Safed Musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum)

The verdict

Popular traditional aphrodisiac; evidence for effectiveness is limited to animal studies — no human clinical trials found — but a dedicated safety check found no documented human liver-injury signal and reassuring (if limited) toxicity/contamination data, unlike several of the other Ayurvedic herbs in this list.

Ayurvedic herbs — a standing contamination note

Heavy-metal contamination (lead, mercury, arsenic) has been documented across a meaningful share of commercially sold Ayurvedic herbal products, as a product-manufacturing/sourcing risk layered on top of — not a substitute for — each herb's own safety profile above. One peer-reviewed cluster investigation found lead in 65% of 252 tested samples, mercury in 38%, and arsenic in 32%, with concentrations in many samples exceeding safe daily intake by up to several thousand times. An earlier study found 1 in 5 sampled products exceeded safety thresholds for at least one heavy metal. The FDA has separately issued a warning about heavy-metal poisoning linked to unapproved Ayurvedic drug products. Researchers attribute this mainly to raw-material sourcing rather than universal intentional adulteration — it is not eliminated just by choosing a well-known brand. Applies to every item in this group: ashwagandha, shatavari, tribulus terrestris (gokshura), safed musli, and shilajit.

An Ayurvedic root, marketed as a male aphrodisiac and fertility aid.

What the evidence shows

Evidence located is animal-only: rat studies show spermatogenic potential and protection from oxidative stress in diabetic rat models. No human RCTs found.

Dedicated safety pass: no human hepatotoxicity case reports or LiverTox entry found for Chlorophytum borivilianum specifically, unlike ashwagandha and tribulus. A rat toxicity study found no toxic effect up to 800 mg/kg body weight/day. One heavy-metal testing study of Indian-market safed musli samples found lead/arsenic/cadmium within acceptable WHO limits — a genuine positive data point, though one study and not a guarantee for every brand. This is the one Ayurvedic herb in the dataset where a dedicated look found more reassurance than concern; it stays at the contamination tier and does not carry a documented-harm flag.

Evidence tier

Contamination risk

🔴 Heavy-metal or adulteration risk tied to the product category (sourcing/manufacturing), not the item's own pharmacology.

Sources

Bioefficacy of Chlorophytum borivilianum for male infertility management — rat model

Take this further

Last reviewed 14 July 2026.