|ShilNepal Editorial
shilajit for immunity boost - Nepalese shilajit resin tin on neutral stone, editorial photo

Shilajit and Immunity: What the Evidence Shows

"Immune support" is one of the most common claims made about shilajit. The research behind it is real but sits almost entirely in laboratory dishes, mouse cells and farmed fish. We found no human trial in which shilajit was tested for catching fewer colds, recovering faster or improving a measured immune outcome. This article sets out what the immune-related findings are, what the reviewers conclude, and where the human evidence for immunity actually is.

In this article

  1. Cell and laboratory findings
  2. Antiviral findings in cell culture
  3. Animal findings
  4. What reviewers conclude
  5. What has human evidence for immunity
  6. Evidence summary
  7. References

Key takeaways

  • No human trial of shilajit on infections or immune outcomes was found. The evidence is in vitro (complement activity, antiviral assays), mouse cells and fish.
  • A 2011 review concluded that shilajit's immunomodulatory activity "does not stand the test of critical assessment" and may be considered unproven.
  • Where immune claims do have human trial support, it is for other things: vitamin D in people with low levels reduced respiratory infection risk in an individual-participant meta-analysis, and zinc acetate lozenges shortened colds in a small pooled analysis.

Cell and laboratory findings

The complement system is a part of innate immunity. Laboratory work on shilajit extracts separated them into fractions and found that all of them showed dose-dependent complement-fixing activity in vitro, strongly correlated with their carboxylic group content. The authors presented this as a molecular basis for part of shilajit's traditional uses (Schepetkin 2009). It is a test-tube result. It shows that the material interacts with a protein cascade in a dish, not that it changes immune function or infection risk in a person.

Earlier work on fulvic acid fractions from mumie (the same material under another name) found that two subfractions increased production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide in mouse macrophages, and one increased proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocytes; the authors suggested immunomodulatory activity (Schepetkin 2003). That is mouse cell work only. For the chemistry of these fractions see Shilajit vs Fulvic Acid.

Antiviral findings in cell culture

  • In a 2015 study, shilajit reduced infectivity of herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, human cytomegalovirus and respiratory syncytial virus in cell culture (EC50 values 12.85 to 34.54 micrograms per mL), but was inactive against rotavirus and vesicular stomatitis virus. Humic acid showed the same pattern, and the mechanism included partial virus inactivation and interference with virus attachment. The authors stated that further work was needed to assess efficacy (Cagno 2015).
  • In a 2021 study of HIV-1 in cell culture, 16 humic materials from coal, peat and peloids were more potent than 19 shilajit organic matter samples (EC50 0.37 to 1.4 mg per litre versus 14 to 142 mg per litre) (Zhernov 2021).

These are assays of virus-infected cells in a dish. Concentrations that work in a dish are not the same as concentrations reached in the body after eating shilajit, and none of this is evidence that taking shilajit prevents or treats any viral infection.

Every immune finding for shilajit is in a dish or in an animal. The 2011 review of the literature called its immunomodulatory activity unproven.

Animal findings

In tilapia fed shilajit at 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g per kg of diet for 60 days, the 4.0 and 6.0 g groups had better survival, growth and innate immune parameters (phagocytic, complement, respiratory burst and lysosome activities) and lower mortality after infection with Aeromonas hydrophila (Musthafa 2018). This is aquaculture research. It is not evidence about human immunity.

What reviewers conclude

A 2011 review in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology examined the literature on shilajit in traditional Indian medicine and concluded that its bioactivity lacks substantial evidence. It specifically stated that the immunomodulatory activity does not stand the test of critical assessment and may currently be considered unproven, and that the in vivo antioxidant work had been done at an irrelevant dose and without a positive control (Wilson 2011). A 2014 safety and efficacy review lists immunomodulatory properties among those reported, and also notes that relatively few well-controlled human studies of shilajit have been conducted (Stohs 2014).

