Shilajit and Bone, Every Study in One Place
Human trials, animal studies and bone-cell studies on shilajit, its 2 main parts, fulvic acid and humic acid, and the 2 other ingredients in the Bone Restore Trifecta, pearl and silica. Every study links to its source.
By the Optimum Research Team. Last updated .
Short answer
Yes, shilajit has real bone research behind it. The strongest is a 48-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in postmenopausal women with an average hip T-score of -2.5, where hip bone density rose on shilajit and fell in the women who didn't take it. Below are all 48 studies we know of, each linked to its source.
Shilajit in people
Human trials of shilajit taken by mouth.
Hip bone density rose in postmenopausal women whose average hip T-score was -2.5, and fell in the women who didn't take it.
48-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 60 postmenopausal women, 250 or 500 mg a day, no calcium or vitamin D allowed.
Pingali U, Nutalapati C. Phytomedicine, 2022. PubMed 35933897 Read our full breakdown of this trial
Broken shin bones healed about 24 days faster, 129 days against 153.
Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. 160 patients with a new tibia fracture, 2 capsules of 500 mg a day for 28 days, 3 hospitals in Tehran.
Sadeghi SMH, et al. J Altern Complement Med, 2020. PubMed 32310691
The blood marker of type 1 collagen building rose 94% on 500 mg and 165% on 1,000 mg in 8 weeks. Type 1 collagen is the protein frame bone is built on.
Randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 35 men.
Neltner TJ, et al. J Diet Suppl, 2024. PubMed 36546868
Switched on collagen and blood-vessel genes in the skin of middle-aged women.
14-week trial in women, 250 mg twice a day.
Das A, et al. J Am Coll Nutr, 2019. PubMed 31161927
Switched on the collagen and connective-tissue gene cluster in muscle.
8-week trial, 500 mg a day, muscle biopsies.
Das A, et al. J Med Food, 2016. PubMed 27414521
Shilajit in animal studies
Bone healing, bone density and osteoporosis models.
High-dose shilajit gave the most new bone, 78.1% new bone area, and the least scar tissue in a healing shin-bone defect.
28 rats, bone graft with or without shilajit, 4 weeks. Inflammation (TNF-alpha) fell as the dose rose.
Guler R, et al. Life (Basel), 2025. PubMed 41157202
Bone defects treated with shilajit held mature bone by week 4, while untreated defects were still immature at week 6.
80 rabbits, shin-bone defect, X-rays and tissue analysis over 8 weeks.
Sadan M, et al. Int J Vet Sci, 2025. DOI 10.47278/journal.ijvs/2024.276
Added to the osteoporosis drug alendronate, shilajit brought bone density much closer to healthy than the drug alone.
Rats with steroid-induced osteoporosis. DEXA bone density 0.153 g/cm2 on the drug alone, 0.192 with shilajit added, 0.223 with nano-shilajit, against 0.227 in healthy rats.
Alshubaily FA, et al. Int J Polym Sci, 2025. DOI 10.1155/ijps/8858076
Raised blood calcium, phosphorus and calcitonin and lowered inflammation in osteoporosis.
Female rats with steroid-induced osteoporosis, 8 weeks of shilajit by mouth.
Alshubaily FA, Jambi EJ. Polymers (Basel), 2022. PubMed 36235920
Shilajit with human stem cells grew the most bone and the strongest bone in a shin-bone defect.
75 rats, 7 mm defect, measured at 2 and 4 weeks.
Kangari P, et al. Regen Eng Transl Med, 2024. DOI 10.1007/s40883-023-00329-7
Shilajit by mouth sped up new bone forming in the jaw.
24 rats, jaw expansion model. The strongest new-bone score in 5 of 8 shilajit rats against 1 of 8 without it.
Cesur MG, et al. SDU Tip Fak Derg, 2019. DOI 10.17343/sdutfd.511364
Shilajit on bone cells
What shilajit does to the cells that build and hold bone.
Turned human stem cells into bone-building cells, even without the usual bone-growth chemicals.
Human adipose-derived stem cells. Bone-building enzyme activity and calcium deposits both rose.
Kangari P, et al. J Orthop Surg Res, 2022. PubMed 36153551
Boosted the growth of human bone-forming cells.
Human osteoblast-like cells (MG63) at 100 to 200 micrograms per mL.
Abbasi N, et al. J Stem Cells Regen Med, 2019. PubMed 31983854
Lowered RANKL and raised OPG in human bone cells, the same 2 signals that moved in the women in the Pingali trial.
Human osteoblast-like cells (MG63).
Azizpour Y, et al. Sci J Kurdistan Univ Med Sci, 2020. DOI 10.29252/sjku.24.6.120
Human stem cells multiplied faster on a scaffold loaded with shilajit, with no toxicity.
Human adipose-derived stem cells, 48 hours.
