Did you know that the mineral lithium can have huge benefits to your health?
The problem is that lithium has received a really bad wrap historically. As a result there’s been a lot of unfounded fear about taking it.
As with anything there’s an upper limit so you just have to know what that is. People have died drinking water, do you think we should not drink high quality water?
Of course not.
Lithium has been used historically for mental health cases and back then, they did not know the upper limit (which we’ll get to later) of lithium dosing.
Random thought….aren’t you glad that all the testing on drugs and supplements has happened already? I’d hate to be the first person undergoing brain surgery! I’d hate to be the first Guinea pig to try out some new medical procedure! Thankfully those that have come before us have endured the pain of figuring all this out. We really owe a debt of gratitude for those that came before us.
Thank you 🙂
Fun Fact!
Interestingly, when the ever so popular drink 7-UP was introduced as a patented medicine in 1929, it was called Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. The slogan if you can believe it was, “It takes the ouch out of the grouch,” kind of referring to its mood-boosting effects. Isn’t that crazy? The active ingredient in 7-UP until 1950 was lithium.
Around 1970 lithium was approved by our “friends” over at the FDA as a psychiatric drug. Remember, as soon as a molecule gets approved by the FDA, there’s going to be censorship around its health benefits. God forbid you should use the natural molecule found in nature that your body recognizes instead of a patented synthetic version that’s going to have side effects.
Clinical uses…
In a more clinical setting, lithium is prescribed in average doses of 900–1,800 mg per day to manage manic and depressive episodes people have and prevent suicide in patients with bipolar disorder, major depression, and other mental illnesses.
Personally I don’t recommend anything over 20mg per day. I’m not a doctor but high dose lithium should always be taken under the care of a medical doctor because I believe that high of a dose is dangerous. Any adverse effects I’ve seen in the literature seem to take place above 40mg per day. To be safe I cut that in half and have never seen or heard of any negative side effects at 20mg per day.
But again, check with your doctor on this. I’m just a health researcher that reads clinical papers so what do I know? 🙂
Historical uses…
In the 1800s, Lithia Springs in Georgia gained a reputation for improving depression and addiction to alcohol and opioids. Similarly, lithium-rich waters from natural springs (Mineral Wells, El Paso, Marlin Wells) in Texas, such as Lithia Water and Crazy Water, have been popular for their mood-enhancing properties. You can find more wells and springs in your area here.
What is Lithium?
Lithium is a naturally occurring mineral element in the same family as sodium and potassium, found in trace amounts in all living things, including plants and animals. It is not a drug and is present in our food supply, primarily in grains and vegetables.
Lithium is also a chemical element and soft, silvery-white alkali metal with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. Lithium comes from the Greek word lithos, which means “stone”.
Lithium is relatively rare, but it’s present in trace amounts in almost all rocks and in ocean water. The world’s identified lithium resources are estimated at 53.8 million tons, with 58% in Bolivia and 27% in China.
Because lithium is used in making cell phones along with computers and it was patented in 1970 for addictions, and neurological diseases, it would make sense to protect it as a money making asset and to demonize using it as a health supplement.
But we do know it has many biological benefits and can help a myriad of health conditions.
Let’s explore some benefits of lithium orotate.
5 Benefits of Lithium Orotate
1. Brain & Mood Health
Low-dose lithium supplementation is extremely healthy for overall brain health as well as mood regulation. Do you know anybody these days that are depressed or have mood disorders? Maybe they have anxiety or panic attacks? I know many people like that and people that have irrational fears or they worry too much. Lithium can help. It actually stimulates the growth of new brain cells (think stroke victims here too) to allow new neural pathways (necessary for creating new habits and getting yourself out of a “funk” or bad mood) to function.
Turns out lithium also help grow mitochondria in the brain and makes mitochondria stronger and able to create energy more effectively.
Another awesome benefit of lithium for brain health is that it strengthens existing brain cells and protects them from oxidative damage by balancing neurotransmitters and decreasing neuro-inflammation aka free radical damage.
As a result of this, studies show that it actually lowers suicide rates. I have a friend who committed suicide back in 2004 and I wish I could have had him on lithium back then. Lithium also helps emotional outbursts like anger, aggression and irritability. It also helps control impulse control (think of any addiction here).
If you have depression, anxiety, or irrational fears, lithium might really help you.
2. Addictions
In terms of addictions I would try low does lithium as my first approach. There are some studies that show that even low doses of lithium in drinking water were associated with significantly fewer arrests for crimes that were the result of drug addictions like homicides, robbery, rapes, suicide and even drug trafficking.
Lithium has also been shown to improve mood and behavior in alcoholics and this resulted in less visits to hospitals from overdosing alcohol. It has also been shown to help with other addictive behaviors like gambling. From the research I’ve read it appears to help raise levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is a hormone in your brain that must be regulated for “normal behavior”. In people battling addictions, their BDNF levels are way out of range.
