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What Is Shilajit?
Shilajit is a sticky, dark mineral pitch that seeps from mountain rock and has long been used in Ayurveda. Human research is small and early: a few trials of 250-500 mg a day, funded by the supplier, on strength and testosterone. The idea that it boosts CoQ10 comes from rats and test tubes. Purity matters because Ayurvedic products can carry heavy metals.
Written by the Cardio Clear 7 research deskUpdated · 8 min read
01The basics
What is shilajit made of?
Shilajit is a tar-like resin that oozes from cracks in mountain rock, often in warm months. It is brown to black and turns soft when warm.
It forms over a long time as plant matter breaks down and mixes with minerals in the rock. Sellers often point to its fulvic acid, a natural compound found in soil and decayed plants. Raw shilajit is purified before it goes into capsules, powders or resin jars.
It has a long place in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India. That history is real. A long history of use, though, is not the same as a modern trial that shows what a set dose does.
Cardio Clear 7 lists 80 mg of shilajit extract per capsule, next to 100 mg CoQ10 and 10 mg PQQ (Simple Promise store listing). The store does not say where the shilajit comes from or how it is purified.
02Human research
What have human trials of shilajit tested?
A handful of small trials, mostly in healthy men, and none on the heart. The two best-known used a branded, purified extract supplied by the company that sells it.
| Trial | People | Dose and length | What it measured | Heart outcomes? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keller 2019 (Keller 2019 - shilajit strength RCT) | 63 active young men | 250 or 500 mg a day, 8 weeks | Strength loss after a tiring task | No |
| Pandit trial (Pandit trial - shilajit testosterone) | 75 men aged 45-55 | 500 mg a day, 90 days | Testosterone levels | No |
| Examine summary (Examine - Shilajit evidence summary) | A couple of small studies | 200 mg to 2 g a day | Various | No |
In the strength trial, the 500 mg group lost less strength after a fatiguing task than the 250 mg group, and no side effects were reported (Keller 2019 - shilajit strength RCT). In the second trial, total testosterone rose about 20% compared with placebo (Pandit trial - shilajit testosterone). Both were funded by Natreon, which supplied the extract.
Examine, an independent research summary site, grades every human outcome for shilajit as C and calls the research preliminary (Examine - Shilajit evidence summary).
03The CoQ10 claim
Does shilajit boost CoQ10?
Not in people, as far as any study shows. The Cardio Clear 7 store says the formula "Contains Shilajit Extract that boosts the efficiency of CoQ10" (Simple Promise store listing). The research behind that kind of claim used animals and test tubes.
In the study, rats got CoQ10 plus a single compound purified from shilajit for 5 days, with 4 rats per group (Bhattacharyya 2009 - shilajit and CoQ). Coenzyme Q in the liver went up, from 19.41 to 25.03 nmol/g. In the heart it barely moved, from 35.69 to 36.99 nmol/g. Blood levels did not change in a meaningful way (Bhattacharyya 2009 - shilajit and CoQ).
The study used one isolated compound, not a whole extract. It dosed by body weight in rodents, not 80 mg in a person. And the heart, the organ the product is sold for, showed almost no change.
The FTC says health claims generally need randomized human trials, and that animal or test-tube studies are not enough on their own (FTC - Health Products Compliance Guide).
04Dose
Is 80 mg of shilajit enough to matter?
It is well below what the human trials used. The smallest trial dose was 250 mg a day, and the testosterone trial used 500 mg (Keller 2019 - shilajit strength RCT) (Pandit trial - shilajit testosterone).
So 80 mg is under a third of the lowest tested amount. That does not prove it does nothing. It means no trial tells us what 80 mg does, alone or mixed with CoQ10 and PQQ.
The brand's promo image shows the bottle beside a kiwi, a chunk of shilajit resin and capsules, with a "3X" badge. The badge does not say what the product is three times stronger than.
See the side-by-side numbers on the shilajit ingredient page.
Cardio Clear 7: from $31 a bottle30 capsules · 1, 3 or 6 bottles · free US shipping · 365-day money-back
See packs05Purity
Can shilajit contain heavy metals?