Taghavi H, et al. Adv Pharm Bull, 2020. PubMed 33072541
Made the ligament cells that anchor each tooth to the jawbone move, multiply and lay down new collagen.
Human periodontal ligament cells, whole shilajit.
Alqarni A, et al. BMC Complement Med Ther, 2025. PubMed 40057709
Raised bone-building enzyme activity and calcium deposits in bone-marrow stem cells.
Rat bone-marrow stem cells, 21 days.
Pordeli M, et al. Int J Basic Sci Med, 2025. DOI 10.34172/ijbsm.50722
Fulvic acid and humic acid, shilajit's 2 main parts
The shilajit in the Pingali trial was more than half fulvic acid. These studies test the 2 parts on their own.
Humic acid by mouth partly reversed the bone-mineral loss and bone porosity that follow ovary removal.
Mice after ovary removal, the menopause model. 80 mg/kg a day for 28 days.
Andrade EF, et al. Climacteric, 2026. PubMed 42454408
Even with estrogen cut off, humic acid by mouth raised the calcium and phosphorus in the jawbone, slowed bone loss and improved the RANKL to OPG balance.
Mice after ovary removal, 80 mg/kg for 28 days.
Toledo LV, et al. Biomedicines, 2026. PubMed 42351672
Humic acid raised the calcium in the thigh bone and improved its calcium to phosphorus ratio after ovary removal.
Mice after ovary removal, 28 days by mouth.
Santos TCD, et al. Biomedicines, 2025. PubMed 40002908
Humic acid switched bone-building cells up and bone-breaking cells down in the jaw, and cut the bone loss.
Rats with gum disease, 15 days.
Calisir M, et al. J Periodontal Res, 2016. PubMed 26547279
Humic acid cut jawbone loss and the number of bone-breaking cells.
Rats with gum disease.
Calisir M, et al. J Vet Dent, 2019. PubMed 32207389
Humic acid by mouth reduced jawbone loss, and the bone came back denser with more bone cells.
Rats with gum disease, 28 days.
Lima KR, et al. Biomedicines, 2024. PubMed 39767617
Humic acid reduced jawbone loss and improved the body's antioxidant balance.
Rats with gum disease.
Tavares HG, et al. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 2025. PubMed 39792165
Humic acid lowered jawbone loss and kept calcium and phosphorus on the bone surface.
Rats with gum disease, 80 mg/kg for 28 days. Inflammation markers fell.
Orlando PR, et al. Curr Top Med Chem, 2025. PubMed 38778588
Fulvic acid by mouth raised BMP-2, a bone-building signal, in the ligament that holds each tooth.
72 rats, 80 mg/kg a day.
Zhao J, et al. BMC Oral Health, 2024. PubMed 39343917
Pearl, in the Bone Restore Trifecta
Pearl (nacre) is the building material. It has been tested in postmenopausal women, in animals after ovary removal and in human bone cells.
Pearl calcium raised bone density from 0.901 to 0.948 g/cm2 in 6 months, up 5.2%, while plain calcium left it unchanged.
50 postmenopausal women with low bone density. Both groups also took vitamin D.
Vujasinovic-Stupar N, et al. Srp Arh Celok Lek, 2009. PubMed 19950759
Jawbone gaps filled with pearl powder turned into new, mature bone within 6 months.
8 patients, biopsies at 6 months.
Atlan G, et al. C R Acad Sci III, 1997. PubMed 9183443
Beat plain calcium at protecting bone after ovary removal, with 35% more bone at the thigh and 11% more at the spine.
Female rats after ovary removal, the same dose of pearl or plain calcium in the diet for 28 days. Bone-breaking surfaces 1.5 times lower on pearl.
Nguyen DK, et al. JBMR Plus, 2022. PubMed 36111203
Made aging bones stronger than plain calcium did.
16-month-old female mice, 90 days of pearl in the diet. Lower bone-breaking gene activity.
Nguyen DK, et al. Exp Gerontol, 2023. PubMed 38006949
Prevented the bone loss that follows estrogen loss by switching bone-building cells on and bone-breaking cells off.
Mice after ovary removal, plus bone cells.
Kim H, et al. Biomaterials, 2012. PubMed 22809648
Pearl powder placed in the spine was replaced by new bone within 12 weeks.
21 cavities in the lumbar vertebrae of 11 sheep.
Lamghari M, et al. Bone, 1999. PubMed 10458284
Pearl implants bonded directly to new bone with no scar tissue in between.
Sheep, 10 months.
Atlan G, et al. Biomaterials, 1999. PubMed 10378801
Slowed bone breakdown by blocking cathepsin K, the enzyme bone-breaking cells use to dissolve bone.
Bone-breaking cells on bone slices.
