Shilajit vs Vitamin D: An Honest Comparison
Vitamin D keeps appearing in testosterone and energy conversations, and in Australia and New Zealand it is one of the few supplements where the underlying problem, low blood levels, is common and measurable. Shilajit has no such clean story. So this comparison asks a different question from our others: which problem are you actually trying to solve?
Short answer
They are not substitutes. Vitamin D corrects a deficiency you can confirm with a blood test, and when people who are not deficient take it, trials have not found it raises testosterone. Shilajit has one placebo-controlled trial reporting higher testosterone and no deficiency to correct. If you feel flat, get your vitamin D level checked before you buy either.
In this article
Two different kinds of supplement
Vitamin D is a nutrient. Your body needs it, you can measure how much you have, and there are accepted thresholds for "low". Shilajit is a mountain exudation made largely of humic substances, with no recommended intake and no blood marker that says you need it. That difference shapes everything below. With a nutrient, the sensible first step is a test. With shilajit, the sensible first step is a realistic idea of what the research does and doesn't show.
What vitamin D trials found on testosterone
This is the claim that brings most people to the comparison, so we looked at the randomised trials. Meta-analysis and RCTs
- A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Nutrients screened 2,151 records and kept 27 randomised trials in adult men. It found no clear effect of vitamin D supplementation on final total testosterone (mean difference 0.47 nmol/L, 95% confidence interval minus 0.50 to 1.44), so the data are compatible with no effect. Certainty was rated low.
- Lerchbaum and colleagues (2017) gave 20,000 IU a week for 12 weeks to 98 healthy men and found no significant effect on total testosterone.
- The same group (2019) repeated this in 94 men with low testosterone, with the same result.
- Saha and colleagues (2018) studied 180 young men for 6 months using higher doses. Mean testosterone moved similarly in all four groups.
The honest summary is that vitamin D is worth fixing if you are low, but it hasn't been shown to be a testosterone booster for men whose levels are adequate.
What shilajit trials found
Pandit and colleagues (Andrologia, 2016) ran a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in healthy men aged 45 to 55. They gave 250mg of purified shilajit twice a day for 90 days. Total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEAS were significantly higher than placebo. Placebo-controlled RCT It is the only trial of its kind we could verify, nobody has replicated it that we could find, and we explain why that matters in our evidence review.
So the comparison on testosterone is one small positive trial for shilajit against several null trials and a null meta-analysis for vitamin D in non-deficient men. That is not a victory lap for shilajit. One trial is one trial.
Why deficiency is the real vitamin D question here
A 2020 analysis in Archives of Osteoporosis looked at 4,073 New Zealand adults aged 50 to 84. It defined deficiency as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level below 40 nmol/L and found the rate varied widely by ethnic group.
These numbers come from older New Zealand adults, so they don't tell you your own level. They do show that low vitamin D is common enough, in some groups very common, that testing makes sense before you spend money chasing tiredness with something else.
Side by side
| Question | Shilajit | Vitamin D |
|---|---|---|
| Can you measure whether you need it? | No blood marker for need | Yes, a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test |
| Testosterone in men who are not deficient | One placebo-controlled RCT reported increases | No clear effect in a 2026 meta-analysis of 27 randomised trials |
| Standardised product | No | Yes, defined doses in IU or micrograms |
| Main reason to take it | Personal preference, with limited human data | Correcting or preventing low levels |
What we would do in your position
- 1If you feel tired or low, ask your doctor about a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test and other basic bloods first.
- 2If you are deficient, treat that with your doctor. It is the best-supported fix available.
- 3Don't expect extra vitamin D to lift testosterone when your level is already adequate.
- 4If you want to try shilajit as well, treat it as optional and tell your doctor.
FAQ
Can you take shilajit and vitamin D together?
We found no study testing the two together and no documented interaction. Mention both to your doctor or pharmacist.
Does vitamin D increase testosterone?
A 2026 meta-analysis of 27 randomised trials in adult men found no clear effect on total testosterone (mean difference 0.47 nmol/L, 95% CI minus 0.50 to 1.44), with low certainty. Several individual randomised trials found the same.
Which is better for energy, shilajit or vitamin D?
If your vitamin D is low, correcting it is the better-supported step. Shilajit has not been shown to help fatigue in people with normal levels outside one trial of strength after a fatigue protocol.
Should I get my vitamin D tested?
If you are tired, have limited sun exposure or fall into a higher-risk group, ask your doctor. Low levels are common in some groups in New Zealand and Australia.
References
- Paez-Allendes L, Valenzuela-Fuenzalida JJ, Moya MP, et al. Vitamin D supplementation, total testosterone, and androgen bioavailability markers in adult men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients. 2026. PMID 42451097.
- Lerchbaum E, et al. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2017. PMID 28938446. Randomised trial, 98 healthy men.
- Lerchbaum E, et al. European Journal of Nutrition. 2019. PMID 30460609. Randomised trial, 94 men with low testosterone.
- Saha S, et al. Clinical Endocrinology. 2018. PMID 29095521. Randomised trial, 180 young men.
- Narang RK, Gamble GG, Khaw KT, et al. A prediction tool for vitamin D deficiency in New Zealand adults. Archives of Osteoporosis. 2020. PMID 33128635.
- Pandit S, et al. Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia. 2016;48(5):570 to 575. DOI 10.1111/and.12482.
- Keller JL, et al. Effects of Shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2019;16(1):3. PMID 30728074.
This is general information, not medical advice. ShilNepal Shilajit Resin is not registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.