Orotates are mineral salts of orotic acid used by plants and animals to make DNA and RNA. Hans Nieper, a physician and dabbler in offbeat theories of gravitation, used orotates clinically before 1980 until his death in 1998. He thought that orotate salts, being neutrally charged, pass easily through cell membranes. In effect, orotate ferries the mineral atoms into cells and tissues, producing higher concentrations.

Nieper promoted orotates as treatments for nearly every ailment imaginable and was consequently ignored; most of his medical claims were never rigorously tested. But in certain applications - such as athletic performance - where his ideas have recently received scientific scrutiny, they have been found to work. Nieper may have been on the right track after all.

Potassium orotate is used to treat symptoms of magnesium deficiency: diabetes, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease. Nieper combined potassium and magnesium orotates to treat cardiovascular diseases. Other applications include wound healing, immune enhancement, depression and anxiety.