Silica is the term often used for naturally occurring substances composed principally of silicon dioxide (SiO²). Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust after oxygen. While silicon and calcium are the two most abundant soil-derived minerals in living organisms, the five main elements that silicon and calcium support - hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur - form roughly ninety percent of organic biomass (8).
Where calcium is the most abundant cation (+ particle) in most soils, the anions (- particles) that bind and hold it are mostly complex aluminium silicates and carbon compounds. Whereas calcium may or may not be abundant in the soil, it is silica that delivers what there is of it to developing fruits during early cell division. Without sufficient silica to carry calcium and the other nutrients that follow it, cell division is impaired (10). Because of its innate properties clay was the origin of many chemical reactions transforming inorganic raw materials into more complex molecules and from these molecules life emerged four billion years ago.

In the human body high levels of silica are present in connective tissues, including, bone, nails, tendons and the walls of the aorta. High levels of dietary silicon are found in fibre-rich foods derived from plants, particularly organic whole grains such as oats, millet and barley, as well as green beans, lentils and raisins (9). Spring mineral water also may be a good source of bioavailable silica, unlike tap water which is processed with flocculating agents and finely filtered to remove all organic and mineral components.

The average daily dietary intake of silicon in the Western world (the British diet) has been estimated at 20-50mg/day, although it is lower in women than men, and decreases with age (9). Lower silicon dietary intakes are associated with animal-based diets and higher intakes are associated with vegetarian diets (9). According to researcher Dr. Ravin Jugdaohsingh of St. Thomas' Hospital in London, "silicon is a major component of the human diet, the intake of which has greatly been reduced due to modern food processing and refining, water treatment and purification, and the growth of vegetables under hydroponic conditions." In the UK, beer is the highest contributor to total silicon intake in men (9). Silicon in beer is readily bioavailable because it is solubilized during the mashing process of beer making (10). The Safe Upper Level of elemental silicon for supplemental intake, in a 60kg adult, is 760mg/day (11). Asians and Indians have much higher silicon intakes than do Western populations as a result of their higher intakes of plant-based foods, (12) and it is interesting that in these communities there is a lower incidence of hip fracture than in the West. The dietary intake of silicon is among the highest for trace elements in humans.

Research at the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grand Forks Human Nutrition Centre (GFHNRC) has shown that low dietary silicon decreases the bone and blood concentrations of substances that stimulate cells to form joint and bone cartilage and initiate bone calcification in experimental models (13). Low dietary silicon also has been shown by the GFHNRC to increase the excretion of products resulting from collagen and bone breakdown and loss, which are used as markers of osteoporosis risk (14). The research confirms that silica stimulates the formation of collagen, a protein that gives bones their strength and flexibility, joint cartilage its cushioning ability, and a scaffold upon which bone mineralization occurs (15).

Scientists at King's College and St. Thomas' Hospital in London, in collaboration with scientists from Harvard and Tufts Universities in the United States, conducted the first large scale, (2847 participants) population-based, (cross-sectional) observational study to examine the specific association between dietary silicon intake and Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in men and women. The scientists concluded there are "significant positive associations" between silicon intake and BMD at the hip sites for men and in premenopausal women (9). As dietary silicon intake had no effect on the BMD of postmenopausal women, it was suggested that hormonal factors may overwhelm any nutrient effects on bone, and it is possible that the bone-promoting effects of dietary silicon are attenuated postmenopausally (9). Additionally, it is not known why the association between dietary silicon intake and lumbar spine BMD was much weaker compared with the hip sites. One proposed hypothesis is that the lumbar spine is also the site of artifactual calcifications such as degenerative spine changes and vascular calcification, and these could mask and thus weaken the association between silicon intake and BMD (16).

Emerging evidence suggests that silicon has a biochemical function that promotes bone formation and turnover (17). The importance of dietary silicon in bone formation was revealed where a silicon-deficient diet (in experimental models) lead to altered bone healing as observed by a marked reduction in osteogenesis (bone formation) (13). Further studies have shown that silicon deficiency decreases the collagen concentration in bone (15). Because collagen is needed for bone formation and wound healing, it would seem reasonable that adequate dietary silicon intake is needed for both processes.

An alternative study using cultured human osteoblasts, revealed that low levels of orthosilicic acid, at typical plasma concentrations after ingestion of silicon-containing foods, stimulates human osteoblasts and osteoblast-like cells to secrete type I collagen and other markers involved in bone cell maturation and bone formation (17). Type I collagen is the most abundant collagen of the human body. It is present in scar tissue, the end product when tissue heals by repair, as well as in tendons and the organic part of bone.

Apparent silicon deficiency signs, described in experimental models, suggest that silicon has a function that affects the action of proteins known as extracellular matrix glycoproteins involved in cell-to-cell communication, cell adhesion, and cell signalling that are needed for cells to develop to form joint cartilage and a matrix upon which bone is formed. Thus, an experiment was performed to see whether low dietary silicon would affect blood and bone concentrations of some of these proteins and thus affect bone strength and shape. The results showed that silicon apparently is needed for normal bone organic matrix and joint cartilage formation and this need can be altered by oestrogen deficiency (14). Therefore there may be a correlation between an inadequate intake of dietary silicon and the risk of becoming osteoarthritic or osteoporotic (14. 18).

