Does Shilajit Improve Male Fertility? What the Evidence Shows
Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read
The short answer
Maybe, but the evidence is very thin. One human study measured sperm after shilajit: 28 men with low sperm counts took 100 mg twice a day for 90 days, and their sperm count, motility and shape improved against their own starting point. It had no placebo group, so it cannot show that shilajit caused the change, and we found no placebo-controlled trial of shilajit for male infertility. No study has measured pregnancy or live birth. The other evidence is in mice. Nothing here shows shilajit treats infertility, and we found no human study of shilajit and female fertility.
What the human study found
There is one human study that looked at sperm. It was small, it had no comparison group, and the details are often reported wrongly online.
Biswas 2010 · Andrologia · 28 completed
Open-label, single arm, no placebo. 60 infertile men assessed, 35 oligospermic enrolled, 28 completed.
Dose: 100 mg twice daily, 90 days
Against each man's own baseline: total sperm count +61.4%, motility +12.4–17.4%, normal forms +18.9%, semen MDA −18.7%, serum testosterone +23.5%, FSH +9.4%. Liver and kidney markers unchanged.
Limits: No placebo group and no blinding. Often misdescribed as a randomised trial or as 60 men treated.
| Study | Design | Dose & duration | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biswas 2010 Andrologia · 28 completed | Open-label, single arm, no placebo. 60 infertile men assessed, 35 oligospermic enrolled, 28 completed. | 100 mg twice daily, 90 days | Against each man's own baseline: total sperm count +61.4%, motility +12.4–17.4%, normal forms +18.9%, semen MDA −18.7%, serum testosterone +23.5%, FSH +9.4%. Liver and kidney markers unchanged.Limits: No placebo group and no blinding. Often misdescribed as a randomised trial or as 60 men treated. |
Biswas and colleagues assessed 60 infertile men, enrolled 35 with low sperm counts (oligospermia) and gave them processed shilajit capsules, 100 mg twice a day, for 90 days. Of those, 28 finished. Compared with each man's own baseline, total sperm count rose by 61.4%, motility by 12.4 to 17.4%, and the share of normally shaped sperm by 18.9%. A marker of oxidative stress in semen fell by 18.7%, serum testosterone rose 23.5%, and liver and kidney tests were unchanged. PubMed 20078516
Those are improvements against a starting point, which is weaker evidence than it sounds. Sperm counts vary a lot from one sample to the next, and men who enrol in a study because their count is low will often show a higher count at the next test whatever they take. With no placebo group, that effect cannot be separated from any effect of the capsules. Seven of the 35 men did not finish, and everyone involved knew what was being taken.
Two corrections to things you may read elsewhere. This is not a randomised trial, and it did not treat 60 men; 60 were assessed and 28 completed. And some pages cite a 2021 “randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial” of shilajit and sperm under PMID 34327771. That identifier belongs to an unrelated paper on spinal cord stimulators, and a search of Europe PMC on 26 October 2026 found no placebo-controlled shilajit fertility trial.
What the animal data add
A mouse study gave shilajit at 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg for 35 days to male mice made infertile with cadmium. Sperm production, testosterone and testis structure improved, sperm motility and concentration recovered, and the mice' fertility and litter numbers improved, more so at higher doses. PubMed 29947420. That is a reason someone might run a human trial, not a finding about men. The mice were infertile because of a toxic metal, the doses are per kilogram of body weight and don't convert to a human dose, and most male infertility has other causes.
Why heavy metals matter more here
The mouse study used cadmium to damage fertility in the first place, and raw, unpurified shilajit can carry cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury from the rock it forms in. For most uses a contaminated product is a general safety problem. For someone taking shilajit to improve fertility, it is also a reason the product could work against the goal. The reliable check is a Certificate of Analysis from a named, independent lab that reports numeric cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury for the finished product, from the batch you bought. See shilajit and heavy metals and how to read a COA.
What this does not show
- That shilajit caused the improvement. There was no placebo group.
- That it helps men whose low counts have other causes. Infertility has many, and only one group of men was studied.
- That it leads to pregnancy. No study measured conception or live births.
- That a bigger dose does more. The study used 200 mg a day of a processed extract; there is no dose-response data.
- That any product you can buy works the same way. Only the extract in the study was tested, and products vary in dose and form.
- That it is effective in the long term. The study ran 90 days.
Before you try it for this reason
Fertility problems come from both partners and have many treatable causes. A semen analysis, usually repeated, is how male factors are assessed, and a fertility clinician can look for causes that a supplement won't touch. If you are trying to conceive, taking shilajit is worth discussing with that clinician first, and anyone who is pregnant should read the safety cautions in shilajit side effects before taking it.
If you choose to try it
Match what you buy to what was tested: a processed extract at about 200 mg a day, for 90 days in the one study. Gummies typically contain 50 to 200 mg per gummy, so reaching that can take several a day, and we cap their grade for that reason (see resin vs capsules vs gummies). Then check the lab evidence:
- Best shilajit for men, ranked by testing quality
- Best third-party tested, products with a named independent lab
- Does shilajit boost testosterone?, the other main male-health question
ShilajitDB earns no money from any brand, and every product is graded by the same published formula. For the wider picture, see shilajit benefits for men.
Common questions
Does shilajit increase sperm count?
In the one human study, total sperm count rose by 61.4% from baseline in 28 men with low counts. With no placebo group, we can't say shilajit was the reason.
How long does it take?
The study measured after 90 days. There is no good evidence on whether anything changes sooner.
How much should I take?
The study used 100 mg twice a day of a processed extract. We can't say a higher dose is better or safe; see the clinical dosage guide.
Does shilajit help women conceive?
We found no human study of shilajit and female fertility. Claims that it does come from traditional use or from male studies, not from evidence in women.
This page is general information from published research, not medical advice.