Who should avoid taking Shilajit?
Published Updated Rebecca StubbinsShort answer: shilajit should be avoided by children and teenagers under 18, by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and by anyone on prescribed medication or with a medical condition unless their doctor agrees. That last group includes people managing blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone conditions, kidney problems or iron overload, and anyone due to have surgery. For healthy adults, purified shilajit at the labelled dose was well tolerated in the controlled trials that reported on tolerability, which ran for up to 48 weeks [3][4][5].
The other group who should avoid it is anyone buying raw, untested resin: shilajit is a mineral pitch, and reviews of the evidence describe heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury in some samples [9]. Love Life Supplements Shilajit Capsules contain 600 mg of MEET Shilajeet® extract per capsule (a 70:1 extract from 42,000 mg of raw shilajit), standardised to 60% fulvic acid, vegan, made in the UK under GMP and third-party tested for heavy metals. Below: a who-should-avoid checklist, every known side effect and what the trials actually reported, plus where shilajit stands under UK and US rules.
- Not for under-18s. No trial has studied children, and our label states it is not intended for anyone under 18.
- Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding. There is no safety data, and one published case linked six months of mumijo (shilajit) in pregnancy to high blood pressure and low potassium [8].
- Ask your doctor first if you take medication, have a medical condition or are due to undergo surgery. That is printed on our label too.
- Side effects are uncommon in the trials. Studies of 8 to 48 weeks reported it as well tolerated, with no change in blood glucose or lipids in one US study [3].
- Purity is the biggest risk. About one in five Ayurvedic products bought online in a JAMA study contained lead, mercury or arsenic [7].
- There is no NRV, RDA or upper limit. Shilajit is not a vitamin or mineral, so follow the label: ours is 1 to 2 capsules daily with food.
Who Should Not Take Shilajit?
Shilajit is not suitable for under-18s or for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone on prescription medication, with a health condition or facing surgery should check with their doctor before taking it. Those are the groups where there is either no safety data at all or a plausible reason for caution. Everyone else should still choose a purified, tested extract and stay within the label dose.
The table below is our own checklist, built from the label cautions on our Shilajit Capsules and the published research. It is the quickest way to see whether shilajit is one to skip, one to discuss with a doctor, or one you can start.
| Who | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Children and teenagers under 18 | Avoid | No studies in children; every human trial enrolled adults. Our label says not intended for under-18s. |
| Pregnant women | Avoid | No safety data, and a published case of high blood pressure and low potassium after mumijo use in pregnancy [8]. |
| Breastfeeding women | Avoid | No data on whether its compounds pass into breast milk. |
| People on prescribed medication | Doctor first | Interactions have not been studied in people. Our label asks you to consult your GP if you take medication. |
| High or low blood pressure | Doctor first | The pregnancy case report involved a rise in blood pressure [8]. |
| Diabetes or blood sugar medication | Doctor first | One 8-week trial found no change in blood glucose [3], but people taking glucose-lowering medication were not studied. |
| Hormone-sensitive conditions or hormone therapy | Doctor first | Purified shilajit raised total and free testosterone and DHEAS against placebo in men aged 45 to 55 [1]. |
| Kidney disease | Doctor first | Shilajit is a concentrated source of minerals, and people with kidney disease often need to watch mineral intake. |
| Iron overload (for example haemochromatosis) | Doctor first | Shilajit naturally contains iron; an animal study measured iron in organs after 91 days at high doses [10]. |
| Due to undergo surgery | Doctor first | Our label lists surgery as a reason to consult your GP before use. |
| Healthy adults | Generally suitable | Trials of 8 to 48 weeks reported purified extracts as well tolerated [3][4][5]. Use a tested product at the label dose. |
Can Children Take Shilajit?
No. Children and teenagers should not take shilajit: there are no studies in anyone under 18, and our label states it is not intended for use by persons under the age of 18. Every human trial of purified shilajit has enrolled adults, typically aged 18 and over, and several enrolled middle-aged men or women [1][2][4].
That applies whether the question is "can kids have shilajit", "is shilajit good for kids" or "can a 14 year old take shilajit": without data on growing bodies, and given that shilajit has been studied for its effect on hormones such as testosterone [1], the safe answer is to wait until adulthood. Keep capsules out of sight and reach of young children, as the label asks.
Can You Take Shilajit While Pregnant or Breastfeeding?
