Horsetail ? extract, or Bamboo leaf tea for Silica, Bone & other benefits

ines871

New to both plants, read today that while Horsetail averages 8% organic silica, Bamboo leaf contains an whopping 70% organic silica. That's like 10x as much!

Silica is the most abundant mineral on earth. We know that silica content is high in the strongest tissues of the body, including the arteries, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, collagen, skin, nails, hair, and teeth.

Bone collagen is reported to increase with silica supplementation, and the mineral appears to strengthen the connective tissue matrix by cross-linking collagen strands. Dietary silicon appears to increase the rate of mineralization, particularly when calcium intake is low. A concentration of silica is found in the areas of active bone mineralization, & silica combines with calcium in the bone-building cell. Overall, silica plays an important role in initiating the calcification process, thus helping us to maintain strong, flexible bones.

Silica/silicon is plentiful in plant-based fibrous unprocessed foods:

• Banana (yellow, peeled), 250g - 13.60mg
• Raisin (California seedless), 100g - 8.25mg
• Mineral water (high silica), 500mL - 7.23mg
• Green beans (cooked), 250g - 6.10mg
• Carrot (raw, peeled), 200g - 4.58mg
• Brown rice, 200g - 4.14mg
• Mineral water (regular), 500mL - 3.44mg

You can't let bamboo go wild, as it will quickly take over the whole place; maybe grow it in cement? 😀

What do you think? - Have you ever grown bamboo? - And better yet, do you enjoy strong flexible bones?

hmsadmin

I did a bunch of looking into equisetum hyemale vs. bamboo a little while back, specifically for teeth and bone remineralization. From what I gathered, it seems bamboo has only been used recently for supplementation with it's silica content.

Do you know of much ancestral/historical use of it? I know Horsetail has a long history of medicinal use and many other things. I was really surprised when I couldn't find much on bamboo being a "traditional" medicine, too.

Bamboo seems to be effective, and many of the supplements I've seen have great reviews, but I'm just wondering if it's too much silica..? If there is such a thing?

"Dietary silicon appears to increase the rate of mineralization, particularly when calcium intake is low" - This is curious! I haven't read this either. Do you have an article you could link to about the silica/calcium intakes?

I'm currently trying to optimize my diet, dental care, and supplementation to see if I can stabilize and heal a couple cavities. I had been using calcium powder in my toothpowder, and also trying to make sure I eat calcium rich foods, but maybe too much calcium could be counter-productive, too?

ines871

@Linzi Interesting questions... You know the Brightest people are (not those with authoritarian answers), Rather the folks who Continually ask more Detailed... questions, so Linzi keep this up! 🤗

Twice (re Calcium, & Silica) you asked about "too much ?" - excepting God's 🙂 LOVE, anything else can prove way! too much. --- For instance tho we all need Oxygen, when too much is forced into a Preemie's lungs, the baby can become blind. - And supplementing with Calcium, particularly in astronomical amts. (even less than 500mg) is deposited somewhere, but in the bones?? - When most of it is NOT absorbed into the cell, then since Calcium is very important to have, the body stores it, no less strategically..., or so it assumes. What part of our body goes everywhere? - the Circulatory-system. Oh, let's line the INsides of our Arterial-system with increasing... layers of calcium. Bright idea, NOT. (( Making matters worse, others foolishly advice "do the Keto-diet", such that their excess FAT will make the arterial-lined calcium not only stick, but damn-near cemented... Need people not wonder Why too many are dropping like flies from Strokes & heart-Attacks... iow the Western-way of foolery increases not only cardio-vascular events but also overall mortality. But I digress)).

After the 4 gases (C 65%.O.H.N.) at about 96% of us: yup we're all full of "hot air" (lol). Seriously, the rest of us is minerals. So it should come to no surprise that Minerals, plus is essential to make SOIL-environment (both Outside & Inside-us) healthy too. Calcium is the 1st/top mineral we are made of at about 1.5%. Followed in descending amounts by Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, Sodium, Magnesium, & all the other minerals combined make up less than the remaining 1%: traces of Iron, Zinc, Silicon, Copper, Iodine, Boron, Selenium, Chromium, Manganese, Lithium, Molybdenum, Vanadium, as found in healthy soil. - Then are also 48 more of the chemical elements.

re too much silica? - as you know, Silica is synonymous with silicon dioxide (SiO2). Silicon and oxygen are the 2 most abundant elements in the earth’s crust. Silica is commonly found in nature as sand, & exists in different forms: Crystalline, as well as non-crystalline (amorphous). Chart: https://safesilica.eu/crystalline-silica-the-science/ From there you see what happens when anyone breathes in crystalline silica dust..., conditions result such as silicosis: the lungs react by developing hard nodules and scarring around the trapped silica particles. If the nodules become too large, breathing becomes difficult & death can result. - But that is different from non-crystalline (amorphous) silica, -

As far as bamboo, I chuckled: they did a study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35292-9 using broiler-chickens, & found " 'Mono-si' blood uptake significantly higher, than a Bamboo-derived silicon supplement." How much is too much, like from the bamboo? - Who knows?

Also asked for articles re "silica/calcium intakes": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2658806/ & https://www.betterbones.com/bone-nutrition/silica/ & one other. - oh, & re "traditional" medicine? Where is Heather? she hasn't posted since 6/25. - However, let's remember in All of science: "... but this is not yet fully understood." iow humility is healthy 🙂

And for now re "calcium powder in my toothpowder: Can it heal cavities? " - You know how cavities result ? So how have you changed your diet Linzi ? Getting that right, is more important than trying to doctor-up with 'calcium tooth powder'.

What form of calcium is that powder?, & more to the point: how much of whatever powder is Bio-available: iow Absorbed into your cells ? For it is IN the cell where the action is. Many more related questions can be asked, for instance what effect or improvement have you noticed over what time-frame? etc, etc. - Does this make sense Linzi ?

MaxFax

I have noticed immediate improvement with the grownetwork equisetum hyemale powder. It seems especially beneficial when I rub it directly into my gums, which I try to do once a day. The taste is pleasant. I believe I absorb more of the minerals that way too.

ines871

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/842203#Comment_842203

Hi MaxFax, Please forgive that I ask Alot of questions... aiming to get to the bottom of things, & to better understand. Hopefully you are okay with this, yes? -

What specific "immediate improvement(s)" have you noticed ?

What specific "minerals" are you absorbing? --and-- Most important, by what Lab-Testing before, plus after, did you find that you "absorb(ed) more of the minerals" ?

Thank you 🙂