Lithium orotate "supplements" are illegal in the EU, Germany warns

What happened

On 31 August 2026 Germany’s Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) warned about lithium products sold online as food supplements with promises such as “neuronal health”, “mental clarity” or “inner calm”. It stated that foods, including supplements, with added lithium compounds are banned in the EU, whatever the form: lithium carbonate, lithium orotate or any other. Even a moderate increase in lithium levels in the body can have serious health effects, the BVL said, so lithium should only be taken under medical supervision. In Germany it is a prescription-only medicine. Stiftung Warentest repeated the warning in September.

What it means for you

• The rule is simple: only the vitamins and minerals listed in the annexes of the Food Supplements Directive may be added to supplements, and lithium is not on the list. Great Britain uses the same lists in its own regulations.
• A product sold as a lithium supplement is therefore either an unlicensed medicine or an unsafe food, however low the dose and however “natural” the marketing. Germany’s consumer centres call selling it as a supplement a criminal offence.
• Interest comes from research on lithium and dementia, which is still at an early stage; there is no evidence that over-the-counter lithium prevents anything.
• If you take lithium on prescription, don’t add any product containing it, and ask your pharmacist about interactions before starting any supplement.

Information only, not medical advice. No brand or shop paid for this item.