No. Shilajit is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, because it has never been studied in either group and there is one published case of a serious reaction in pregnancy. In that case, a 37-year-old pregnant woman who had taken mumijo, another name for shilajit, for six months developed persistent high blood pressure and low potassium; the doctors linked it to the mumijo, she stopped taking it and was given potassium [8]. The authors called it the first report of its kind and suggested shilajit be added to the list of agents that can cause this licorice-like syndrome.
One case does not prove shilajit is harmful to every pregnancy, but with no trials to weigh against it, it is a clear reason to stop. If you are trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your midwife, GP or obstetrician about which supplements suit you. For men trying for a baby, we cover the fertility research separately in does shilajit increase sperm count?
Can Diabetics Take Shilajit?
Possibly, but only with your doctor's agreement, because shilajit has not been tested alongside diabetes medication. The most relevant human data is reassuring on its own terms: in a US trial, overweight adults took 500 mg of purified shilajit a day for 8 weeks, then continued for 4 more weeks with exercise, and there was no change in blood glucose or blood lipids [3]. Those volunteers were not diabetic and were not on glucose-lowering drugs.
If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or take metformin, insulin or any other medication for blood sugar, ask your GP, diabetes nurse or pharmacist before you start, and keep monitoring as you normally would. The same applies if you have kidney complications of diabetes.
Shilajit and Medication: When to Check With Your Doctor
Anyone taking prescribed medication should check with a doctor or pharmacist before taking shilajit, because no human study has tested how it interacts with medicines. Our label says the same: always consult your GP before taking food supplements, especially if you take medication, have an existing medical condition or are due to undergo surgery. Here is where the questions usually come from.
Blood pressure
The pregnancy case above involved a rise in blood pressure with low potassium [8]. If you have high blood pressure, take blood pressure medication, or take medication that affects potassium, get advice first and check your readings once you start.
Hormones and testosterone
Shilajit's best-known research is on testosterone. In a randomised, double-blind trial, healthy men aged 45 to 55 taking 250 mg of purified shilajit twice a day for 90 days had significantly higher total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEAS than men on placebo, while LH and FSH stayed stable [1]. The 60-day human trial of MEET Shilajeet®, the extract in our capsules, recorded an average testosterone rise of 10.6% against placebo in men aged 18 to 45, although that difference was not statistically significant [11]. For most men that is the reason to take it. It is also why anyone on testosterone or other hormone therapy, or with a hormone-sensitive condition, should talk to their specialist first. Our testosterone evidence review covers both trials in detail.
Does shilajit thin the blood?
There is no human study showing that shilajit thins the blood or changes clotting. Because interactions have not been tested, anyone on warfarin, a DOAC or antiplatelet medication should still check with their prescriber, and anyone due for surgery or a dental procedure should mention it, as our label advises.
Kidneys and iron
Shilajit is mostly fulvic acid with a spread of minerals [6], including iron. In a 91-day rat study, iron levels in most organs did not change, apart from the liver at the highest dose of 5,000 mg per kg, and organs looked normal except for negligible liver and intestine changes at that highest dose [10]. That dose is far beyond anything a person would take, but if you have kidney disease or a condition that causes iron overload, such as haemochromatosis, ask your doctor before adding a mineral-rich supplement.
A note from Ben, founder of Love Life Supplements
We put the cautions on our shilajit label for a reason, and they are the same ones in this guide: not for under-18s, and speak to your GP first if you take medication, have a condition or are having surgery. Shilajit suits a lot of adults, but not everyone, and a good brand should say so plainly.
The bigger risk I see is raw resin bought on price from a marketplace with no test results. If you take shilajit, take a purified, standardised extract with its testing published, and stick to the dose on the tub.
Stay safe,
Ben Law
Founder, Love Life Supplements
What Are the Side Effects of Shilajit?
Side effects of purified shilajit appear to be uncommon: the controlled trials that reported on tolerability found it well tolerated at 250 mg to 500 mg a day for 8 to 48 weeks. The 8-week US muscle study found no change in blood glucose, blood lipids, creatine kinase or myoglobin [3]; the 14-week study in women reported no adverse effects [4]; and the testosterone trial reported stable LH and FSH [1]. A 2014 safety review in Phytotherapy Research concluded that the safety of shilajit is well documented in animal and human studies, while calling for more well-controlled trials of standardised products [6].
