Shilajit, also spelled shilajeet or salajeet, and also known as rock juice, mountain sweat, mountain blood, mountain oil, asphaltum, vegetable asphalt, mumiyo, mumijo, mineral pitch, mineral wax, and fulvic acid minerals, is a dark brown or black resin, paste, or tar-like sticky humic substance ^[1].
It’s found at altitudes between 1,000 and 5,000 meters, in the mountain regions of the former USSR (Ural, Baykal, Sayan, Caucasus, Altai mountain regions, Kirgysia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan), as well as in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, and Tibet ^[2,3].

Shilajit is thought to form as a result of a long-term humification process unique to the environment and conditions of mountainous regions. Plant matter is fermented between layers of rocks, and transformed by microorganisms, resulting in the organic residues losing their original structure ^[4].
Microbial metabolism produces reduced sugars and amino acids, which undergo non-enzymatic polymerization, to form brown nitrogenous polymers ^[4].
Unlike a living cell, where the synthesis of biopolymers is governed by the genetic code, there is no established program of any kind in the humification process, so any substances can appear, either simpler or more complex than the original biomolecules. The resulting products again undergo transformation and synthesis reactions, and the process continues indefinitely ^[10].

The wild and frequent climatic changes in mountainous regions, such as freezing and thawing, and wetting and drying, combined with the intermixing of the reactants with catalytic mineral materials, facilitates the condensation and formation of shilajit ^[4].
Tests completed on various samples have determined shilajit to be between 500 and 15,000 years old, suggesting that the formation process may take several hundred years ^[5].

Shilajit is a complex natural mixture of organic and inorganic compounds in a rough 70:30 ratio, with an abundance of trace elements ^[9,11], and is primarily composed of humus substances, including fulvic acids, humic acids, humin, and hymatomelanic acid^[8,9].
Shilajit also contains albuminoids, amino acids, oxygenated biphenyls, coumarin derivatives (benzocoumarin, DBPs; dibenzo-alpha-pyrones), fluorene, mycotoxins (trichothecenes, naptho-l-pyrones and alternariol), organic acids (benzoic acid and its derivatives, hippuric acid, and naphthenic acids), phenolic lipids, polymeric quinines, sterols, tannins, terpenes, and triterpenes ^[3,6,7].
Classified as an organomineral matter, shilajit also contains copper, zinc, lithium, chromium, silver, cobalt, phosphorus, vanadium, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, sulfur and silicon ^[8,9].

Multiple mechanism of action have been observed in humans and animals, where potential benefits of Shilajit may be attributed to increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, activation of mitochondrial respiration, activation of Calcium ion (Ca2+) transport, dibenzo-alpha-pyrone (DBP) content, and the ability of fulvic acid to chelate minerals and facilitate cellular penetration.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is found in all forms of life, and is an energy carrying molecule known as the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer ^[12].
ATP is a precursor to DNA and RNA, is used as a coenzyme, and captures chemical energy obtained from the breakdown of food molecules to provide energy to drive processes such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, and chemical synthesis ^[13].

A study on mice found that swimming severely depleted ATP levels in the muscle of mice, and that supplementation with shilajit reduced the depletion, almost doubling the levels of ATP in the muscle. ATP levels in the brain and blood were also increased ^[14].

Shilajit contains dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBPs) ^[16].

Shilajit has been found to activate mitochondrial respiration but suppresses activity of succinate-oxidase and NADH-oxidase in mitochondrion ^[17].
The stimulating action of shilajit may be caused by the activation of Calcium ion (Ca2+) transport.
In rats, Shilajit increases superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in the frontal cortex and striatum ^[18,19,20].

Shilajit has also been found to regenerate ascorbic acid, and trap hydroxyl radicals, and NO and SO radicals ^[21].

Shilajit is used as a rejuvenator in traditional Russian and Ayurveda medicine ^[22,23], and has been used in the folk and herbal medicine of several countries for around 3,000 years. Administered both topically on the skin, and internally by swallowing or drinking with water.

