A
- Adaptogen
- A traditional term for a substance said to help the body cope with stress. It is a marketing and traditional-medicine label, not a scientifically defined category. Stress and mood evidence
- Adulteration
- Diluting or replacing a product with cheaper material while still selling it as the genuine article. Adulterated shilajit
- Altai shilajit
- Shilajit said to come from the Altai mountains, where Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet; often sold as “mumijo”. Himalayan vs Altai
- Arsenic
- A toxic element found naturally in some rock. Not among the GB food-supplement maximum levels added in 2008, which cover lead, cadmium and mercury.[1] Arsenic in shilajit
B
- Batch number (lot number)
- A code identifying one production run. It is how a product on a shelf is linked to the lab report for that run. Batch numbers and testing dates
- Batch-specific COA
- A Certificate of Analysis for the same batch as the product you hold, as opposed to a generic report reused across batches. Batch-specific vs generic COAs
- Bioavailability
- The share of a substance that reaches the bloodstream and can have an effect. For shilajit, it has barely been measured in people. Bioavailability claims
C
- Cadmium
- A toxic metal. GB maximum level for food supplements: 1.0 mg/kg as sold.[1] Cadmium in shilajit
- Certificate of Analysis (COA)
- A laboratory report giving the results of tests on a sample. It proves what was found in that sample only. What a COA proves
- Controlled trial
- A study comparing people who receive a product with a similar group who don’t (often given a placebo). Shilajit research
- Cost per gram / cost per serving
- Price divided by net weight, or by the number of servings. The only fair way to compare prices across jar sizes and formats. Calculator
D
- Detection limit (LOD)
- The lowest level a test method can reliably detect. “Not detected” means below this limit, not zero. Detection limits
- Dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBPs)
- Small aromatic compounds reported in shilajit, studied mainly in laboratory work.[2] DBPs explained
- Dose form
- The legal description of how food supplements are sold: capsules, tablets, sachets of powder, liquids in drop bottles and similar measured forms.[3] Shilajit forms
F
- Food supplement
- A food sold in dose form to supplement the normal diet. Shilajit is generally sold in the UK under this category.[3] Is shilajit legal in the UK?
- Fulfilment test (purchase test)
- Buying a product as an ordinary customer to check ordering and delivery. It shows the process worked for that order; it doesn’t prove authenticity or quality. How we research & review
- Fulvic acid
- The fraction of humic substances that dissolves in water at any acidity. Its measured percentage depends on the test method. Fulvic acid in shilajit
G
- GB nutrition and health claims register
- The official list of nutrition and health claims allowed on food in Great Britain. Health claims not on it shouldn’t be used in marketing.[4][5] What sellers can claim
- GRADE
- A widely used system for rating certainty of evidence in medicine; our evidence ratings borrow its principles.[6] Our evidence rating system
H
- Heavy metals
- On shilajit reports, usually lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic: toxic elements that can come from the source rock. Heavy metals in shilajit
- HPLC
- High-performance liquid chromatography: a lab method that separates and measures individual compounds. Lab methods
- Humic acid
- The humic fraction that dissolves in alkaline conditions and precipitates when acidified. Humic substances
- Humic substances
- Complex organic material formed as plant matter decomposes; the main organic component of shilajit.[7] Composition
- Humin
- The humic fraction that doesn’t dissolve at any pH; largely removed by water extraction. Humic substances
I
- ICP-MS
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: the standard method for measuring trace metals at very low levels. ICP-MS explained
- Identity testing
- Tests that check a material is what it claims to be and hasn’t been diluted. Identity and adulterant testing
- In vitro / in vivo
- In vitro: in cells or test tubes. In vivo: in a living organism, usually animals in shilajit research. Human vs animal evidence
- Inorganic arsenic
- The more toxic forms of arsenic. Most reports give total arsenic instead, which can’t show how much is inorganic. Contaminants
- ISO/IEC 17025
- The international standard for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing laboratories.[8] Lab accreditation
L
- Lead
- A toxic metal. GB maximum level for food supplements: 3.0 mg/kg as sold.[1] Lead in shilajit
- Limit of quantification (LOQ)
- The lowest level a method can measure with acceptable accuracy; always at or above the detection limit. Detection limits
M
- Mercury
- A highly toxic metal. GB maximum level for food supplements: 0.1 mg/kg as sold.[1] Mercury in shilajit
- Measurement uncertainty
- The range within which a laboratory expects the true value to lie, often stated as a percentage. A wide uncertainty means a single result should be read with caution. Laboratory testing
- Microbiological testing
- Tests for bacteria, yeasts, moulds and specific pathogens such as Salmonella. Microbiological testing
- Mumijo, mumie, moomiyo, moomiaii
- Other names for shilajit, used in Russian, Central Asian and Persian traditions.[9][10] Names for shilajit
- Mycotoxins
- Toxins produced by moulds, a possible risk where material is stored damp. Other contaminants
N
- Not detected (ND)
- A result below the method’s detection limit. Meaningful only when the limit is printed next to it. What “not detected” means
- Novel food
- A food without a significant history of consumption before May 1997, which needs authorisation before sale. Status can differ between food supplements and other foods. Shilajit and UK law
O
- Observational study
- A study that watches what happens without assigning a treatment. It can show associations, not cause and effect. Study types
P
- Placebo
- An inactive dummy given to a comparison group so that expectations affect both groups equally. Shilajit research
- ppm, ppb, mg/kg
- 1 ppm = 1 mg/kg = 1 µg/g. 1 ppb = 1 µg/kg, a thousand times smaller. Units on lab reports
- Preclinical
- Research done before human testing: laboratory and animal studies. Evidence ratings
- Purified
- A label term with no fixed definition; usually means water-extracted and filtered. Raw vs purified
R
- Randomised controlled trial (RCT)
- A trial where participants are randomly assigned to the product or a comparison, usually placebo. The strongest single-study design for testing an effect. Shilajit research
- Raw shilajit
- Usually means minimally processed rather than unprocessed. Not a safety or quality marker. Raw vs purified
- Resin
- Purified shilajit dried to a thick paste, sold in jars. Shilajit forms
S
- Salajeet
- A South Asian name for shilajit used on some UK labels. Names for shilajit
- Shilajit
- A dark organic-mineral exudate from mountain rock, made largely of humic substances and plant and microbial metabolites.[7] What is shilajit?