What has human evidence for immunity

For context, here is what does have randomised-trial support, so you can compare:

  • Vitamin D and respiratory infections. An individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 25 randomised trials (11,321 participants) found vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of acute respiratory infection (adjusted odds ratio 0.88). The effect was clearer with daily or weekly dosing without bolus doses (0.81) and strongest in people with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D under 25 nmol/L (0.30) (Martineau 2017).
  • Zinc lozenges and colds. A pooled analysis of three randomised trials (199 patients) estimated colds were about 2.7 to 2.9 days shorter with zinc acetate lozenges, against an average cold length of 7 days in those trials (Hemila 2016). It is a small number of trials, and it applies to specific lozenges, not to swallowing a zinc supplement or a resin.

Sleep, vaccination, not smoking and a broad diet matter for immune function too, and none of them is a supplement. If you get frequent or severe infections, that is a question for a GP, not a supplement.

Evidence summary

Immune claim Strongest evidence for shilajit Key caveat
Fewer colds or infections None found No human infection trial located
Complement activity In vitro Schepetkin 2009 Test-tube fractions only
Immune cell activation In vitro mouse cells, Schepetkin 2003 Fulvic subfractions, mouse cells
Activity against viruses In vitro Cagno 2015; Zhernov 2021 Cell culture; HIV result weaker than humic materials
Disease resistance Animal tilapia, Musthafa 2018 Fish diet study

Lab results, batch #1093

Safety is the part you can check

Efficacy claims for immunity are unproven, but contaminants are testable. Batch #1093 had heavy metals independently tested by Eurofins Food Australia, and the results are public.

Read the batch #1093 report

A lab report describes one batch. It does not show that a product treats or prevents any condition.

FAQ

Does shilajit boost the immune system?

Not shown in humans. The findings are in cell culture, mouse cells and fish, and a 2011 review called the immunomodulatory activity unproven.

Does shilajit fight viruses?

In cell culture it reduced infectivity of several viruses (herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus). There is no human evidence that it prevents or treats any viral infection.

Is it safe to take shilajit when I am sick?

We found no data on that. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist, especially if you take medication. Shilajit is not a treatment for any infection.

What has real evidence for fewer respiratory infections?

Vitamin D has meta-analytic evidence, strongest in people with low baseline levels. Ask your GP about testing before supplementing.

References

  1. Schepetkin IA, Xie G, Jutila MA, Quinn MT. Complement-fixing activity of fulvic acid from shilajit and other natural sources. Phytother Res. 2009;23(3):373-384. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2635. PMID: 19107845.
  2. Schepetkin IA, Khlebnikov AI, Ah SY, et al. Characterization and biological activities of humic substances from mumie. J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51(18):5245-5254. DOI: 10.1021/jf021101e. PMID: 12926866.
  3. Cagno V, Donalisio M, Civra A, et al. In vitro evaluation of the antiviral properties of shilajit and investigation of its mechanisms of action. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;166:129-134. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.03.019. PMID: 25792012.
  4. Zhernov YV, Konstantinov AI, Zherebker A, et al. Antiviral activity of natural humic substances and shilajit materials against HIV-1: relation to structure. Environ Res. 2021;193:110312. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110312. PMID: 33065073.
  5. Musthafa MS, Asgari SM, Elumalai P, et al. Protective efficacy of shilajit enriched diet on growth performance and immune resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila in Oreochromis mossambicus. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2018;82:147-152. DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2018.08.022. PMID: 30102974.
  6. Wilson E, Rajamanickam GV, Dubey GP, et al. Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;136(1):1-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.033. PMID: 21530631.
  7. Stohs SJ. Safety and efficacy of shilajit (mumie, moomiyo). Phytother Res. 2014;28(4):475-479. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5018. PMID: 23733436.
  8. Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Hooper RL, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2017;356:i6583. PMID: 28202713.
  9. Hemila H, Petrus EJ, Fitzgerald JT, Prasad A. Zinc acetate lozenges for treating the common cold: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016;82(5):1393-1398. PMID: 27378206.

Findings above are drawn from published abstracts; full texts were not reviewed. This article is general information, not medical advice.

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