# Is shilajit bad for your kidneys? The evidence

Source: https://shilajit.uk/safety/kidneys/
Author: Sam Rowan · Updated 2026-10-26

**Short answer:** In healthy people, short trials found no harm: creatinine and urea stayed normal for up to 90 days at doses of 200 mg to 2 g a day. The larger risk to the kidneys is contamination with cadmium and lead, which damage them. If you have kidney disease, don't take shilajit without your kidney team's advice.

"Is shilajit bad for your kidneys?" is one of the most common safety questions about it. For healthy people, the short answer from the trials is no, at least over a few months. Every human study that measured kidney function found it unchanged.

That answer comes with two big caveats. The trials were small, short and excluded people with kidney problems. And the main threat to the kidneys from shilajit isn't shilajit itself, but the toxic metals that poorly purified products can contain.

## What do human trials show about the kidneys?

No harm, in the studies that checked. Doctors usually judge kidney function from two blood tests, creatinine and urea, which rise when the kidneys stop clearing waste properly.

| Study | Who took part | Dose and length | Kidney results |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sharma et al., 2003 | 20 healthy students on shilajit, 10 on placebo | 2 g a day, 45 days | Creatinine, urea and uric acid unchanged |
| Biswas et al., 2010 | 28 men with low sperm counts | 200 mg a day, 90 days | Kidney tests unchanged |
| Yadav et al., 2026 | 25 healthy men, no placebo | 500 mg resin a day, 28 days | Kidney tests within normal limits |

This is reassuring, but limited. Together these studies cover fewer than 100 people taking shilajit, for no longer than three months. None was done in people with kidney disease or the conditions that most often lead to it, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and none tested shilajit over years. Our [side effects](/safety/side-effects/) page covers what else the trials reported.

## Why are heavy metals the bigger kidney risk?

Because cadmium and lead both damage the kidneys, and they build up over time. Cadmium is held in the kidney for 10 to 30 years and first damages the tubules, the tiny tubes that reabsorb water and salts, before causing wider kidney damage (Järup and Akesson, 2009). Lead poisoning can also injure the kidneys: in an Indian hospital series of 73 people poisoned by lead in Ayurvedic medicines, some had kidney injury (Mehta et al., 2017).

Raw shilajit can contain both metals. 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](/buying-guide/uk-product-audit/), 11 published no lab report at all. See [heavy metals in shilajit](/safety/heavy-metals/) for the GB limits, and use our [lab report checker](/buying-guide/lab-report-checker/) to compare a seller's results with them.

## Is shilajit safe with kidney disease?

It has never been studied, so the safe answer is to ask your kidney team first. There are three reasons for caution.

- **Minerals.** Shilajit is about 20% minerals, chiefly calcium, potassium and magnesium (Kamgar et al., 2025). People with reduced kidney function are often told to limit potassium, and amounts vary between products.
- **Metals.** Damaged kidneys clear toxic metals less well, so any contamination matters more.
- **Potassium and blood pressure.** In one published case, a pregnant woman who took mumijo, another name for shilajit, for 6 months developed high blood pressure and low potassium, which settled when she stopped (Stavropoulos et al., 2018). It is a single case, but blood pressure and potassium are both closely managed in kidney disease.

If you have chronic kidney disease, a kidney transplant or are on dialysis, don't start shilajit without your kidney team's advice. The NHS notes that kidney disease often causes no symptoms early on and is found through blood and urine tests.

## What do animal studies show?

Mostly protection, with one warning sign. In rats, shilajit reduced kidney damage caused by the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (Ezer et al., 2025), and mumijo reduced kidney damage from amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, an antibiotic, while having no effect on kidney tests when given alone (Durgun and Yildizhan, 2026).

Rats given up to 5,000 mg per kilo a day for 91 days had normal organ weights, with negligible changes only in the liver and intestine at the highest dose (Velmurugan et al., 2012). But a 2026 study of single high doses found mild to moderate damage in kidney and liver tissue under the microscope, even though the rats showed no signs of illness (Rizun et al., 2026). The first author of that study founded a company that sells shilajit.