Helps to maintain the strength of bones
Helps maintain the health of joints
Supports mental and cognitive function
Has antioxidant properties
Supports the balanced function of the immune system
Supports male & female sexual function
Has a rejuvenating effect
Helps maintain balance and comfort of the menstrual cycle
Helps maintain the health of the urinary system
Helps maintain the health of the prostate gland
Supports the metabolism of fats
Supports the metabolism of sugars

PlantPills Gold Standard Shilajit is collected from the Russian Altai/Altay Mountain Range in Central Asia, an area where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge ^[67]. The only processing applied is a simple purification process, to remove anything that is not shilajit. This is performed at low temperatures to preserve the active components that are sensitive to heat.
Care is taken to ensure that nothing is added or taken away, so the shilajit retains its whole, authentic and natural composition.

Shilajit has been used for 3,000 years in its natural form as a sticky tar-like substance, and the majority of research has used shilajit in this form. Applying processing to shilajit to attempt to powder it, or otherwise isolate, extract, refine or standardise it, results in a product that is derived from shilajit, but is no longer natural, whole shilajit. Processing shilajit in this manner means that some original components are missing, and of the remaining ones, some are denatured due to processing methods such as heat.
As a result, processed shilajit and products derived from shilajit do not exhibit the same actions and benefits as natural whole shilajit.

Natural variations in composition and its relative rarity have given rise to adulterated and counterfeit shilajit products ^[68], and testing methods used to determine humic acid and fulvic acid levels in shilajit have proven unreliable ^[69].
Due to these issues the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, AOAC International, developed a consensus-driven testing standard for verifying and establishing the contents of humic ores such as shilajit ^[69].
Any supplier of shilajit should be able to provide the AOAC test performed by a third party laboratory for the current batch. This proves that the shilajit is authentic and genuine, and gives a reliable indication of the humic and fulvic acid levels. If a supplier can’t provide the AOAC test results, the authenticity of the product is unknown.

The AOAC test performed by a third party laboratory for the current batch of PlantPills Shilajit is displayed below. This details humic acid, fulvic acid, moisture, organic matter and sulphur levels.
Also below is the third party laboratory test showing levels of Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium and Zinc in the current batch.
Additional third party laboratory tests for the current batch viewable below include the microbiological certificate of analysis, heavy metal content and aluminium content.

Aluminium content of some shilajit has been a contentious issue, and should be tested by a third party laboratory for every batch. One serving (0.25g) of PlantPills Shilajit contains less aluminium than a slice of bread, or a chicken breast, or 25 grams of pasta, or 2.5 grams of chocolate ^[70,71,72].

These tests verify that PlantPills Shilajit is authentic, high quality, and safe for human consumption.

Pack sizes are 100 grams, 200 grams, 500 grams, 1 kilogram, 2 kilograms and 10 kilograms.
Different pack sizes are selectable in the basket.

Independent third party Analysis Certificates

Due to the nature of shilajit, long term storage in plastic containers could result in shilajit reacting with the plastic and possibly absorbing elements from it.
PlantPills Shilajit comes packaged in a glass jar, eliminating any possibility of shilajit reacting with the container during long term storage, and providing an effective barrier against oxygen.

A 0.1ml measuring spoon is included and when filled level, provides a 0.25g serving. However, the consistency of shilajit makes filling the spoon, and then emptying it quite difficult. The dosage and guidelines section goes into more detail, but we recommend using the volume of the spoon as a guide, and placing shilajit on the opposite end of the spoon at roughly the same size.
This can then be taken straight into the mouth, or stirred into body-temperature spring water or re-mineralised distilled water.

Genuine, natural, whole shilajit is a thick, sticky, tar-like resin substance. Shilajit in this form has been used for 3,000 years, and the majority of research has been conducted on shilajit in this form.
Processing shilajit into a different form, such as tablets, capsules, powder or liquid removes some of the components of shilajit, and denatures many others due to the processing involved, such as heat.

Shilajit tablets, capsules, powder or liquid may be derived from shilajit, but it’s no longer in the form that has been so well studied and used for thousands of years, and as such doesn’t exhibit the actions and benefits of the natural whole form.

Any shilajit made available for sale should have a third party laboratory AOAC test for the batch to confirm that the substance is in fact shilajit, and that it is not adulterated or counterfeit. This test also gives reliable measurements of fulvic and humic acid content.
It should also have third party tests for minerals, microbiological analysis, heavy metal content, and aluminium content. We have these tests completed for every batch of PlantPills Shilajit, and publish them on our site, confirming that our shilajit is genuine, and that it contains no dangerous levels of heavy metals or micro-organisms.

Without these tests, it is unknown whether the substance is actually shilajit or not, and may not be safe for human consumption.