Despite thousands of years of use in traditional folk medicine, human clinical trials examining the effects of shilajit are limited in number and generally of low methodological quality. Research (primarily in vitro and animal studies) suggests that shilajit may be an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and adaptogen, with anti-ulcer, anabolic, anti-diabetic, and immune-system-modulating properties.[1]
Preliminary research in humans has found positive effects of shilajit on various parameters of health, although these findings are generally based on just one or two trials and require confirmation by larger, high-quality studies. Shilajit might support: male fertility, through increases in testosterone[2][3] and improvements to sperm count and quality;[2] the integrity of various body tissues (e.g., muscle, connective, skin), through increases in the production of extracellular matrix proteins (e.g., collagen)[4][5] and/or tissue blood flow;[5] and bone health, through increases in bone mineral density and reductions in markers of bone turnover.[6] Shilajit seems to improve antioxidant status and reduce a biomarker of systemic inflammation (hsCRP).[6][7][8]
While shijalit seems promising on several fronts, there are too few studies to draw any conclusions at this time.