3. Neurodegeneration
What I find really exciting is how there’s lots of evidence now that lithium has some really promising effects in the prevention and treatment of many neurological diseases including the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. Yes you read that right.
It seems to inhibit amyloid production and protects nerve cells against damage from excess beta-amyloid, which *may* be correlated to Alzheimer’s disease. But what I find exciting is that lithium seems to prevent the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, another hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
But the benefits of lithium (orotate) extend beyond even Alzheimer’s to even dementia. There was a landmark study published a few years ago in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that went into great detail about exactly this.
The benefit of lithium for neurodegenerative diseases might be due to the fact that it protects brain cells from oxidative stress, toxins and a lack of blood flow while at the same time stimulating the growth of new never cells (did you know you can regrow new brain cells at any age??) and helps remove toxins from the brain like tau protein and beta-amyloid. The majority of this detoxification process happens in the middle of the night during nREM sleep when your glymphatic system is activated.
4. Crystallization
Do you suffer with gout or kidney stones? This happens with uric acid or oxalic acid crystalizes in the body leading to gout or kidney stones. In other people these solidified crystals can be connected to other health conditions like fibromyalgia, eczema, tonsillitis, neuralgia, indigestion, biliousness, lumbago, muscular pains, sick headache, bronchitis, heart disease, kidney disease, apoplexy, dark-colored urine, bladder stones and more. There’s a really great book on oxalic acid called Toxic Superfoods that you might find interesting.
Lithium makes uric acid more soluble and prevents crystallization that leads to that painful needle sensation people have with gout. These crystals tend to store in joints as well as extremities. As I mentioned before many people with gout in the early 1900s would go to lithium mineral springs and bathe in the water getting instant relief.
The combination of lithium and Vitamin C helps to flush out these uric acid crystals from the body and it helps to prevent gout attacks from happening in the body. This also helps prevent kidney stones and the associated pain. I’ve never had a kidney stone but people say it’s incredibly painful.
No thanks. Now that I know all the health benefits of lithium orotate, I’d rather just take lithium daily.
5. Headaches
If you suffer with any type of headache I would highly encourage you to add lithium to your healing stack. I don’t care if you’re dealing with hormonal headaches, cluster headaches, migraines or just the run of the mill headache, consider lithium.
Lithium has been shown to alleviate the pain and throbbing associated with cluster headaches which I’ve heard can be debilitating. The studies I’ve read show that lithium can quite significantly reduce the pain associated with them but also the frequency and duration of these kinds of headaches.
For instance, one study involving 19 men with cluster headaches found that eight participants experienced an average 85 percent reduction in their “headache index” within just two weeks.
Also there was another study where four individuals who had both cluster headaches and psychiatric symptoms saw almost complete elimination of their headaches.
Another study with 14 individuals reported that five had complete disappearance of their headaches, while four showed significant improvement.
The benefits of lithium (orotate) seem to be never ending. Makes sense there’s a war on it and a reason to demonize it.
Questions
Is lithium safe?
Low does lithium (10-20mg) is considered extremely safe. Dosing above 40mg per day should be monitored by a doctor skilled in natural medicine.
How much should I take?
For general brain-boosting and neuroprotective benefits, it is recommended to take 10 to 20 milligrams of lithium (from lithium orotate) daily. This dosage is considered safe and has been used for over 30 years without significant adverse effects.
But…and here’s the kick…. for specific conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, higher doses may be necessary, and I would consider consulting with a healthcare practitioner that knows about the benefits of lithium orotate.
How long does lithium take to work?
The effects of lithium can vary depending on the condition you’re treating and what dosing schedule you’re on. For instance, in studies involving bipolar disorder, significant increases in grey matter volume were noted within four weeks of treatment. Pretty amazing right?
In another study, the brain volume increasing effects of lithium peaked at ten to twelve weeks and remained high until the end of the 16-week study 2.
Therefore, while some benefits may be noticed within a few weeks, optimal effects might take up to three months. I always recommend a four month rigid regimen of taking lithium orotate and seeing what kind of results you see. Make sure to get tested before you start taking lithium and after. If you can test after two months, that might help you figure out if it’s working as well.
How long should I take lithium?
Lithium can be taken every day for decades without significant issues, as long as it is in low doses. Studies have shown that individuals have used low-dose (10-20mg per day) lithium for extended periods with no reports of problems.
Conclusion
As you can see the health benefits of lithium orotate seem to be endless. This article is only highlighting some of the studies and some of the health conditions lithium can help. If you are in middle age you may want to take low dose lithium as a preventative.
Human beings bury their mitochondrial density in their brain and their heart. These two organs are the two that can benefit in exciting ways from taking lithium on a regular basis.
Questions
- Are you worried about getting neurological disease?
- Have you ever taken lithium orotate? How long did you take it?
- What effects did you notice?
- Are you going to start taking it?
Comment below.