Lithium Orotate: My First Encounter

Gold panning with Joe and Drew
May 2002

I should have studied to become a Geologist; I love rocks, they fascinate me.  Nuns in Grammar school helped uncover my passion for gems back in the late 60's.  Field trips to local beaches and woodlands piqued my curiosity, precious gems and minerals at my feet.   Identifying stones gave me the sense that I was a scientist; conglomerates were my favorite with granite, sandstone, quartz and mica.

Decades before the internet, I searched and looked for gemstone books in book stores.  Score! I found a book at the Boston Museum of Science gift shop one year, valuable descriptions and sketchy maps that I treasured.  Unfortunately, I lent it out to a friend and she never returned it.  Bummer.

The book was awesome, it provided written descriptions where gems could be found.  I liked to use the book as a starting point for expeditions.  Rock hounding outside in nature looking for gems and minerals is still my favorite hobby.

One day a group of my work friends and I picked a place out of the gem hunters guide; Goshen, Massachusetts.  We set out on a mission to find Goshenite, a gemstone that was originally discovered in this little town, population 99.  Goshenite is beautiful, it's a form of beryl that is clear and white.

Driving out to the western part of the state of Massachusetts, we found the little town of Goshen.  We made our best attempt to follow the brief description that was written in the book, searching for a path that lead into the woods.  We failed.  We continued driving aimlessly, stopping and looking for landmarks that were long gone since the time the book had been written.

Darn!  What were we going to do now?

A fire station seemed to appear out of nowhere.  An old fireman, leaning back on the legs of his small kitchen type chair while smoking a pipe, sat outside the firehouse.  The scene was surreal, similar to the opening to a Twilight Zone episode from the 1960's TV series.

Fearless, we approached the fireman, who listened to us as we explained our reason for being in Goshen.  We were looking for gemstones.  He put his pipe down, let out a happy little giggle and began giving us instructions.

"You see that white house up there on that hill?  You take that road where it forks, there are big white rocks sticking out of the ground... now that's the road you want to take."  He continued, "... you knock on the door on the side and tell (whatever the guys name was, can't remember) that I sent you up to his house and he'll show you where to look for rocks."  The fireman put his pipe back in his mouth without skipping a beat, puffed on his pipe with a peaceful smile on his face and waved goodbye.

We thanked the man and off we drove with picks and shovels in the back of my truck, heading for the little old white farm house at the top of the hill.

The sky began to darken as we drove toward the farm, threatening to burst with heavy rain.  Slowly we drove up the dirt path to the farm, it began to drizzle.  I was beginning to become frightened.  My active imagination was beginning to feel like we were entering a scene of a horror movie or a Twilight Zone episode.  I wanted to turn back but my friends encouraged me to keep going.

"Strength in numbers!"  My friend Cathy exclaimed.  I drove on.

Walking up to the door, we noticed that the farm was in need of repair.  It began to drizzle.  I knocked on the door as instructed and we were greeted by the cutest little old man.  My fears melted away immediately.  He had a bright face with a smile that light up a very overcast day.  He was super friendly, opening his home to my friends and me; strangers.  It felt like we had gone back in time 100 years.

"Come in!  Come in!"  He exclaimed.

After we told him what we were there for, he led us out back, through a cow pasture that was full of holes made by over zealous woodchucks.  Holes that could have broken our ankles if we were not careful where we placed our feet.

The clouds in the sky were threatening, becoming darker, larger drops of rain began to pelt our faces. Our guide wasn't phased by the rain, he led us further into the woods.  Cathy, my dear friend whispered to me, "This is where he pulls out the knife and murders us."  Ah.... no wonder I don't hang with Cathy anymore.

Finally, we arrived at the edge of the cow pasture, along a stream is where we stopped.

"He he he he."  The little old man began, "lots of Geologist have been coming here to research this land.  Right where we are standing, the Geologist worked tirelessly for quite some time.  This is a good place for you to start."

He walked around, looking at the ground; stopping to pick up a stone that he held up for us to see.

"You see this rock here?  It's the mineral Lithium, like they give folks with mental troubles.  You can suck on the rock."  He said to us as he held a dirty rock between his dirt stained fingers.

Immediately, we all began looking for a piece of lithium; we figured what the hell, we washed the stone in the stream and popped it into our mouths like a piece of hard candy.  We had hopes that we'd become as happy as the only two people we had met in town.

The rain began coming down harder.  "I'll leave you girls to your digging.  Come knock on my door when you are leaving, I will show you my collection and make you a cup of cocoa.  I'll heat the stove so that you can all get warm before your long drive home."   He laughed a soft happy laugh as he walked back through the cow pasture to his humble farm house.

Each of us took a spot and we began our search for Goshenite, a beautiful prize for our efforts.  Rocks with lithium in them were everywhere, we found ourselves laughing like the little old man.  Was it psychosomatic?  Was it real?  We didn't know but we stayed in the pouring rain, we laughed and dug for minerals.  It was loads of fun, we all did feel peaceful that day, even in a torrential rain storm.

Darkness was beginning to set in, my friends and I headed back to the farm house where we were greeted with a hot cup of cocoa and a dry place to sit next to the heated wood oven.  Our friend made good on his promise and pulled out a box full of precious gems that he had found on his property over the decades of his life.  I have never seen such an awesome rock collection, EVER.

Years have passed since my first experience with Lithium Orotate in its natural form.  My mom now takes 20 mg of a Lithium Orotate supplement to help improve her mood and disposition.  Dementia confusion and associated anger have seemed to dissipate.  It's working.

Yesterday, I asked our ND if I could take some Lithium Orotate to help me with the stress of Care Giving.  He said yes, so I took 20 mg last night before bed.  I had aches and pains everywhere.  I woke up without any pain in my body.  It seems to be working for me too.

**NOTE: ** I wouldn't recommend taking Lithium Orotate without talking to a Naturopath Doctor.  It does matter if you are taking Ace Inhibitors or Beta Blockers.  Even though this is a non-toxic version of Lithium, it needs to be taken with care and under the supervision of a professional.   It is safer than the pharmaceutical version but it can also cause your body harm if not taken correctly.