These doses are far above what people take, and rat results often don't carry over. They don't show that shilajit protects human kidneys, and the 2026 result is a reason for longer studies in people.

## Does shilajit help with kidney stones?

There is no evidence that it does. We found no human or animal study testing shilajit for kidney stones. If you have symptoms such as severe pain in your side or back, or blood in your urine, see your GP or follow the NHS advice on kidney stones.

## How can you protect your kidneys if you take shilajit?

- Choose a purified product with a recent, batch-specific lab report showing lead and cadmium within GB limits.
- Stay within the doses used in trials, usually 250 to 500 mg a day (see the [dosage guide](/how-to-take-shilajit/dosage/)).
- Don't take it if you have kidney disease, a transplant or are on dialysis, unless your kidney team agrees.
- Tell your GP you take it if you have kidney blood tests, so any change can be interpreted correctly.
- Check with a pharmacist if you take medicines for blood pressure, diabetes or fluid (see [drug interactions](/safety/drug-interactions/)). If you have gout, see [gout and uric acid](/safety/gout-and-uric-acid/).

For other risks, see the [safety overview](/safety/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does shilajit damage the kidneys?

Not in the human trials that checked. Creatinine and urea, the usual kidney blood tests, didn't change in studies lasting 28 to 90 days. Those trials were small and short, and none included people with kidney disease. Contaminated products are the bigger concern, because cadmium and lead both damage the kidneys.

### Can I take shilajit if I have chronic kidney disease?

Not without advice from your kidney team. It has never been studied in kidney disease, it contains potassium and other minerals that people with reduced kidney function may need to limit, and the kidneys are less able to clear any metals it contains.

### Does shilajit help with kidney stones?

There is no evidence that it does. We found no human study of shilajit for kidney stones. Kidney stones need medical assessment; see the NHS advice on kidney stones.

### Can shilajit protect the kidneys?

Only in rat studies. Shilajit or mumijo reduced kidney damage caused by drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and amoxicillin with clavulanic acid in rats. That has never been tested in people and isn't a reason to take it.

## References

1. [Sharma P et al. Shilajit: evaluation of its effects on blood chemistry of normal human subjects. Anc Sci Life. 2003;23(2):114-9.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22557121/)
2. [Biswas TK et al. Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia. 2010;42(1):48-56.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20078516/)
3. [Yadav D et al. Safety and Efficacy of TruBlk Shilajit Resin Supplementation on Physical Performance and Blood Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A 28-Day Open-Label Pilot Study. Cureus. 2026;18(1):e102372.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41613504/)
4. [Velmurugan C et al. Evaluation of safety profile of black shilajit after 91 days repeated administration in rats. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012;2(3):210-4.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23569899/)
5. [Rizun N et al. Biogeochemical Evaluation of Shilajit: Testosterone-Modulating Effects, In Vivo Toxicity and Lipid Profile Analysis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2026;19(9):1486.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42797531/) The first author founded a company that sells shilajit resin.
6. [Ezer M et al. Investigation of the molecular and cellular effects of Shilajit on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2025;28(5):565-574.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40666183/)
7. [Durgun HM, Yildizhan E. The Efficacy of Mumijo Extract in Protecting Against Amoxicillin/Clavulanate-Induced Apoptotic Damage in Renal Tissues of Rats. Iran J Kidney Dis. 2026;19(6):351-360.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42234886/)
8. [Järup L, Akesson A. Current status of cadmium as an environmental health problem. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2009;238(3):201-8.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19409405/)
9. [Mehta V et al. Lead intoxication due to ayurvedic medications as a cause of abdominal pain in adults. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2017;55(2):97-101.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27957879/)
10. [Stavropoulos K et al. Pseudohyperaldosteronism due to mumijo consumption during pregnancy: a licorice-like syndrome. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2018;34(12):1019-1021.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29933704/)
11. [Kamgar E, Kaykhaii M, Zembrzuska J. A Comprehensive Review on Shilajit: What We Know about Its Chemical Composition. Crit Rev Anal Chem. 2025;55(3):461-473.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38133965/)
12. [NHS. Chronic kidney disease.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-disease/)
13. [NHS. Kidney stones.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-stones/)