Can You Take Shilajit and Ashwagandha Together? (and is it Worth it?)

Ashwagandha calms your mind. Shilajit fuels your cells. People have combined these two adaptogens in Ayurvedic practice for centuries for their overall health benefits, pairing a premium relaxant with a raw energy source. 

Key Takeaways

• Combining shilajit and ashwagandha pairs mental calm and focus with improved physical energy.

• Ashwagandha cuts cortisol by 27.9%; shilajit boosts cellular ATP energy.

• Clinical data shows combined benefits for testosterone, VO2 max, and sleep.

• Always choose pure shilajit resins to ensure high fulvic acid content and to avoid heavy metal toxicity.

In this article, we'll run you through what the clinical data actually says about shilajit and ashwagandha when taken together, whether it's worth it, and what to watch out for.

Understanding Shilajit and Ashwagandha Individually

Shilajit and ashwagandha are classic adaptogens that help your body adapt to stress.

But, they work through different pathways in the human body. Ashwagandha targets stress hormones, while shilajit targets cellular fuel to enhance energy.

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha root extract is an adaptogenic herb that acts on GABA receptors to quiet the mind.

A double-blind trial showed that 600mg daily lowered serum cortisol by 27.9% and reduced perceived stress scores by 44%, compared to just a 5.5% drop in the placebo group [1].

There is a long list of other science-supported potential health benefits of Ashwagandha. 

Ashwagandha Benefits

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Improves overall sleep quality and combats insomnia.
• Aids in the management of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
• Enhances memory, sustained attention, and information-processing speed.
• Provides neuroprotective effects against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases.
• Increases muscle mass, strength, and power.
• Boosts cardiorespiratory endurance (VO2 max) and physical stamina.
• Accelerates post-exercise muscle recovery and reduces muscle damage.
• Supports weight management and reduces body fat percentages.
• Boosts testosterone and anti-aging hormone (DHEA-S) levels in men.
• Improves male fertility by enhancing sperm count, volume, and motility.
• Enhances female sexual function and alleviates perimenopausal symptoms.
• Helps normalize thyroid markers in individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism.
• Has anti-inflammatory effects. Reduces systemic inflammation and fights oxidative stress.
• Strengthens the immune system and increases natural killer cell activity.
• Demonstrates antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
• Provides cardioprotective benefits and mitigates heart damage.
• Exhibits anti-cancer properties and mitigates chemotherapy/radiation toxicity.
• Shows anti-diabetic effects by lowering blood glucose and improving lipid profiles.
• Promotes cellular longevity and overall healthspan by boosting telomerase activity.
• Improves skin hydration, elasticity, and reduces wrinkles.

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What is Shilajit?

Shilajit is a mineral-rich mountain resin containing dibenzo-alpha-pyrones and fulvic acid. These compounds protect CoQ10 and boost ATP energy production.

What does this for you mean in real life? It means increased clean, energy levels and better performance in your daily routine and workouts. 

A clinical study of active men showed the shilajit group taking 500mg only experienced an 8.9% decline in peak strength when working out, whereas the placebo group lost 16% of their strength [3].

Shilajit Benefits

• Increases total and free testosterone levels.
• Improves male fertility and sperm quality, including count, volume, morphology, and motility.
• Boosts cellular energy (ATP) production and physical endurance.
• Reduces muscular fatigue and helps retain muscular strength during intense physical stress.
• Protects joints, connective tissue, and collagen from degradation.
• Increases bone mineral density and helps prevent osteoporosis and bone loss.
• Accelerates the healing time of bone fractures.
• Protects against cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease by preventing toxic tau protein buildup in the brain.
• Clears "brain fog," boosts mental focus, and improves memory.
• Aids in the brain's recovery from traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
• Calms anxiety and balances brain chemistry.
• Enhances cardiovascular and endothelial health.
• Regulates blood sugar levels and improves metabolic health.
• Optimizes lipid profiles by lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while raising HDL cholesterol.
• Acts as a powerful antioxidant and reduces systemic inflammation.
• Alleviates symptoms of high-altitude sickness.
• Offers anti-allergic, anti-ulcer, analgesic, and antifungal properties.