- Standardised extract
- An extract processed to fixed levels of selected components. Several human trials used one.[12] Standardised extracts
- Statistical significance
- A result unlikely to be due to chance alone. It says nothing about whether the effect is large or important. Statistical significance
T
- Thallium
- A toxic metal measured in shilajit and shilajit supplements, but rarely included on consumer COAs.[13] Contaminants
- Third-party testing
- Testing by a laboratory outside the brand, usually still chosen and paid for by the brand. What “third-party” tells you
- Total arsenic
- All forms of arsenic added together, organic and inorganic. It is the figure most COAs report. Arsenic in shilajit
- Traditional use
- Use described in traditional medical systems. Evidence of cultural value, not of clinical effect. Traditional use vs clinical evidence
U
- UKAS
- The United Kingdom Accreditation Service, the UK’s sole national accreditation body.[14] Lab accreditation
W
- Water extraction
- The usual commercial process: dissolving raw shilajit in water, removing solids and drying the result. Water-based extraction
Y
- Yellow Card scheme
- The MHRA’s system for reporting suspected side effects, including from herbal products and food supplements.[15] When to stop shilajit
Sources & further reading
Primary research, regulators and standards bodies are cited first. A source being listed here does not mean it supports every claim made by sellers; it supports the specific statement it is attached to.
- European Commission (UK version on legislation.gov.uk). Commission Regulation (EC) No 629/2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. legislation.gov.uk, 2008. View source (opens in a new tab) [UK legislation (retained)]
- Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Smith CM, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. The effects of Shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength and serum hydroxyproline levels. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 16:3, 2019. doi:10.1186/s12970-019-0270-2; PMID 30728074. View source (opens in a new tab) [Randomised controlled trial]
- UK Government. The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1387). legislation.gov.uk, 2003. View source (opens in a new tab) [UK legislation]
- Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. GOV.UK. View source (opens in a new tab) [Official register]
- Committee of Advertising Practice. UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (CAP Code), Section 15: Food, food supplements and associated health or nutritional claims. asa.org.uk. View source (opens in a new tab) [Advertising code]
- Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Vist GE, et al.. GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. BMJ 336(7650):924–926, 2008. doi:10.1136/bmj.39489.470347.AD; PMID 18436948. View source (opens in a new tab) [Methods paper]
- Agarwal SP, et al.. Shilajit: a review. Phytotherapy Research 21(5):401–405, 2007. doi:10.1002/ptr.2100; PMID 17295385. View source (opens in a new tab) [Review]
- ISO/IEC. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. iso.org, 2017. View source (opens in a new tab) [International standard]
- Stohs SJ. Safety and efficacy of shilajit (mumie, moomiyo). Phytotherapy Research 28(4):475–479, 2014. PMID 23733436. View source (opens in a new tab) [Review]
- Shahriari M, Zare F, Nimrouzi M. The curative role of bitumen in traditional Persian medicine. Acta medico-historica Adriatica 16(2):283–292, 2018. doi:10.31952/amha.16.2.6. View source (opens in a new tab) [Historical review]
- Wilson E, Rajamanickam GV, Dubey GP, et al.. Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 136(1):1–9, 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.033; PMID 21530631. View source (opens in a new tab) [Review]
- Pandit S, Biswas S, Jana U, De RK, Mukhopadhyay SC, Biswas TK. Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia 48(5):570–575, 2016. PMID 26395129. View source (opens in a new tab) [Randomised controlled trial]
- Quantifying of thallium in Shilajit and its supplements to unveil the potential risk of consumption of this popular traditional medicine. BMC Chemistry 19:20, 2025. doi:10.1186/s13065-025-01384-7. View source (opens in a new tab) [Laboratory analysis]
- Department for Business and Trade. Status of conformity assessment bodies after Brexit. GOV.UK. View source (opens in a new tab) [Government guidance]
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Herbal products: safety update (Drug Safety Update). GOV.UK. View source (opens in a new tab) [Regulator safety update]