Shilajit: male influencers claim it boosts testosterone and libido, but what does the science say?

‘There’s quite a bit of shilajit on sale in Australia. In some of these preparations there are more heavy metals than is allowed in current regulations,’ says Dr Ian Musgrave. Composite: Getty Images

Gender biases embedded in the way social media algorithms serve us content are well documented: algorithms have been found to amplify misogynistic content and unduly objectify women’s bodies, and are often cited as a driver of political polarisation between young men and women.

If you are online and of the male persuasion, you are more likely than me to have encountered videos extolling the supposed masculine benefits of substances such as shilajit and ashwagandha. Interest in shilajit has taken off in recent years, in no small part thanks to square-jawed men who pose with jars of the stuff in TikToks and Instagram posts, looking like perfect caricatures of virility with their fastidiously groomed facial hair and inexplicable shirtlessness.