- In Ayurveda, shilajit is classed as a rasayana (rejuvenating preparation) and appears in twenty classical formulations.[1]
- Persian medical texts, including Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine, describe “moomiaii” mainly for digestive complaints and bone pain.[2]
- A 2011 review concluded that, despite this long history, shilajit lacked scientific evaluation and systematic documentation.[1]
- Long use shows a substance was valued. It does not establish dose, effect or safety for modern products.
A short timeline
Exact dates for early use are uncertain, and marketing figures such as “3,000 years” are rarely sourced. The timeline below sticks to what can be documented.
- Classical Ayurvedic and Siddha medicineShilajit is described as a rasayana and used in many formulations; a 2011 review counted twenty classical (“Sastric”) formulations and twenty-four proprietary products.[1]
- Medieval Persian medicineAvicenna’s Canon of Medicine, Razi’s Continens and later Persian pharmacopoeias describe moomiaii as a remedy, particularly for gastrointestinal disorders and bone pain.[2]
- Central Asian and Russian usageThe name mumijo comes from this tradition and still appears on many European labels. See names for shilajit.
- 2007–2011Scientific reviews summarise the chemistry and traditional claims; one concludes that systematic evaluation is still lacking.[3][1]
- 2010 onwardsThe first small human trials are published, on male fertility (2010), testosterone (2016), exercise (2019) and bone density (2022).[4][5][6][7]
Shilajit in Ayurveda and Siddha
In Ayurvedic thinking, a rasayana is a preparation used to support vitality and longevity rather than to treat one specific disease. Shilajit sits in that category and is combined with other ingredients in many classical formulations.[1] Ayurvedic sources also describe purification steps before use and classify shilajit into types, often named after metals. Those classical “types” are explained in the four classical types; in modern marketing they are sometimes misused as quality grades.
Moomiaii in traditional Persian medicine
A 2018 review of major Persian medical texts, searching for the terms “moomiaii” and “mumnaei”, found it described as a remedy for a wide range of conditions, especially gastrointestinal disorders and bone pain.[2] The same review noted that modern studies of wound healing were encouraging but that other uses needed well-designed clinical trials before they could be recommended.[2]
For comparison with Unani and Central Asian practice, see traditional use: Ayurveda, Unani and Central Asian medicine.
Traditional uses vs modern evidence
| Traditional use | Modern research status | Evidence page |
|---|---|---|
| Rejuvenation, vitality (rasayana) | No direct test; small trials on specific markers | Ageing |
| Male vitality and fertility | One uncontrolled study and one randomised trial on testosterone[4][5] | Male fertility |
| Bone pain and fractures (Persian texts) | One randomised trial on bone density in postmenopausal women[7] | Bone health |
| Digestive complaints (Persian texts) | Animal studies; no controlled human trials that we are aware of | Gut health |
| Urinary complaints | Not studied in controlled human trials | Kidney & urinary |
| Strength and stamina | One eight-week exercise trial[6] | Exercise & muscle |
Full ratings for every topic are on Shilajit benefits: evidence by topic.
What traditional use can and can’t tell you
Traditional use is evidence that people valued a substance and found it worth preparing carefully. It can point researchers towards questions worth testing. It can’t tell you the dose that works, the size of any effect, which people benefit, or whether a resin sold online today resembles what a traditional practitioner prepared. The marketing line “used for 3,000 years” also tends to skip over the purification and combination with other ingredients that traditional systems describe.
See how to separate traditional use from clinical evidence and “used for 3,000 years” claims.
Common questions
How long has shilajit been used?
For centuries, in Ayurvedic, Siddha and Persian medicine. Precise figures such as “3,000 years” are common in marketing but rarely backed by a dated source.
What was shilajit traditionally used for?
Does traditional use prove shilajit works?
No. It suggests what to study. Whether it works is answered by controlled trials, which so far are few and small. See Shilajit research.
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.
- 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]
- 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]
- 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]
- Biswas TK, Pandit S, Mondal S, et al.. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia 42(1):48–56, 2010. PMID 20078516. View source (opens in a new tab) [Uncontrolled clinical study]
- 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]
- 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]
- Pingali U, Nutalapati C. Shilajit extract reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and bone loss to dose-dependently preserve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine 105:154334, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154334; PMID 35933897. View source (opens in a new tab) [Randomised controlled trial]