Does shilajit raise blood pressure? The evidence

Does shilajit raise blood pressure? In healthy people, the trials say no: the studies that measured it found no change. It is still worth care, because one published case linked it to high blood pressure, and lead, which poorly made shilajit can contain, is a known cause of it.

Shilajit is also sometimes sold as good for blood pressure or the heart. There is no human evidence for that.

What do human trials show about blood pressure?

No change, in the two trials that reported it.

The first study used a high dose, but in only 20 young, healthy people for six weeks. The second barely counts as a shilajit study: each dose held just 6 or 12 mg of shilajit, mixed with chromium and amla fruit extract, and an ingredient supplier funded it. No trial has tested shilajit in people with high blood pressure, or followed anyone for longer than a few months while checking it. Our page on side effects covers what else the trials reported.

Can shilajit cause high blood pressure?

Possibly, in rare cases. A 37-year-old pregnant woman in Greece was referred with persistent high blood pressure and low potassium after taking mumijo, the Russian and Central Asian name for shilajit, for 6 months. Doctors diagnosed a “licorice-like syndrome”, in which the body acts as if it has too much aldosterone, the hormone that makes the kidneys hold on to salt and lose potassium. She was treated with potassium and by stopping the mumijo (Stavropoulos et al., 2018).

That is one case, and the product wasn’t analysed, so it can’t prove that shilajit caused the problem. But it is the only report of its kind, and it matches the effect liquorice is known to have, which is why the doctors called it licorice-like. Watch for muscle weakness, cramps or palpitations, which can be signs of low potassium. Our page on pregnancy and breastfeeding covers the case in more detail.

Why does lead contamination matter for blood pressure?

Because lead raises it. A systematic review of studies in people concluded that the evidence is strong enough to say lead exposure causes high blood pressure (Navas-Acien et al., 2007). In an Indian hospital series of 73 people poisoned by lead in Ayurvedic medicines, some had high blood pressure (Mehta et al., 2017).

Raw shilajit can contain lead. That is why a batch-specific lab report from an independent lab matters more than any claim on the label. In our audit of 20 UK sellers, 11 published no lab report at all. See heavy metals in shilajit for the GB limits, and use our lab report checker to compare a seller’s results with them.

Does shilajit lower blood pressure?

There is no good evidence that it does. Ayurvedic preparations containing it have been used for high blood pressure (Gaikwad et al., 2012), but the only evidence of a lowering effect is from animals. In rats, shilajit lowered blood pressure and heart rate, and the drug atropine blocked the effect, which suggests it acts through the nerves that slow the heart (Kaur et al., 2013). That was a single experiment, not a test of daily use.

In another rat study, a week of mumie at 250 or 500 mg per kilo a day had no effect on heart and circulation measurements in healthy rats, though it reduced heart damage caused by the drug isoproterenol (Joukar et al., 2014). None of this shows shilajit helps people with high blood pressure or protects the heart.

Can you take shilajit with blood pressure tablets?

Nobody has tested it, so ask your GP or pharmacist first. Two things could matter if you take blood pressure medicines:

• Potassium. Shilajit contains potassium among its minerals (Kamgar et al., 2025), and the amount varies between products. Some blood pressure tablets, such as ACE inhibitors (ramipril, lisinopril) and spironolactone, can raise potassium, while water tablets such as bendroflumethiazide can lower it.
• The case report. If shilajit can, rarely, raise blood pressure and lower potassium, it could work against your treatment.

See drug interactions for other medicines. If you have kidney disease as well, which often goes with high blood pressure, see shilajit and your kidneys.

How can you take shilajit safely if you have high blood pressure?

• Talk to your GP or pharmacist before you start, and tell them the exact product.
• Check your blood pressure before you start and again after two to four weeks. Many pharmacies offer free checks for people aged 40 or over.
• Stop and get your blood pressure checked if you notice palpitations, muscle weakness or cramps.
• Choose a product with a recent, batch-specific lab report showing lead within GB limits.
• Stay within the doses used in trials, usually 250 to 500 mg a day (see the dosage guide).
• Don’t stop or change your blood pressure medicine on your own.

The NHS considers a reading of 140/90 or higher at a GP surgery or pharmacy to be high blood pressure, and 135/85 or higher at home. It recommends a healthy diet, less salt, regular exercise, losing weight if you are overweight and keeping alcohol within limits. Those have strong evidence; shilajit doesn’t.

For other risks, see the safety overview.