When people do report side effects, user reports most often mention mild, short-lived stomach upset or headache. Our label notes that side effects are rare, and asks you to stop and contact your GP straight away if you have an adverse reaction. The more serious problems in the literature come from pregnancy [8] and from contaminated, untested products [7][9].
| Study | Who | Daily dose | Length | Safety finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Das et al., 2016 [3] | Overweight adults (US) | 500 mg | 8 weeks + 4 with exercise | No change in blood glucose, lipids, creatine kinase or myoglobin |
| Das et al., 2019 [4] | Healthy middle-aged women | 250 mg or 500 mg | 14 weeks | No adverse effects reported |
| Pandit et al., 2016 [1] | Healthy men aged 45 to 55 | 500 mg | 90 days | LH and FSH stable; testosterone and DHEAS rose against placebo |
| Keller et al., 2019 [2] | 63 active men | 250 mg or 500 mg | 8 weeks | Daily dosing for 8 weeks; 500 mg kept more strength after fatigue |
| Pingali & Nutalapati, 2022 [5] | 60 postmenopausal women | 250 mg or 500 mg | 48 weeks | Longest controlled daily-use trial; oxidative stress and inflammation markers measured |
| Velmurugan et al., 2012 [10] | Rats | 500 to 5,000 mg per kg | 91 days | Normal organ weights; negligible liver and intestine changes at the highest dose only |
| Stavropoulos et al., 2018 [8] | One pregnant woman | Not stated (mumijo) | 6 months | High blood pressure and low potassium; managed by stopping it and giving potassium |
Can shilajit cause headaches?
Headache is one of the side effects people mention most, but none of the controlled trials above reported it as a problem. If you get one, take your capsule with food and a full glass of water, drop to one capsule a day, and stop if it continues.
Does shilajit cause constipation?
Constipation was not reported in the published trials. Some people notice changes in digestion when they start any new supplement; taking it with food, as our label directs, and drinking enough water usually helps. Stop and speak to your GP if a change persists.
Shilajit side effects for women and men
The trials in women, at 14 and 48 weeks, did not report safety problems [4][5]; the specific cautions for women are pregnancy and breastfeeding. For men, the main point is the hormone effect described above, which matters if you are on testosterone therapy or have a hormone-sensitive condition. Side effects in either sex are not linked to the format, but resin is harder to dose accurately than capsules; see shilajit resin vs capsules vs gummies.
Is Raw Shilajit Resin Safe? Heavy Metals and Purity
Raw or untested shilajit is the form most worth avoiding, because it is a mineral pitch scraped from rock and can carry heavy metals. A 2024 review in Biological Trace Element Research reported that shilajit can contain around 65 metals, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury; most samples studied were within WHO and FDA limits, but some exceeded them, and the authors concluded that consuming shilajit without knowing its metal levels is not safe [9].
The wider category has the same problem. In a study published in JAMA, researchers bought 193 Ayurvedic products online and found that about one in five (20.7%) contained detectable lead, mercury or arsenic [7]. So the minimum standard for any shilajit is a named, standardised extract with a stated fulvic acid percentage and published third-party test results. Ours is MEET Shilajeet®, standardised to 60% fulvic acid and tested for heavy metals; you can see our results on the lab results and testing page, and how other brands compare in our shilajit buyer's guide.
Is Shilajit Safe? What UK and US Rules Say
Shilajit is legal to sell as a food supplement in the UK and as a dietary supplement in the US, but neither the UK Food Standards Agency nor the US Food and Drug Administration approves individual supplements before they go on sale. In both markets the brand is responsible for making sure its product is safe and correctly labelled, which is why testing and an accurate label carry so much weight. The FSA's food supplements guidance sets out the UK rules; in the US, supplements are regulated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, and the FDA can act against unsafe products after they reach the market. We go into the UK position in is shilajit approved in the UK?
There is also no official reference intake. Shilajit is not a vitamin or mineral, so there is no UK Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) and no NIH Office of Dietary Supplements RDA, Adequate Intake or Tolerable Upper Intake Level for it. The useful numbers are the doses used in trials and the amount on your label.
How Much Shilajit Is Safe to Take?
