is not comparable to 2 g of a modern product.

How much should we trust it?

Not much, on its own. It is small, randomisation isn’t described, there is no funding statement, and the key statistical comparison is missing. It has not been repeated in more than 20 years.

If your cholesterol is high, talk to your GP about proven ways to lower it; shilajit is not one of them. Don’t stop or swap any prescribed medicine without speaking to your GP. See is shilajit safe? for more.

Where does this study fit?

This study is the main evidence on our shilajit and cholesterol page. Its 2 g dose is far above the 200 mg to 1,000 mg used in other trials, as our dosage page explains. For the full list of human trials, see the research library.

Frequently asked questions

Does shilajit lower cholesterol?

This small 2003 study found lower cholesterol and triglycerides after 45 days in 20 young people taking 2 g a day, compared with their own starting values. It has never been repeated, so we grade the evidence as weak.

Was 2 g a day of shilajit safe in this study?

Over 45 days, blood pressure, pulse, weight, blood counts, blood sugar, uric acid, and liver and kidney tests did not change. That is reassuring but covers only 20 young, healthy people.

Why is this study's dose so much higher than others?

The shilajit was purified in-house by a traditional Ayurvedic method and contained only 6.61% fulvic acid, far less than the standardised extracts used in later trials. Doses in grams of different products can't be compared directly.

References

  1. Sharma P et al. Shilajit: evaluation of its effects on blood chemistry of normal human subjects. Anc Sci Life. 2003;23(2):114-9.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Full text read on PubMed Central (PMC3330960).
  2. Das A et al. The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation. J Med Food. 2016;19(7):701-9.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Keller JL et al. The effects of Shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength and serum hydroxyproline levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019;16(1):3.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

First published 16 October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it. Read our editorial policy.