|ShilNepal Editorial
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Shilajit, Meditation and Spiritual Tradition: What Is Documented

Shilajit is often described as a "spiritual" substance that deepens meditation or awakens subtle energy. The documented picture is smaller and more interesting: it is a traditional rejuvenator within Ayurveda and related medical systems, it has been used by ascetics and healers, and meditation itself has a real if modest evidence base that does not depend on any supplement. This page separates tradition, documentation and claim.

Key takeaways

  • In Ayurveda shilajit is a rasayana (rejuvenator); a review found it in twenty classical formulations. That is a medical classification, not a meditation technique.
  • The one analytical paper we found that mentions ascetic use studied a sample from a monk who had used it for healing for five decades. It documents a person's long use, not a spiritual effect.
  • Concepts such as chakras and kundalini are spiritual frameworks and not measurable physical effects. We found no study testing shilajit on them, and we make no such claim.

What is documented

  • Medical classification. A review of shilajit in traditional Indian medicine describes it as a rasayana, a category associated with rejuvenation, used in twenty classical formulations, while concluding that its bioactivity lacks substantial evidence (Wilson 2011).
  • Ascetic or monastic use. A 2025 chemical analysis examined a native Himalayan shilajit obtained from a monk in Uttarkashi who had used it for healing purposes for five decades. The study was a laboratory characterisation of the sample's elements and compounds and stated that therapeutic claims require direct validation (Basavaraja 2025).
  • Wider traditions. Shilajit-like materials appear in traditional Persian medicine (Shahriari 2018), Tibetan medicine (Ding 2020) and Kazakh medicine (Kizaibek 2013). See The History of Shilajit.

We did not find a published source documenting a ritual or meditative use of shilajit in the classical texts; we did not examine the Sanskrit sources directly. Statements that monks used it "to deepen meditation" are therefore unverified from our side.

Tradition documents that people used shilajit. It does not document a spiritual effect, and neither does any study we found.

Chakras, prana and kundalini

These are concepts in Hindu, Tantric and yogic traditions that describe subtle energy and consciousness. They are meaningful inside those traditions and are not measurable by laboratory methods. Any statement that shilajit "activates" them or "balances" them is a belief, not a finding. Older copy on this site described it that way, and we no longer do. A more respectful and accurate statement is that some practitioners have historically used shilajit within those frameworks.

What the research on meditation shows

If your aim is a steadier mind, the evidence is about meditation itself. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 47 randomised trials (3,515 participants) with active controls found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs improve anxiety (effect size 0.38 at 8 weeks), depression (0.30) and pain (0.33), and low evidence for stress, with no evidence they were better than active treatments such as drugs, exercise or other behavioural therapies. Evidence for sleep and attention was low or insufficient (Goyal 2014). Nothing in that literature involves shilajit. If you struggle with persistent stress, anxiety or low mood, speak to a GP; Lifeline in Australia is 13 11 14.

Lab results, batch #1093

Whatever the intention, check the batch

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 help meditation?

No study tested that. Some people take it as part of a routine, with no effect shown.

Does shilajit activate kundalini or balance chakras?

These are not scientific concepts, and we make no such claim.

What does meditation research support?

Modest improvements in anxiety, depression and pain from mindfulness programs, in a meta-analysis of 47 trials.

References

  1. Wilson E, Rajamanickam GV, Dubey GP, et al. Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;136(1):1-9. PMID: 21530631.
  2. Basavaraja D, Katkar R, Dhaka P, et al. Chemical analysis of native Himalayan shilajit: an evaluation of an Ayurvedic formulation. ACS Omega. 2025;10(47):57097-57106. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.5c05533. PMID: 41404054.
  3. Shahriari M, Zare F, Nimrouzi M. The curative role of bitumen in traditional Persian medicine. Acta Med Hist Adriat. 2018;16(2):283-292. PMID: 30488706.
  4. Ding R, Zhao M, Fan J, et al. Mechanisms of generation and exudation of Tibetan medicine shilajit (Zhaxun). Chin Med. 2020;15:65. PMID: 32612671.
  5. Kizaibek M. Research advances of Tasmayi. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2013;38(3):443-448. PMID: 23668027.
  6. Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EM, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014. PMID: 24395196.

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

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