Stay within the label dose. Published trials used 250 mg to 500 mg of purified extract a day; our label directs 1 to 2 capsules daily with food, at 600 mg per capsule, and not to exceed that unless a qualified healthcare professional advises it. One capsule already sits just above the 500 mg used in most trials, so many people start with one and stay there.
| Option | Shilajit extract per day | Days per tub | Cost per day (UK) | Cost per day (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial low dose (Keller, Pingali, Das 2019) | 250 mg | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Trial standard dose (Pandit, Das 2016) | 500 mg | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| MEET Shilajeet® trial | 1,000 mg (500 mg twice) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| LLS Shilajit, 1 capsule a day | 600 mg | 60 | £0.53 (£0.48 subscribed) | $0.72 ($0.65 subscribed) |
| LLS Shilajit, 2 capsules a day | 1,200 mg | 30 | £1.07 (£0.96 subscribed) | $1.44 ($1.30 subscribed) |
A few habits keep it simple: take it with food, at the same time each day, and do not double up after a missed day. Long-term daily use has been studied only with purified extracts, for up to 48 weeks [5]; our guide to what happens if you take shilajit daily walks through the timeline.
Our Shilajit Capsules provide 600 mg of MEET Shilajeet® per capsule, standardised to 60% fulvic acid, vegan, third-party tested for heavy metals and made in the UK, with a 60-day money-back guarantee. 60 capsules: UK £31.95 one-time or £28.76 on subscription; US $43.32 one-time or $38.99 on subscription.
View productShilajit Safety: Frequently Asked Questions
Who should not take shilajit?
Children and teenagers under 18, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should not take shilajit. Anyone on prescribed medication, with a medical condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or iron overload, or due to have surgery should check with their doctor first.
Can kids take shilajit?
No. There are no studies of shilajit in children, every human trial enrolled adults, and our label states it is not intended for anyone under 18. Keep it out of sight and reach of young children.
Can pregnant women take shilajit?
No. Shilajit has not been studied in pregnancy, and one published case linked six months of mumijo (shilajit) use in pregnancy to high blood pressure and low potassium. The same caution applies while breastfeeding, because there is no data on breast milk.
Can diabetics take shilajit?
Only with a doctor's agreement. An 8-week trial in overweight adults found no change in blood glucose, but people with diabetes or taking glucose-lowering medication were not studied, so ask your GP, diabetes nurse or pharmacist first.
Does shilajit thin your blood?
No human study has shown that shilajit thins the blood or affects clotting. Interactions with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication have not been tested, though, so check with your prescriber if you take one, and mention it before any surgery.
Is shilajit FDA approved?
No supplement is FDA approved. In the US, shilajit is sold as a dietary supplement, and the FDA does not approve supplements before sale; in the UK it is sold as a food supplement, which the FSA likewise does not pre-approve. In both markets the brand is responsible for safety, so choose a tested, standardised extract.
References
- Clinical evaluation of purified Shilajit on testosterone levels in healthy volunteers. Andrologia, 2016, PubMed
- The effects of Shilajit supplementation on fatigue-induced decreases in muscular strength and serum hydroxyproline levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2019, PubMed
- The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation. J Med Food, 2016, PubMed
- Skin Transcriptome of Middle-Aged Women Supplemented With Natural Herbo-mineral Shilajit Shows Induction of Microvascular and Extracellular Matrix Mechanisms. J Am Coll Nutr, 2019, PubMed
- Shilajit extract reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and bone loss to dose-dependently preserve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine, 2022, PubMed
- Safety and efficacy of shilajit (mumie, moomiyo). Phytother Res, 2014, PubMed
- Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet. JAMA, 2008, PubMed
- Pseudohyperaldosteronism due to mumijo consumption during pregnancy: a licorice-like syndrome. Gynecol Endocrinol, 2018, PubMed
- Hazardous or Advantageous: Uncovering the Roles of Heavy Metals and Humic Substances in Shilajit (Phyto-mineral) with Emphasis on Heavy Metals Toxicity and Their Detoxification Mechanisms. Biol Trace Elem Res, 2024, PubMed
- Evaluation of safety profile of black shilajit after 91 days repeated administration in rats. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2012, PubMed
- Mehra et al. Clinical study of MEET Shilajeet® in healthy men aged 18 to 45 (randomised, placebo-controlled, 60 days; trial registration CTRI/2024/05/066815). International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD69354), 2024. Sponsored by the extract supplier.
PubMed references checked by title on 27 October 2026.
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