The new wellness kid on the block, shilajit is set to usurp sea moss as a health- and immunity-boosting food supplement – but what does it do differently?
Sea moss made waves in 2022 when TikTok’s wellness elite began preaching its benefits, and its popularity hasn’t waned (in parts thanks to Bella Hadid revealing in March this year that she takes it). Yet despite people all over social media preaching its benefits, most of those remain anecdotal.
Shilajit, however, is a food supplement growing in popularity right now with a multitude of benefits and far more scientific research behind it.
Here’s everything you need to know about both, including benefits, side effects and whether you can take them together.
@shariyawise 2 Year Shilajit Update #shariyashilajit #ShilajitJourney #ShilajitBenefitsForWomen #ShilajitForWomen #shilajitformen #shilajitforgoodhealth #shilajitdetox ♬ original sound – Thrive with Shariya Wise
What is shilajit?
A resin found primarily within rocks across the Himalayan mountains, made from the decomposition of plants and minerals, shilajit is a sticky black substance. It might not sound appealing, but it’s high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and has been used in ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years.
Wondering how to eat shilajit? It can be eaten by the spoonful, if you can stomach the taste and texture, or you can add it into drinks like smoothies.
Our recommendation: Nature Provides Mountain Blood Premium Ayurvedic Shilajit which promises to be pure and effective, and is third party lab tested in the UK.
What is sea moss?
Its name is pretty self-explanatory, it’s a plant that grows in the sea, like seaweed. To eat it, sea moss must be blended and mixed with water – you can buy it dried and do this yourself, or you can buy it in jars.
Irish seaweed is perhaps the best known in the UK, but you can also get sea moss sourced all the way from the Caribbean, with St Lucia a particularly popular spot for the stuff.
It comes in different colour variations (white, purple and red are the most common to buy) and contains a variety of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Much like shilajit, sea moss can be eaten by the spoonful if you can cope with the jelly-like texture, or it can be added to drinks.
Our recommendation: Irie Purple Sea Moss Gel, sourced from protected land in St Lucia. It’s purple due to anthocyanins — a compound that also gives colour to blueberries and elderberries, with an array of proven benefits.
How much can you eat in a day?
For both sea moss and shilajit, it depends on the instructions. While most people can eat a tablespoon or more of sea moss a day, shilajit tends to be eaten in smaller amounts such as a teaspoon or less.
@tatlafataIf you’ve been here for a while you know I swear by my seamoss 🪸♬ original sound – Tatyana
What does shilajit do
For most benefits of shilajit, more research is needed, but current studies suggest it can prevent or slow Alzheimer’s, help improve chronic fatigue syndrome, reduce altitude sickness, treat male infertility by increasing sperm count, improve bone mass in postmenopausal women and improve anaemia thanks to its iron content.
It can also offer overall anti-ageing and brain health benefits – Reema Pillai, private nutritionist at Dietitian Fit, explains: “Shilajit is high in antioxidants, which can help to reduce oxidative stress, that otherwise can increase ageing. One antioxidant in particular is known as fulvic acid, which contributes to cognitive health and can reduce brain cell damage.”
Maz Packham, nutritional therapist and consultant at W-Wellness, adds: “Fulvic acid has been linked to numerous health benefits including improving digestion, enhancing the absorption of nutrients and supporting immune function.”
However, with regards to its mineral content, she says: “While essential minerals such as magnesium as well as iron and zinc are commonly found in shilajit, it’s not a particularly rich source of these minerals.”
Shilajit side effects
Although shilajit is generally considered safe, as with most supplements (food or pill form), you should check with your GP if you’re on medication or dealing with health conditions.
Reema warns: “It’s important to ensure shilajit is consumed in a pure form, to prevent intoxication from mycotoxins or heavy metals as well as other contaminations. Ensure that you choose purified, ready to use shilajit, so that it’s fit for human consumption. Since it is a herbal supplement, it is not monitored or regulated for quality and purity.”
It’s also advised to avoid shilajit if you have sickle cell anaemia, hemochromatosis (high blood iron levels), the blood disorder thalassemia or heart disease, and Reema adds: “If you find that you develop an increased heart rate or a rash, stop taking shilajit.”
Sea moss benefits
Most of the purported benefits are anecdotal or taken from research on seaweed, rather than sea moss specifically – barely any have been conducted on humans.
One study on salmon showed seaweed can improve immunity, another on mice found it improved blood sugar regulation, and one study on humans revealed seaweed can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and therefore improve heart health – it is widely assumed these benefits are the same for sea moss, but this hasn’t been proven.
Of course, the various minerals offer specific benefits. For example, sea moss is rich in an amino acid called taurine which can help muscle repair and building. It also contains iodine, which is important for thyroid health, along with other necessarily minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium.
Anecdotally, those who eat seaweed report improvements to skin, gut health, energy levels, immunity and overall wellbeing, with improved fertility also often claimed.
Maz also says: “It’s believed to help aid weight loss and promote heart health but there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that sea moss is a rich enough source of nutrients to be relied upon to make improvements in these areas. I would always look at how you can get these nutrients through diet or well-researched supplements.”
View this post on Instagram
Sea moss side effects
One of the main risks associated with sea moss, and other forms of seaweed, is that fact they absorb heavy metals from the water. However, research on eight forms of seaweed revealed the risk of toxicity was pretty low.
Another concern, or drawback, is it’s difficult to know how much mineral content any batch of sea moss contains as this will be impacted by its environment while it’s grown. You might find you’re actually getting less minerals than you thought, or more.
As with shilajit, anyone on medication or dealing with heath conditions should check with their GP. Sea moss is high in iodine, which may not be safe for someone with hypothyroidism and so it’s best avoided.
With both sea moss and shilajit, Reema warns: “Supplements should not be relied on fully, but first a healthy diet and lifestyle should be a main priority to focus on, with the possible need of supplements coming after this, after discussing the risks and suitability with a registered health professional.”
What’s better, sea moss or shilajit?
The answer to this really depends on your personal health goals in relation to the benefits of each one. While shilajit has more science behind it, the anecdotal benefits of sea moss might appeal to you more.
For example, Reema observes: “If you’re looking to reduce signs of ageing, shilajit may be a better option, though it is more likely that improved energy levels can be found more from sea moss.”
If you’re struggling to choose, luckily, you don’t have to. As long as there’s no restrictions as detailed above, sea moss and shilajit are fine to take together.
