Most dosage articles repeat "300 to 500 mg daily" and call it done. That number comes from clinical trials but it ignores three things that matter in practice: your bodyweight, the form you are using, and the actual fulvic acid percentage in your jar.

This is how I dose myself and how I help clients dose. The framework rests on the Pandit et al 2015 Andrologia trial (n=96, 250 mg purified shilajit twice daily for 90 days, 20% testosterone increase), the Pandit 2010 oligospermia trial (Andrologia, n=35), and a 2003 Pharmacological Research safety study on processed shilajit. From those anchors I build out form, weight, and goal adjustments.

The base number

300 to 500 mg of purified shilajit daily, with fulvic acid content of at least 50%, taken consistently for 8 to 12 weeks before judging. That is the published research-supported window.

The sweet spot for most healthy adults is 400 mg. Below 250 mg the signal often gets lost. Above 600 mg you usually pay for more shilajit without proportionally better effects, and side effect risk creeps up.

Weight-based mg/kg dosing

Clinical pharmacology cares about mg/kg, not flat doses. Shilajit at the published research range works out to roughly 4 to 7 mg per kg of bodyweight per day. The flat 300 to 500 mg recommendation suits a 70 to 80 kg adult, which is fair for an average male and on the high end for a 55 kg woman.

Bodyweight	Conservative	Standard	Higher (athletic)
50 kg / 110 lb	200 mg	300 mg	400 mg
60 kg / 132 lb	240 mg	350 mg	450 mg
70 kg / 154 lb	280 mg	400 mg	500 mg
80 kg / 176 lb	320 mg	450 mg	550 mg
90 kg / 198 lb	360 mg	500 mg	600 mg
100+ kg / 220+ lb	400 mg	550 mg	650 mg

A 60 kg woman taking 500 mg is overdosing relative to her lean mass. A 95 kg male athlete taking 250 mg is probably underdosing. The flat recommendation hides this.

Form adjustments

Form matters because what you swallow is not all shilajit.

Form	Typical actual shilajit	Adjustment vs raw mg
Pure resin (rice-grain visual)	~95% shilajit	1.0x (target dose = label dose)
Standardized extract powder	~70 to 90% shilajit	1.0 to 1.2x
Extract capsules	~50 to 80% in shell+excipients	1.2 to 1.5x of target
Gummies	Often 50 to 100 mg per gummy	Read label, often need 3+
Liquid drops	Variable per dropper	Read label
10:1 concentrated extract	~10x potency by raw equivalent	0.3 to 0.5x

For resin, like a Pure Himalayan Organic Resin Shilajit, a rice grain is roughly 300 to 400 mg. For extract capsules like the Essencraft cognitive performance formula, follow the per-capsule mg listed on the COA. For shilajit gummies such as the shilajit + ashwagandha gummies, expect 50 to 100 mg shilajit per gummy and dose accordingly. For Himalayan Shilajit Liquid Drops, a dropper typically holds 100 to 250 mg, check the label.

Goal-based dose targeting

Goal	Daily target	Source citation
General energy / wellness	300 to 400 mg	PMC3296184 review
Cognitive support	300 to 400 mg AM	Carrasco-Gallardo 2012
Athletic endurance	400 to 500 mg pre-workout	J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2016
Testosterone (male, adult)	250 mg twice daily	Andrologia 2015 (Pandit, n=96)
Oligospermia / fertility	100 mg twice daily	Andrologia 2010 (Pandit, n=35)
Female hormonal/iron	250 to 350 mg	See shilajit benefits for women
Bone density (post-meno)	200 to 300 mg	PMID 22684442

Note the oligospermia dose is lower than the testosterone dose. Higher is not better for fertility, the trial used 200 mg total daily.

The starting protocol I actually use

Week 1: 200 mg in the morning with food. This is a tolerance check. About 1 in 12 people get mild GI upset on day 2 or 3, taking it with breakfast almost always solves it.

Week 2: 300 mg in the morning. Most people start feeling steady energy here.

Week 3: hold at 300 mg or step to 400 mg if you want more.

Week 4: assess. Are you logging better workouts, clearer mornings, smoother afternoon energy? If yes, you found your dose. If barely, push to 500 mg for a week. If still nothing, the product is the issue, not the dose. Switch sources.

Timing

Goal	Best timing
All-day energy	30 min before breakfast, in warm water
Pre-workout	30 to 45 min before training
Testosterone protocol	Split: morning + early afternoon
Cognitive work	60 to 90 min before peak focus window
Recovery / sleep	Avoid evening if shilajit-sensitive

Avoid taking shilajit with coffee or tea. Tannins bind the trace minerals and cut absorption noticeably. Space them by 30 minutes minimum.

Form-specific dosing notes

Resin

Rice grain to small pea, roughly 300 to 500 mg by visual estimate. Dissolve in 100 mL warm (not hot) water. Should fully dissolve in 60 to 90 seconds with light stirring. Sediment or oily slick = adulterant, do not use. See shilajit resin.

