The short answer
Not known. We found no study of shatavari taken with lithium. The concern joins two separate facts. The lithium label warns that sodium loss caused by diuretics can raise lithium levels, and in one rat study a shatavari root extract acted as a diuretic, though only at the highest dose tested.
Nobody knows whether shatavari causes enough fluid or salt loss in people to matter. Lithium can become toxic at levels close to the treatment range, so small changes count. If you take lithium, tell your prescribing doctor before you start shatavari, and ask whether your lithium level should be checked once you begin.
Lithium is sold in India as Lithosun.
At a glance
| What was seen | How it may work | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diuretic effect of shatavari root in rats, at the highest dose only[1][3] | Sodium and fluid loss could slow lithium clearance. Not tested. | Lithium level could rise; never measured with shatavari | Animal |
No listing is not a clearance. A missing interaction here never means a combination is safe.
The evidence, study by study
Rat study, Manipal, 2010 Animal
In rats, a water extract of shatavari root increased urine output at 3200 mg per kg of body weight, the highest of three doses, but not at 800 or 1600 mg per kg. Lithium was not part of the study, and the abstract gives no urine volumes. Whether a person taking shatavari would lose enough sodium to change a lithium level is the open question.[1]
What your doctor may watch for
- Your lithium blood level, kidney function and sodium. The lithium label says sodium loss from diuretics, ACE inhibitors and ARBs can raise lithium levels.[3]
- Any symptom that could mean too much lithium. The US drug regulator classes lithium as a narrow therapeutic index drug, so ask your doctor which signs to look out for.[4]
What to tell your prescribing doctor
You can read this out, or show them this page:
“I am taking, or planning to take, shatavari (name of product, dose) along with lithium. Shatavari acted as a diuretic in a rat study. Could it change my lithium level, and should it be checked?”
Withheld until review
Questions people ask
Has anyone studied shatavari and lithium together?
Our search found one paper naming both, a 1988 mouse study from Mumbai that used lithium as a yardstick for immune effects. It did not give the two together and did not measure lithium levels.[2]
I take BP tablets or a water tablet as well as lithium. Does that matter?
The lithium label already warns that sodium loss from diuretics, ACE inhibitors and ARBs can raise lithium levels. Your doctor will want to know about anything else, including shatavari, that might add to that.[3]
Related
Punarnava and lithium
We found no study of the pair. The worry is indirect: punarnava acts as a diuretic in animals, and fluid or salt loss can raise lithium levels.
InteractionShatavari and diuretics (water tablets)
Not studied in people. A shatavari root extract increased urine output in rats at a high dose, so it could in theory add to a water tablet.
InteractionGokshura (gokhru) and lithium
Tribulus may act as a diuretic, and lithium levels rise when the body loses water or salt. We found no study of the two together.
Sources
- Kumar MC, Udupa AL, Sammodavardhana K, Rathnakar UP, Shvetha U, Kodancha GP. Acute toxicity and diuretic studies of the roots of Asparagus racemosus Willd in rats. West Indian Med J. 2010;59:3-6. PMID 20931905.
- Thatte UM, Dahanukar SA. Comparative study of immunomodulating activity of Indian medicinal plants, lithium carbonate and glucan. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1988;10(10):639-644. PMID 3236938.
- Lithium carbonate extended-release tablets, US prescribing information, Drug Interactions (DailyMed).
- US Food and Drug Administration. Draft guidance on lithium carbonate tablets, May 2023.
Updated 4 November 2026
Taking shatavari with other medicines? A vaidya can check your full list.
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