Shilajit side effects: what trials reported

Most people in shilajit trials reported no side effects at all, and in the two largest placebo-controlled trials side effects were no more common than with a dummy capsule. The complaints that have been recorded are mostly mild: indigestion, skin spots, a rash. A handful of case reports describe rarer and more serious problems, and these are worth knowing about even though nobody can say how often they happen.

The catch is size. Every trial so far has had fewer than 200 people, so a side effect affecting 1 person in 500 would almost certainly have been missed. And almost all trials used purified, standardised extracts. Raw resin bought online is a different product, and its main risk, contamination with toxic metals, would not show up as a side effect for months. Our safety overview covers who should avoid shilajit altogether.

What side effects were reported in shilajit trials?

Very few, and none serious. Here is what each trial recorded:

The last study is the only one that lists individual complaints, so it gives the clearest picture of what people might notice. Over 28 days, 2 men reported acne, and 1 each reported a rash, itching, upper stomach pain, indigestion, a cough and a fever. All were mild and cleared up without treatment, and the researchers judged most of them unlikely or only possibly related to shilajit (Yadav et al., 2026). Two caveats: there was no placebo group, so some of these would have happened anyway, and most of the authors work for the company that makes the resin tested.

Can shilajit raise blood pressure or lower potassium?

There is one published case. A 37-year-old pregnant woman in Greece was referred with high blood pressure and low potassium that would not settle. She had been taking mumijo, the Russian and Central Asian name for shilajit, for 6 months. Doctors diagnosed a “licorice-like syndrome”, where the body behaves as if it has too much of the hormone aldosterone. She was given potassium and stopped the mumijo, which treated it (Stavropoulos et al., 2018).

A single case cannot prove shilajit caused this, and the product she took was not analysed. But it is a reason to tell your doctor you take shilajit if you develop high blood pressure, muscle weakness or cramps. The trials that measured blood pressure, such as Sharma et al. (2003), found no change.

Can you be allergic to shilajit?

Possibly, though only one case has been published. A 43-year-old dance teacher in Italy developed hives after a meal that included shilajit, and later a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) with breathing difficulty and fainting after physical exertion. Skin tests to shilajit were negative and she declined a challenge test, so it was never confirmed. Her doctors thought shilajit acted as a “cofactor” that made a reaction more likely in someone with a suspected underlying mast cell disorder (Losa et al., 2019).

If you have a history of severe allergies or a mast cell condition, this is worth discussing with your GP before trying shilajit. That is a precaution based on one case, not a proven risk.

Is shilajit safe to put on your skin or in your ears?

We don’t know, and there is very little research on applying it. One Russian article from 1978, indexed only by its title, reports damage to the outer and middle ear after an alcohol solution of mumie was used in the ear (Dunaivitser and Grigorian, 1978). Don’t put shilajit, or homemade solutions of it, in your ears.

What do animal studies show about safety?

At normal doses, little cause for concern; at very high doses, some liver changes. Rats given up to 5,000 mg per kg of body weight daily for 91 days had normal organ weights, with “negligible” changes in the liver and intestine only at the highest dose, and a change in liver iron levels at that dose (Velmurugan et al., 2012). A 2026 study of single high doses in rats found no deaths or signs of illness over 14 days, but did find mild to moderate damage in liver and kidney tissue under the microscope (Rizun et al., 2026). The first author of that study founded a company that sells shilajit resin.

Animal doses like these are far above what anyone would take, so they mainly tell us that shilajit is not acutely poisonous. They don’t tell us much about long-term use in people.

Could symptoms be from contamination rather than shilajit itself?

Yes, and this is the side effect that matters most with poor-quality products. Lead poisoning from Ayurvedic medicines typically shows up as unexplained stomach pain, constipation, anaemia and abnormal liver tests. In one Indian hospital, 73 people with unexplained abdominal pain turned out to have lead poisoning from Ayurvedic medicines; all improved after stopping them and having treatment (Mehta et al., 2017). That series did not single out shilajit, but shilajit is sold through the same channels and can contain lead. Our page on heavy metals in shilajit explains how to check a product.

What should I do if I think shilajit is causing side effects?

Stop taking it and speak to your GP or pharmacist, and take the product with you so they can see the label. Seek urgent help for signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat or difficulty breathing. You can report a suspected side effect to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme, which helps regulators spot problems with products sold in the UK.

To keep the risk low in the first place, stick to the doses used in trials (see shilajit dosage), buy a product with a lab test for the batch, and check our page on drug interactions if you take any regular medicines.