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Synergy of Combining Shilajit and Ashwagandha

Shilajit and ashwagandha can work together to provide several health benefits. Mixing this dynamic duo creates a dual-action effect.

Here's where the magic happens...you gain the calming mental benefits of ashwagandha alongside the raw physical energy of shilajit for high performance.

Cognitive Function and Focus

Ashwagandha clears brain fog. Shilajit’s fulvic acid protects neurons.

In a 90-day trial, 300mg of ashwagandha significantly improved recall memory and reduced cognitive decline through your day, including the reduction of total error rates in pattern recognition compared to the placebo [5].

Physical Performance and Recovery

Shilajit improves ATP availability. Ashwagandha lowers exercise-induced muscle damage. In an 8-week trial, men taking 600mg of ashwagandha increased their bench press by 46.0kg (versus 26.4kg for placebo) and reduced body fat by 3.5% (versus 1.5%) [6].

Male Reproductive Health, Fertility and Testosterone

Both compounds support reproductive health. A 90-day trial on 200mg of shilajit showed a 20.45% increase in total testosterone and a 19.14% increase in free testosterone [9]. Ashwagandha simultaneously improves testosterone, sperm motility and semen volume [8].

Reduce Stress, Boost Energy and Hormonal Balance

Typical stimulants like caffeine spike cortisol. Shilajit provides cellular energy to your body for sustained overall energy levels. 

Pairing it with ashwagandha keeps your baseline stress levels low and oxidative stress in check (keeping cortisol suppressed by nearly 30% [1]). 

You get physical vitality and wellness without the associated mental fatigue or tension, and no increase in anxiety levels that modern stimulants like caffeine may give.

Pros of Stacking Shilajit Resin and Ashwagandha

The main advantage of taking shilajit and ashwagandha together is improving your physical and mental stamina without the jitters, tension and anxiety that modern stimulants may cause. 

Most modern energy supplements rely on caffeine, which triggers your adrenal glands and may cause a crash later in the day. 

• Clean, Stress-Free Energy: Shilajit fuels your mitochondria directly. When you add ashwagandha on top, you make sure your stress levels stay low. You get a steady supply of ATP along with a lowered stress response. The result is calm energy that lasts all day without causing a crash.

• Athletes: this combination may also improve cardiorespiratory endurance. One 8-week trial showed a 13.6% improvement in VO2 max for the supplement group compared to just 9.7% for the placebo [7]. 
• Muscle Mass, Strength and Endurance: both shilajit and ashwaghanda have been shown to increase testosterone in clinical trials, as well as strength and muscular endurance in people who resistance train. 

While, the above benefits are just the positive combined effects of taking both, shilajit and ashwagandha also provide other numerous health benefits on their own as we mentioned at the start of our guide - making the combo a perfect stack for high-demand lifestyles.

Potential Risks of Taking Shilajit and Ashwagandha Together

While generally safe, combining ashwagandha and shilajit together (or other active botanical extracts) needs strict attention around where you source your supplements and your personal medical history. 

Consider the following factors to avoid unwanted side effects:

Heavy Metal Contamination

Raw shilajit from low quality brands can contain dangerous levels of lead, arsenic, or mercury. It's essential you only buy properly sourced, lab-tested resin [10], such as the pure shilajit we produce at Solvara (see our lab tests). 

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Low quality, badly processed shilajit may be toxic. Sourcing and testing is critical for your safety when buying this supplement.

Our roundup of the best shilajit brands in the U.K explains which brands to consider and why.

Thyroid Hormone Interactions

Ashwagandha can increase T3 and T4 thyroid hormone levels [11].

