What’s Really In Shilajit Supplements? ConsumerLab Tests Reveal Amounts of Fulvic Acid & Heavy Metals

White Plains, NY, September 26, 2024 -- Shilajit is a tar-like substance created by decomposed plant material and found in mountain rocks. It is often promoted as a source of fulvic acid, minerals, and antioxidants for “rejuvenation” and increasing to longevity, and as a remedy for skin and digestive disorders, low testosterone, and other conditions. However, shilajit supplements can vary widely in their composition and amounts of fulvic acid, considered a key component of shilajit, are typically not listed on labels. Shilajit also has the potential to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals.

ConsumerLab purchased and tested eight popular shilajit supplements on the market, including capsules and tablets, gummies, and resins, to determine their amounts of fulvic acid and calcium, and to check for contamination with lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury.
 

Key Findings:

• Fulvic acid: Amounts varied nearly 32,000%: All products were found to contain fulvic acid, but amounts ranged from just 6.9 mg to 2,206 mg per serving. One product could not be approved because it was found to contain far higher amounts of fulvic acid than expected from its label. Shilajit resins contained far less fulvic acid than extracts in capsules and pills.
• Calcium: Our tests showed most shilajit supplements were not a significant source of calcium, with most containing about 2 mg to 13 mg of calcium per serving.
• Contamination: Heavy metal contamination was not an issue. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury levels for all products were beneath levels of concern if taken as single dose per day.
• Big differences in cost: The cost to obtain 100 mg of shilajit from products ranged from 10 to more than $8.00. Extracts, which are more highly concentrated, were less expensive than resins to get an equivalent amount of fulvic acid.

Among products that passed all tests, ConsumerLab selected a Top Pick shilajit supplement that contained a significant amount of fulvic acid from a form of shilajit commonly used in clinical studies, was particularly low in heavy metals, was less expensive than comparable products, and was much more palatable that other shilajit formulations.
 

Access the Full Report:

ConsumerLab’s full Shilajit Supplements Review can now be accessed online by ConsumerLab.com members – who now number over 100,000.

The Review includes test results and comparisons for eight shilajit supplements selected for testing by ConsumerLab: Banyan Botanicals Shilajit, Cymbiotika & PüRBLACK Shilajit Live Resin, Lotus Blooming Herbs Authentic Shilajit, Nootropics Depot PrimaVie Purified Shilajit Capsules 250 mg, Organifi Shilajit Gummies - Vanilla Cinnamon, Pure Himalayan Shilajit Dry Drops, Swanson Shilajit Extract Extra Strength, and Youtheory Shilajit.

The Review discusses the clinical evidence for and against shilajit for increasing testosterone levels, improving digestive and skin disorders, anxiety, bronchitis, epilepsy, preventing Alzheimer's disease, lowering cholesterol or blood sugar, and boosting blood levels of CoQ10 or minerals. It also explains what to look for on labels, as well as safety, side effects, and drug interactions with shilajit supplements.

A video about CL's findings is also available.

Founded in 1999, ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. It has reviewed over 7,000 products and has published Product Reviews covering nearly every popular category of dietary supplements and health foods.

Membership to ConsumerLab.com is available online and provides immediate access to continually updated reviews of nearly every popular type of dietary supplement and health food, answers to reader questions, and product recalls and warnings. ConsumerLab also provides independent product testing through its voluntary Quality Certification Program. The company is privately held and based in New York. It has no ownership from, or interest in, companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products.

What Our Tests of Shilajit Revealed — Dr. Tod Cooperman