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Silica is the second most abundant element on earth. It is an essential element of living matter and humans have a critical need for this element. Silica is a vital mineral that is almost completely overlooked by mainstream nutritionists. It was originally thought that silica is at worst an environmental contaminant of the human body and at best an element which quickly passes through the body and is excreted. These ideas were based almost entirely upon observations of mineral silica, which in the form of dust and particles was responsible for a number of serious illnesses such as silicosis.

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Silica in mineral form had been used therapeutically, but it was absorbed inefficiently into the human body. It had traditionally gained a place in the pantheon of herbal remedies, being present in horsetail fern and some vegetables. Work since the 1930s on absorbable mineral and organic silica showed irrefutably that organic silica could be described as an essential nutrient for both humans and other animals. In studies during the 1070s, it was found that silica supplementation aided bone and cartilage growth. In 1993, it was reported that treatment with silica could stimulate bone formation. By the 1990s, silica formulations were being used by some pharmaceutical companies on wound and burn dressings because it was recognized that silica healed wounds more quickly and could stabilize burns.

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We are born with an abundance of silica and relatively low amounts of calcium. Then with every advancement in chronological age, the amount of calcium increases and the amount of silica decreases within the body. Silica enhances the function of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and boron, and is essential for bone development and growth. Bones need silica to re-calcify and to strengthen bone tissue. A silica deficiency in tissue causes a calcium deficiency which, in turn, results in a loss of tissue elasticity.

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Silica is also one of the most important constituents of the body’s connective tissue, including cartilage, vascular lining, tendons, and ligaments. It is found in the thymus gland, the adrenal glands, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas and in considerable quantity in hair. It functions as a cross-linking agent, providing strength, flexibility, and resilience to collagen and elastin connective tissues. It is known to play a part in the integrity of the bones, arterial walls skin, teeth, gums, hair and nails, and has been used to alleviate eczema and psoriasis. Recently, modern research has focused on determining the role of silica in rheumatic disorders and arterial disease.

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Silica may be useful in preventing osteoporosis and in strengthening the musculoskeletal system, preventing injuries and speeding the healing of fractures. It does this by helping in the creation of the body’s structural matrix for forming and repairing connective tissue. It also contributes to the buildup of minerals on this matrix during development. Silica is present in osteoblasts (bone forming cells) responsible for the deposition of calcium phosphate on the protein matrix of bone. It stimulates chrondroblast or cartilage-forming cells to deposit proteins and other structural materials on the matrix. Finally, it helps in the building process of fiber-forming cells important to the creation of collagen.

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Silica is thought to improve the cardiovascular system, decreasing the risk of coronary problems. It has been shown to be abundant (up to 14 times more) in the arteries of people who are free of heart disease. It is essential in maintaining the structural integrity, elasticity and permeability of the arteries, thereby regulating the blood pressure.

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There is a relationship between silica and the rate of aluminum concentration in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Much research points to the fact that a deficiency of silica in one’s diet is the causal effect of an increase of aluminum in the body, and its ultimate accumulation into the synapses of the brain. Silica plays an important role in helping the body to eliminate this accumulation of aluminum, which is a causative factor in certain forms of senility, including Alzheimer’s disease.

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Research shows that skeletal diseases such as osteomalacia (soft bones), and osteoporosis (porous bones and/or spontaneous fractures, as well as shrinkage) although caused by a calcium deficiency, do not respond to calcium therapy alone. Research conducted in Paris , France by noted biophysicists Louis Kervran, and in the United States by Dr. Richard Barmakian, shows that fractured bones did not heal at all when high amounts of calcium were present. They heal fair to poorly when moderate amounts of calcium were present. However, they heal extremely well when relatively low amounts of calcium were present with an abundance of silica. It has been shown that in bone demineralization, silica deficiency is a precursor to calcium deficiency.

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Maintaining a healthy level of silica may overall retard the aging process. The average adult body requires the maintenance of about 20 grams of silica to promote good health. However, the body metabolizes and secretes about 10-40 mg. of silica per day through urination, hair loss and nail trimming. Thus, the body’s natural level of silica declines with age causing signs of aging such as bone loss, dry and wrinkled skin, weakened teeth and gums and hair loss to occur.

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Given the importance of silica in our diet, it is surprising that more people are not aware of it. Silica remains the missing element in many anti-aging programs of today.