Duplat D, et al. Biomaterials, 2007. PubMed 17686515
Switched on bone-building activity in human stem cells more strongly than BMP-2, the bone-growth protein used in spinal fusion.
Human bone-marrow stem cells, collagens made within 21 days.
Green DW, et al. Mol Cells, 2015. PubMed 25666352
Human stem cells built collagen fibers and bone mineral crystals within 28 days.
Human bone-marrow stem cells in a gel with pearl powder.
Flausse A, et al. J Biomed Mater Res A, 2013. PubMed 23554327
Human bone cells formed mineralized bone nodules with pearl and none of the usual chemical triggers.
Human osteoblasts.
Lopez E, et al. Tissue Cell, 1992. PubMed 1440586
A single pearl protein, N16, both blocked bone-breaking cells and boosted bone-building cells.
Mouse bone cell lines.
Ma JY, et al. J Nat Prod, 2016. PubMed 26741297
Stem cells from older donors kept pace with young donors' cells on pearl.
Human bone-marrow stem cells, donors aged 58 to 64 against 21 to 26, 14 days.
Wilson BJ, et al. Bioengineering (Basel), 2024. PubMed 38391629
Restored the ability of bone cells from arthritic knees to lay down mineral.
Human osteoblasts from knee-replacement patients, calcium laid down by day 7.
Brion A, et al. J Struct Biol, 2015. PubMed 26496825
Raised bone-building enzyme activity, mineral nodules, type 1 collagen, osteocalcin and RUNX2 in human bone cells.
Human fetal osteoblasts, water-soluble pearl matrix.
Xu X, et al. Exp Ther Med, 2026. PubMed 41220913
Pushed bone precursor cells to become bone cells.
Water-soluble pearl matrix carried in stem-cell exosomes, MC3T3-E1 cells.
Chen L, et al. Organogenesis, 2026. PubMed 41746760
Silica, in the Bone Restore Trifecta
Silica helps set the collagen frame that bone mineral locks onto.
Added to calcium and vitamin D, silica gave a significantly better marker of new bone collagen (P1NP) at 12 months than calcium and vitamin D alone.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 136 women with low bone density completed it.
Spector TD, et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2008. PubMed 18547426
People who took in the most silica had hip bone density up to 10% higher than those who took in the least.
2,847 adults in the Framingham Offspring study. The link held in men and premenopausal women.
Jugdaohsingh R, et al. J Bone Miner Res, 2004. PubMed 14969400
Silica and estrogen work together on bone.
Aberdeen Prospective Osteoporosis Screening Study, women.
Macdonald HM, et al. Bone, 2012. PubMed 22173054
Raised type 1 collagen production in human bone cells by up to 1.8 times.
Human osteoblast-like cells at normal body levels. Bone-building enzyme up 1.5 times.
Reffitt DM, et al. Bone, 2003. PubMed 12633784
Blocked the formation of bone-breaking cells and slowed bone breakdown.
Mouse bone and marrow cells.
Mladenovic Z, et al. Acta Biomater, 2014. PubMed 24016843
Stopped bone-breaking cells from forming, acting within the first 24 hours.
Mouse cells stimulated with RANKL.
Magnusson C, et al. J Biomed Mater Res A, 2021. PubMed 33817967
Where Optimum fits
Optimum Shilajit is purified Altai shilajit in tablet form. The Bone Restore Trifecta adds pearl and silica, the building material and the frame, to the shilajit signal. We are family-owned in Florida, and every batch is third-party tested for heavy metals.
Common questions
Is there scientific evidence that shilajit helps bone?
Yes. The strongest is a 48-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 60 postmenopausal women with an average hip T-score of -2.5 (Pingali 2022), where hip bone density rose on shilajit and fell in the women who didn't take it. A second trial in 160 patients found broken shin bones healed about 24 days faster (Sadeghi 2020).
How many studies are there on shilajit and bone?
This page lists 48 studies on shilajit, its 2 main parts, fulvic acid and humic acid, and the 2 other ingredients in the Bone Restore Trifecta, pearl and silica. 10 are in people, 20 in animals and 18 on bone cells.
Do fulvic acid and humic acid help bone?
The shilajit in the Pingali trial was more than half fulvic acid. On its own, humic acid by mouth protected bone after ovary removal in 3 studies and cut jawbone loss in 5 more, and fulvic acid by mouth raised the bone-building signal BMP-2 in the ligament that holds each tooth.
What does pearl powder do for bone?
In 50 postmenopausal women, pearl calcium raised bone density 5.2% in 6 months while plain calcium left it unchanged. In rats after ovary removal it protected bone better than plain calcium, and in human bone cells it switched on bone building.
What does silica do for bone?
Added to calcium and vitamin D in a randomized trial of 136 women with low bone density, silica gave a better marker of new bone collagen at 12 months. People who took in the most silica had hip bone density up to 10% higher than those who took in the least.