If you have hyperthyroidism or take thyroid medication, this combination may push your hormones into an unsafe range. Always check with your endocrinologist to prevent artificial thyrotoxicosis.

Blood Sugar Drops

Both supplements naturally lower blood glucose. A 90-day human intervention using 200mg of shilajit decreased fasting blood glucose by 6.8% [12].

While this is a positive effect for most people, if you take medications for diabetes, combining these herbs could cause levels to drop too low. Check with your doctor before starting.

Sleep Disruption

Ashwagandha promotes sleep quality. Shilajit boosts energy. If you take the combination too late in the evening, the ATP-boosting effects of the shilajit might keep you awake. It is best to take both earlier in the day for better sleep.

To safely take any supplement, always ensure you get the go-ahead from your doctor to ensure safety and efficacy.

Recommended Shilajit and Ashwaganha Dosage Best Practices

Timing and your dosages matter. You want to maximize absorption without overwhelming your digestive system or disrupting your natural circadian rhythm and sleep cycle.

NOTE: the dosage recommendations below assume you are using high-quality products such as Solvara's lab-tested pure shilajit resin and ashwagandha root extract.

Standard Dosing Protocols

Clinical trials typically use 300mg to 600mg of standardized ashwagandha root extract daily to achieve cortisol reductions [1].

For purified shilajit resin dosing, the effective clinical dose is 250mg to 500mg per day [3]. 

Start at the bottom end of the range and work your way up. 

Timing Strategies

Shilajit is best taken in the morning on an empty stomach to maximize cellular energy. Ashwagandha can be taken at the same time.

Alternatively, split the ashwagandha dose: half in the morning, half with dinner for evening relaxation.

Cycling the Supplements

Adaptogens work best when cycled. Take the combination for eight weeks, then take a two to four-week break. This prevents your body from building a tolerance and keeps cellular receptors responsive to the active compounds [13].

Forms and Bioavailability

• Shilajit: is most potent as a sticky resin (your product should look like a tar-like substance). Other forms undergo excessive heating and processing which may denature the shilajit or remove the all-important fulvic acid content. Ayurveda suggests dissolving shilajit resin in warm milk or water to improve absorption.
• Ashwagandha: is best taken as a standardized root extract, either in powder or capsule form.

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Comparing the Benefits

Understanding how these two supplements overlap helps explain why they make such a potent combination.

Taking Ashwagandha helps to relax the nervous system and lower cortisol levels. Shilajit functions to push trace minerals into your cells and increase raw ATP production.

When you map out the clinical data, you see exactly how they complement each other in real-world scenarios. 

One handles the psychological load, while the other handles the physical load. By pairing them, you cover both ends of human performance. 

We've provided you with the clinical data breakdown below to see exactly how their benefits align:

Scientific Evidence on Combining Adaptogens

While there are hundreds of individual studies on ashwagandha and shilajit, clinical trials testing them together as a single formulation are rare.

However, data on polyherbal Ayurvedic formulations shows that mixing adaptogens is generally safe and often yields better results than isolated compounds [14]. 

Shilajit is known in traditional Ayurveda as a "yogavaha." This means it acts as a synergistic enhancer for other herbs. Its high fulvic acid content acts as a mineral transporter.

This process potentially pushes the active withanolides from ashwagandha deeper into cellular structures than if you took the root extract completely on its own.

"Shilajit is classified as a yogavaha, which means it enhances the properties of other drugs it is administered with, making it an ideal companion for herbs like Ashwagandha." [14] Shilajit: a review. Phytother Res. 2007;21(5):401-5

Contraindications and Precautions: Things to Consider Before Taking Shilajit and Ashwagandha

This botanical pairing is a powerful combination. But it may not be for everyone. Certain underlying health conditions may make combining ashwagandha and shilajit unsuitable for the following users: 

Pregnant or Nursing Women

There is no safety data for this combination during pregnancy.