Silica in the form of silicon dioxide interacts with a number of minerals including, copper and zinc (11). In experimental models, in both vertebrae and thigh bones, silicon deficiency decreased calcium, the main component of bone mineral, as well as zinc and copper, which are important for a normal organic matrix containing collagen upon which calcification occurs (19). These findings indicate that silicon may be of nutritional or physiological importance because of beneficial effects on healthy bone formation or mineralisation.

Silica is thought to increase the urinary excretion of aluminium and as such, may support healthy mental function in the elderly (20. 21). Some 7,598 elderly French women participated in a study conducted over a seven year period to assess the relationship between water composition and cognitive function. Participants in the study who developed Alzheimer's disease were nearly three times as likely to have a low silica intake from drinking water (4mg per day or less) (22).

An acid is a substance that releases hydrogen into a solution and an alkali or base is one that removes hydrogen from a solution. The amount of free hydrogen is measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 14, called pH, which denotes the exact level of acidity or alkalinity. A pH value below 7 is considered acid and above 7 alkaline. There are countless chemical reactions necessary for life that can only occur within a very specific pH range, thus the body has many checks and balances to maintain the pH within a narrow range. Through varied mechanisms alkaline minerals salts of organic anions, are drawn upon to buffer acids. When dietary consumption patterns provide insufficient buffering capacity, body buffering mineral pools can be depleted and the intracellular environment becomes acidotic (24).

The kidney responds to the pH of the blood. If the blood is too acid, the kidney excretes extra hydrogen into the urine and retains extra sodium. Phosphorus in the form of phosphate is required for this exchange. The body obtains this phosphorus from bone if it is otherwise unavailable. When the bloodstream is extremely acid, the kidney uses a different method and excretes ammonium ions, which contain four hydrogens, into the urine (23).
An underlying metabolic acidity may have an affect on our overall well-being. Some kidney specialists in the US, working with acid-base balance, now recognize that most Americans as they age live in chronic, low grade metabolic acidosis (24). This condition may contribute to a series of health problems which include loss of bone mineral, loss of muscle mass, a reduction in growth hormone and the development of kidney stones (24). The re-establishment of the health-promoting alkaline state could be supportive to bone health, immune competence and overall well-being.

The unexpected results of a recent animal study suggest that silica (from silicon-rich drinking water ingested over a short period in experimental models) increases both extracellular and intracellular ammoniagenesis (a process that occurs to rid the body of excess acid) by elevating mitochondrial oxygen utilisation (25).

Seventeen people participated in a trial in 2004 conducted by Dr Jean-Jacques Garson from the Laboratoire JJ Garson in Septemes-les-Vallons, France. The youngest participant was 34, the oldest 73, with a mean age of 53 years. During 30 days, the participants supplemented their diets with 33ml of Organic Z-Liquid per day. Blood test results at the end of the study indicated an overall 7% reduction in nitrogen levels, a 3% reduction in creatinine levels and a 4.5% improvement in creatinine clearance, demonstrating that Organic Z-Liquid has no adverse effects on kidney function. All participants tolerated Organic Z-Liquid well with no undesired side effects reported.

Silica is critical for activating hydroxylation enzymes for cross linking collagen, thus stimulating its production and improving its elasticity and strength (26). A combination of internal and external application may be beneficial to combat visible signs of aging, as well as improving the texture and strength of hair and nails.

George Lakhovsky, (1869-1942) experimentally recognized the electrical nature of cells. Lakhovsky tells us that not only do all living cells produce and radiate oscillations of very high frequencies, but they also receive and respond to oscillations imposed upon them from outside sources (27).

According to the work of scientists, Fritz-Albert Popp and Jiin-Ju Chang, biological phenomena like intracellular and intercellular communication can be understood in terms of biophotons. The word biophotons is used to denote a permanent spontaneous photon emission from all living systems (28). Cellular biophysics (cell communication) studies have shown that some integral proteins of cell membranes like Na, K-ATPase can be activated by pulsed electric fields and some physical factors can be taken by living cells as informational signals which can cross cell membrane and transmit within the cells through cellular signalling pathways, like through second messenger cAMP and IP3 and Ca+ pathways (28. 29). Experimental results indicate that biophotons originate from a coherent (or/and squeezed) photon field within the living organism, its function being intra and intercellular regulation and communication (30).

A team of scientists from the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan, involved in researching mature stem cell sources for potentially significant cardiovascular benefits, presented two studies at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session, in March 2006. Apparently sources from menstrual blood-derived endometrial cells and umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal cells show significant promise. In the first study, the team collected menstrual blood from women to obtain a sample of endometrial cells (E-DOM). The researchers found that approximately half of the E-DOM cells contracted simultaneously, suggesting an electrical communication between the cells (31). In a second study, the same team collected human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSC). In reviewing these cells, nearly all of the UCB-MSC contracted simultaneously, indicating a significant electrical communication between the cells (32).

Influenced by the work of German engineer, Theodor Schwenk, and the his Institute for Flow Science, Mint-e has created an exclusive process whereby a solution of vegetal (horsetail) and mineral silica is rhythmically mixed or "energized" using a series of natural flowform basins, with the addition of electromagnetic fields and electric currents. Flowform basins are shaped in such a way to cause a double vortex in a figure eight, creating lemniscatory oscillation to occur in the movement of the solution. Our own preliminary laboratory tests (further tests are required), suggest the improved bioavailability of Mint-e's Energized colloidal silica (for internal consumption), as opposed to regular colloidal silica. Energized or "revitalized" silica is also an important synergistic ingredient in Organic Z-Liquid acting as a catalyst for the other ingredients, in particular the flower essences.

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