It can, which is why testing matters. Shilajit comes from rock, and Ayurvedic products as a group have a record of metal problems.
- A study of 193 Ayurvedic products bought online found lead, mercury or arsenic in 20.7% of them (Saper 2008 JAMA - Ayurvedic metals).
- NCCIH warns that some Ayurvedic preparations may contain toxic amounts of lead, mercury or arsenic (NCCIH - Ayurvedic Medicine).
- In 2024 ConsumerLab tested 8 shilajit supplements and found metals below levels of concern at one daily dose in all of them. One failed on fulvic acid content instead (ConsumerLab 2024 - shilajit tests).
The good news is that tested products can be clean. The catch for Cardio Clear 7 is that no lab report is published. The lot and CoA codes on the site are seller references, not lab proof. Our testing and quality page covers what to ask for.
06Safety
Who should be careful with shilajit?
Anyone pregnant, nursing or on prescription medicine should check first. The brand says Cardio Clear 7 is not for pregnant or nursing women, and anyone on medicines should ask a doctor (Cardio Clear 7 info page).
Shilajit's own interaction data are thin, so the main known risks in Cardio Clear 7 come from its CoQ10. CoQ10 may affect warfarin and insulin (NCCIH - Coenzyme Q10) (NCI PDQ - Coenzyme Q10).
Keep taking prescribed medicine; never stop or change it because of a supplement. Show your pharmacist the label so they can check it against everything you take.
07Bottom line
What is the fair verdict on shilajit?
Shilajit is a traditional ingredient with interesting early research and no heart data. The claim that it boosts CoQ10 rests on rats. The dose in Cardio Clear 7 is below every human trial.
If you want to try it, look for third-party metal testing and keep your expectations modest. To compare it with the formula's other small ingredient, read PQQ explained.
08FAQ
Shilajit: FAQ
Where does shilajit come from?
Shilajit seeps from cracks in mountain rock as a dark, sticky resin, formed over a long time from broken-down plant matter and minerals. It has a long history in Ayurveda. The Cardio Clear 7 store does not name the source of its extract.
What is shilajit good for?
The evidence is preliminary. Small, supplier-funded trials tested strength recovery at 250-500 mg a day (Keller 2019 - shilajit strength RCT) and testosterone at 500 mg a day (Pandit trial - shilajit testosterone). Examine grades all human outcomes C (Examine - Shilajit evidence summary). No trial has studied the heart.
Is shilajit safe to take every day?
The small trials reported no adverse events at 250-500 mg a day for up to 90 days (Keller 2019 - shilajit strength RCT) (Pandit trial - shilajit testosterone). Long-term data are limited, and purity varies by product, so choose a tested product and ask your doctor if you take medicines.
Does shilajit have lead in it?
Some products might, so testing matters. A study found metals in 20.7% of 193 Ayurvedic products sold online (Saper 2008 JAMA - Ayurvedic metals), yet ConsumerLab found 8 shilajit supplements below levels of concern (ConsumerLab 2024 - shilajit tests). No lab report is published for Cardio Clear 7.
How much shilajit is in Cardio Clear 7?
Each capsule lists 80 mg of shilajit extract, according to the official store (Simple Promise store listing). That is under a third of the 250 mg low dose in human trials. Check the Supplement Facts panel on your own bottle to confirm.
Is the shilajit and CoQ10 study done in humans?
No. The study behind the boost claim used rats, 4 per group, plus test-tube work (Bhattacharyya 2009 - shilajit and CoQ). Liver CoQ levels rose, but heart levels barely changed. No human trial has tested whether shilajit raises CoQ10.
Is shilajit the same as fulvic acid?
No. Fulvic acid is one natural compound in shilajit, not the whole resin. Amounts vary: ConsumerLab found one shilajit product with far more fulvic acid than its label suggested (ConsumerLab 2024 - shilajit tests). The Cardio Clear 7 store does not list a fulvic acid amount.
09Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the bottle, the official store listing, the brand info page and linked NIH, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a licensed U.S. retail desk, not by the manufacturer or by Simple Promise. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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