Shilajit and Creatine: Clinical Evidence Report
TL;DR: No study compares shilajit and creatine directly. Creatine is backed by an International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand with safety data up to 5 years; shilajit's exercise evidence is one placebo-controlled trial at 500 mg a day for 8 weeks and one 28-day pilot.
This report from The Yeti Life sets the published exercise evidence for creatine next to the evidence for shilajit. No study found for this report has compared the two directly. The evidence bases also differ greatly in size: creatine is summarised in a position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition, while shilajit's exercise evidence rests on one placebo-controlled trial and one small uncontrolled pilot.
Side by side, as published
| Creatine | Shilajit | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence summarised here | ISSN position stand reviewing the research (Kreider et al., 2017) | One randomised placebo-controlled exercise trial (Keller et al., 2019) and one open-label resin pilot (Yadav et al., 2026) |
| Exercise outcome reported | Increases intramuscular creatine; improvements in high-intensity exercise performance leading to greater training adaptations | Retention of maximal strength after a fatigue protocol: 8.9 ± 2.3 % decline at 500 mg/day against 16.0 ± 2.4 % on placebo (p = 0.044), in the stronger half of participants |
| Doses in these sources | About 3 g a day habitual intake; supplementation up to 30 g a day studied | 250 mg/day and 500 mg/day (only 500 mg/day differed from placebo); 500 mg/day in the resin pilot |
| Longest safety data in these sources | Up to 30 g a day for 5 years reported safe and well tolerated in healthy people | 90 days (Pandit et al., 2016, 250 mg twice daily) |
| Other reported uses | Post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, thermoregulation, rehabilitation, and clinical research areas | Hormone outcomes in men aged 45–55 (Pandit et al., 2016) |
What is not known
- No published study found for this report tests shilajit against creatine, or the two together.
- The shilajit strength result applied only at 500 mg/day and only in the stronger half of participants.
- The only resin study (Yadav et al., 2026) had no placebo group and ran for 28 days.
Safety
The US FDA has warned about heavy metal poisoning from certain unapproved ayurvedic products. For any shilajit product, ask for a batch-specific certificate that names the laboratory and report number.
Frequently asked questions
Is shilajit better than creatine for the gym?
No published study compares them. Creatine's evidence base, summarised by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, is far larger than shilajit's.
What did the shilajit strength trial find?
At 500 mg a day for 8 weeks, men in the stronger half of participants lost less strength after a fatigue protocol: 8.9% against 16.0% on placebo. 250 mg a day did not differ from placebo (Keller et al., 2019).
How long has creatine been studied for safety?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand reports supplementation of up to 30 g a day for 5 years as safe and well tolerated in healthy people.
Our measured batch
The only laboratory result on this page for a product of our own. Values are transcribed from the certificate below.
| Field | Value on the certificate |
|---|---|
| Product | The Yeti Life Shilajit Resin |
| Batch number | B023724DC25 |
| Testing laboratory | Eurofins — sample code 258-2025-20112882, report AR-258-2025-20112882-01 |
| Date of analysis | 18–23 Dec. 2025 (report dated 24 Dec. 2025) |
| Manufactured / expiry | 16 Dec. 2025 / 15 Dec. 2027 |
| Fulvic acid | 76.12 % (specification: above 75 %, internal specification) |
| Heavy metals — lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium | Pass, per Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India specifications |
Download the batch B023724DC25 certificate of analysis (PDF)
How this report was compiled
- Batch values are transcribed from the certificate PDF linked above.
- Study results are quoted from the published abstracts on PubMed, retrieved 11 September 2026. Where an abstract reports no number, this page reports none.
- This page makes no claim that any product treats or prevents a disease. Speak to a doctor before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or managing a health condition.
Sources
- Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017. PMID 28615996
- Keller JL, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019. PMID 30728074
- Yadav, et al. Cureus. 2026. PMID 41613504
- Pandit S, et al. Andrologia. 2016. PMID 26395129
- US FDA — FDA warns about heavy metal poisoning associated with certain unapproved ayurvedic drug products
- The Yeti Life — Certificate of analysis, batch B023724DC25