What is shilajit and how is it taken?

Shilajit is a dark brown to black, sticky substance that seeps from rock faces in high mountain ranges, most famously the Himalayas, and also the Altai, Caucasus and other ranges in central Asia. It looks like tar and behaves like soft toffee: hard when cold, pliable when warm. It is sold in the UK as a food supplement, in resin, powder and capsule form.

This guide sticks to what shilajit is, how it is prepared and how people take it. It does not cover health claims, because no health claim for shilajit is authorised in Great Britain.

Where shilajit comes from

Shilajit is thought to form over a very long time from plant material and minerals compressed in rock, then pushed out through cracks as the rock warms in summer. The raw material collected from the rock is a mixture of the resin itself, rock dust, grit and whatever else was on the cliff. It is not usable as it comes out.

Suppliers purify it by dissolving the raw material in water, filtering out the solids, and then slowly evaporating the water until a thick resin is left. Done gently, that gives the resin sold in jars and blocks. Done further, to a dry solid, and then milled, it gives a powder. Some suppliers also standardise the resin so each batch is consistent.

Origin is one of the facts a brand can state and a shopper can compare. The Himalayan shilajit resin we stock gives its origin as the Indian Himalayas.

The three formats

Resin

Resin is the least processed format and the one most people picture. It is sold in small jars or as a solid block in a food-grade pack, typically 10 g to 30 g. A serving is a small piece, usually described as pea-sized or rice-grain-sized depending on the brand. Resin has to be dissolved in a warm drink before taking; it does not dissolve well in cold water and cannot be swallowed as a lump.

Because resin is sticky, it is measured by eye or with a small spoon rather than weighed, and the number of servings per pack is an estimate. A 20 g block at a pea-sized piece of about 200 mg gives roughly 100 servings, which is the figure the brand on our shelf uses.

Powder

Powder is resin dried to a solid and ground. It measures more precisely with a spoon and dissolves faster, but it has been processed one step further. Powders vary a lot in how concentrated they are and what, if anything, has been added to stop them clumping, so the ingredient list matters.

Capsules

Capsules hold a fixed amount of shilajit powder or dried extract, usually 250 mg to 500 mg each. They remove the taste and the measuring entirely, and the pack states how many capsules a day the brand suggests. The trade-off is that you cannot see or smell what is inside, so you are relying on the label for what you are getting.

How shilajit is taken

For resin, the method on most labels is the same: tear or scoop a small piece, drop it into a warm drink and stir until it dissolves. Warm water, herbal tea and warm milk are the usual choices. It takes a minute or two with stirring, and the drink turns deep brown. Brands typically say once a day, and the one we stock says not more than twice a day and suggests taking it on an empty stomach.

If the block is too hard to tear, hold the sealed pack in your hands for a minute or stand it near something warm. If it is too soft, put it in the fridge for ten minutes. Keep the pack or jar sealed; resin sticks to everything.

Powder is stirred into a warm drink in the same way, using the brand's stated spoon measure. Capsules are swallowed with water as the label directs.

What it tastes like

Shilajit tastes strongly mineral, earthy and slightly smoky, with a bitter edge. Nobody describes it as pleasant. In plain warm water the taste is front and centre; in a strong herbal tea or warm milk it fades into the background. Capsules avoid it altogether, which is the main reason people choose them.

How much is in a serving

This is the part a label should make clear and often does not. For resin, look for the brand's description of a serving (pea-sized, rice-grain, a quarter teaspoon) and, ideally, a weight in milligrams. For powder and capsules, look for the milligrams per serving or per capsule, and whether that figure is the raw powder or a concentrated extract. A 500 mg capsule of dried shilajit and a 500 mg capsule of a 10:1 extract are not the same thing.

Our guide to reading a supplement label covers extract ratios and serving sizes in more detail. The short version: compare milligrams per serving and servings per pack, and work out the cost per serving from the price. We print that figure on every listing where the brand gives us enough to calculate it.

Things worth checking on any shilajit label

• Origin. Which mountain range, and whether the brand verifies it.
• Purification. Resin should be purified; some brands publish a lab report for heavy metals. We show lab report images where the brand supplies them and say when we have not verified them.
• Format and weight. Grams of resin or powder, or capsule count and milligrams per capsule.
• Serving description. How big a serving is and how many a day.
• Additives. Pure resin has one ingredient. Powders and capsules may add anti-caking agents or a capsule shell.

Shilajit on the Herbastore shelf

We currently stock one shilajit: a 20 g block of raw Himalayan resin, sold in a food-grade pack, with the brand's figure of around 100 pea-sized servings. It sits on our shilajit and minerals shelf alongside Celtic sea salt. It has been our best-selling product over the past year, and you will find it in our best sellers too.

If you take any medication or have a medical condition, speak to a pharmacist or your GP before adding a supplement. This guide describes the product; it is not advice.