High doses of ashwagandha may cause complications. The heavy metal risk in poor-quality shilajit is also high for developing fetuses [11]. 

Pregnant or nursing women should avoid them unless consulting with your doctor first.

Autoimmune Conditions

Both herbs stimulate the immune system. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or multiple sclerosis, taking them might worsen your symptoms by increasing immune cell activity [15].

Anyone with a diagnosed autoimmune disorder should speak to their healthcare provider first.

High Iron Levels

Shilajit contains a significant amount of iron and trace minerals. People with hemochromatosis (a condition where the body stores too much iron) may need to avoid incorporating shilajit to avoid toxic iron buildup [10].

Ashwagandha and Shilajit: So, Should You Take Them Together? (Wrapping Up)

If your lifestyle requires high-performance all day, a crash is the last thing you need. The ashwagandha and shilajit combination offers a different pathway entirely to modern stimulants.

Most people today rely on caffeine to get through the day. Although caffeine works, it creates a spike in adrenaline (which could cause jitters and anxiety in some), followed by a heavy, inevitable crash.

With Ashwagandha, you get the interaction with GABA receptors to calm your central nervous system, putting a brake on daily anxiety [2].

At the exact same time, shilajit is working in the background to keep your mitochondria (the energy and fuel engine of your body) producing ATP [3].

No jittery highs. No exhausting lows. Instead, you get a stable, predictable baseline of physical readiness and mental clarity that lasts from morning until night. And even helps you get a deeper, more rejuvenating sleep for your day ahead.

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References

1. Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of Ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255-62.

2. Candelario M, Cuellar E, Reyes-Ruiz JM, Darabedian N, Feimeng Z, Miledi R, et al. Direct evidence for GABAergic activity of Withania somnifera on mammalian ionotropic GABAA and GABAρ receptors. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;171:264-72.

3. Bhattacharyya S, Pal D, Gupta AK, Ganguly P, Majumder UK, Ghosal S. Beneficial effect of processed shilajit on swimming exercise induced impaired energy status of mice. Pharmacologyonline. 2009;1:817-25.

4. Carrasco-Gallardo C, Guzmán L, Maccioni RB. Shilajit: A Natural Phytocomplex with Potential Procognitive Activity. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;2012:674142.

5. Choudhary D, Bhattacharyya S, Bose S. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(6):599-612.

6. Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12(1):43.

7. Pérez-Gómez J, Villafaina S, Adsuar JC, Merellano-Navarro E, Collado-Mateo D. Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on VO2max: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):1119.

8. Biswas TK, Pandit S, Mondal S, Biswas SK, Jana U, Ghosh T, et al. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia. 2010;42(1):48-56.

9. Pandit S, Biswas S, Jana U, De RK, Mukhopadhyay SC, Biswas TK. Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia. 2016;48(5):570-5.

10. Wilson E, Rajamanickam GV, Dubey GP, Klose P, Musial F, Saha FJ, et al. Review on shilajit used in traditional Indian medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;136(1):1-9.

11. Kamal HI, Patel K, Brdak A, Heffernan J, Ahmad N. Ashwagandha as a Unique Cause of Thyrotoxicosis Presenting With Supraventricular Tachycardia. Cureus. 2022;14(3):e23494.

12. Durg S, Bavage S, Shivaram SB. Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng) in diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of scientific evidence from experimental research to clinical application. Phytother Res. 2020;34(5):1041-59.

13. Panossian A, Wikman G. Evidence-based efficacy of adaptogens in fatigue, and molecular mechanisms related to their stress-protective activity. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2009;4(3):198-219.

14. Agarwal SP, Khanna R, Karmarkar R, Anwer MK, Khar RK. Shilajit: a review. Phytother Res. 2007;21(5):401-5.

15. Mikulska P, Malinowska M, Ignacyk M, Szustowski P, Nowak J, Pesta K, et al. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)-Current Research on the Health-Promoting Activities: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(4):1057.