Capsules

Read the supplement facts panel. "500 mg shilajit blend" is not 500 mg shilajit. Look for "shilajit extract" with a stated fulvic acid percentage. See shilajit capsules for the deeper analysis.

Powder

Quarter teaspoon = 300 to 400 mg roughly, but density varies. Use the included scoop.

Gummies

Almost always under-dosed for adults. A 50 mg gummy means you need 6 to reach 300 mg, and the sugar load adds up. Better as a maintenance compliance tool than a primary dose. See shilajit gummies.

Liquid drops

Concentration varies wildly. A high-quality bottle states mg per dropper. Sublingual delivery (hold under tongue 30 to 60 seconds) gives slightly faster onset.

Extract concentrates (4:1, 10:1)

A 10:1 extract means each mg represents 10 mg of starting raw resin. Dosing drops to roughly 50 to 100 mg total. These also concentrate any contaminants in the source, so the COA matters more here. See shilajit extract.

Maximum safe dose

For self-administration without medical supervision: 600 mg per day, or 8 mg/kg, whichever is lower. Animal studies have used much higher doses without acute toxicity, but human data above 500 mg daily is sparse.

Anecdotal megadosing (1000 to 2000 mg) does not produce proportionally better results and increases risk of GI upset, headache, and iron accumulation over time.

If you feel like you "need" 800 mg to get an effect, the source is the problem. Switch to a DBP-verified resin and re-test at 300 to 400 mg.

Signs of too much

Persistent loose stool or cramping past day 5
Headaches that started with the dose increase
Wired or anxious feeling, especially after workouts
Sleep onset suddenly takes 30+ minutes longer
Resting heart rate up 5+ bpm vs baseline for a week
Iron-overload symptoms: paradoxical fatigue, joint ache, abdominal discomfort (long-term, get ferritin checked)

Drop 100 to 150 mg and reassess in 5 days.

Signs of too little

Two weeks at the target dose with no perceptible change in energy, sleep, or training
Effects come and go inconsistently
Plateau after a strong first month

Verify product quality first (fulvic %, COA). Then increase by 100 mg and reassess in 7 days.

Cycling on top of dosing

Cycling and dosing are separate questions. Most people use 8 weeks on at the chosen dose, then 2 to 4 weeks off. Full protocol detail at shilajit cycling protocol.

Special populations

Population	Dose recommendation
Pregnant or breastfeeding	Avoid entirely
Children under 18	Not recommended without pediatric supervision
Adults 65+	Start at 200 mg, increase slowly to 300 to 400 mg
Hemochromatosis	Avoid
Active gout flare	Avoid
On warfarin or DOACs	Physician sign-off required
Hormone-sensitive cancer history	Oncologist clearance
Type 2 diabetes on meds	Monitor glucose, may need med adjustment
Hypertension on meds	Monitor BP, may need adjustment

For broader safety see shilajit side effects.

How to find your minimum effective dose

The point of dosing is the minimum effective dose, not the maximum tolerated. Run this 3-week test:

Week 1: 200 mg daily. Log energy (1 to 10), sleep depth (1 to 10), one performance metric (gym lift, run pace, or focus minutes).

Week 2: 300 mg daily. Log the same metrics.

Week 3: 400 mg daily. Same metrics.

Compare averages. If week 2 is meaningfully better than week 1 but week 3 is not meaningfully better than week 2, your minimum effective dose is 300 mg. Stop there. Save money. Reduce GI risk.

Common dosing mistakes

Mistake 1: starting at the high end. You skip the chance to find your minimum effective dose.

Mistake 2: inconsistency. Daily 300 mg outperforms sporadic 500 mg every time.

Mistake 3: confusing forms. 500 mg of a 10:1 extract is not the same as 500 mg of resin.

Mistake 4: ignoring quality. 1000 mg of a 30% fulvic product delivers less active fulvic than 300 mg of a 60% product.

Mistake 5: stopping at week 2 when nothing has happened. Many effects build over 6 to 8 weeks.

Mistake 6: dosing for a goal you do not have. If you want energy, do not take the testosterone protocol dose.

Checklist before you increase

Are you dosing daily without skipping?
Is the product third-party tested with a published COA?
Is fulvic acid above 50%?
Are you taking it 30 minutes from coffee or tea?
Are you sleeping 7+ hours and eating reasonable protein?

If any answer is no, fix that before changing the dose.

Putting it together

For most people: 300 to 400 mg of verified resin daily, in warm water, in the morning, on an empty stomach if tolerated. Run 8 weeks, reassess, cycle off for 2 to 4 weeks.

For testosterone-focused use: 250 mg twice daily for 90 days, with labs before and after.

For fertility: 100 mg twice daily for 90 days under physician guidance.

For women, see the dose-by-status logic in shilajit benefits for women (specifically the ferritin-based decision).

For form selection see shilajit resin, shilajit capsules, shilajit extract, shilajit gummies, and shilajit energy drinks. For the broader benefits picture, shilajit benefits and the complete benefits guide.