Health Canada Licence NPN 80030880
The Ultimate Anti-Aging Superfood
• Helps to build healthy bones, nails and teeth
• Works to prevent wrinkles and keep skin beautiful
• Promotes growth of thick, strong hair
Silica is an essential element for maintaining the integrity and health of the skin, ligaments, tendons and bones. Bamboo extract is the richest known source of silica; it contains over 70% organic silica and is 10X more potent than horsetail silica. Silica has a restorative effect on many of the body’s tissues.
Sizes: 120 capsules & 240 capsules
Bamboo Silica Benefits
Silica is an essential element for maintaining the integrity and health of the skin, ligaments, tendons and bones. Bamboo extract is the richest known source of silica; it contains over 70% organic silica and is 10X more potent than horsetail silica. Silica has a restorative effect on many of the body’s tissues.
NutriStart Bamboo Silica Supplement
• Helps to prevent premature aging and preserve skin youthfulness
• Supports joint health
• Maintains vascular and heart health
• Supports nervous and glandular system health
Silica has a powerful influence on the absorption of minerals required by the body for optimal health. It enhances the function of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and boron, and is essential for normal bone development. Silica helps to maintain the correct calcium-magnesium balance which is essential for bone health.
The NutriStart Difference
Magnesium vs. Calcium
Nutristart Bamboo Silica is in a base of magnesium, unlike our competitors who use a calcium base.
Recent studies suggest magnesium is often more important than calcium in maintaining bone health for many North Americans. This is due in part to the fact that North Americans generally consume adequate amounts of calcium in the form of dairy products. Many North Americans consume too few vegetables and do not get adequate magnesium in their diets. When we add to this the recent link between calcium supplementation and heart disease and stroke in menopausal women it becomes clear that magnesium is a better choice to aid Bamboo Silica in maintaining good bone density. Health Canada Magnesium Monograph
Bamboo Silica vs. Horsetail Silica
The first silica available was from the herb horsetail which offers only 5-8% silica, whereas bamboo provides 70% silica. One capsule of bamboo extract contains the equivalent silica of 7 capsules of horsetail extract. Other forms of silica on the market include colloidal silica (derived from rock) and orthosilic acid (synthesized in a laboratory). Bamboo has been used as a medicine for centuries in China, India and Tibet. The resin collected from the knots in the stems is called Tabashir. The shaved young shoots and the leaves also have medicinal value. Bamboo silica is most commonly used in traditional medicine to restore elasticity and suppleness to the tissues of the body. Some of the properties of bamboo medicines include antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, astringent, stimulant, tonic. Tabashir (bamboo resin), which is high in silica is used to re-mineralize the body, treat arthritis and cartilage degeneration and to help repair broken bones. Other benefits of silica include restoring elasticity to lung tissue and the upper respiratory tract, improving the function of the lymph system, supporting the urinary tract, reducing inflammation in the intestinal tract and preventing hemorrhoids.
Bamboo Silica Frequently Asked Questions
What is silica?
Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, second only to oxygen. There, as in the stalks of grains and grasses, it is found in the form known as silica. Silica stimulates cell formation and metabolism, helping to inhibit the aging process. It is used in the body to maintain and repair bones, eyes, hair, nails, skin, teeth and cell walls. Weak, splitting or peeling nails are often one of the first signs of silica deficiency.
What does silica do?
The pancreas, thymus gland, thyroid and coronary arteries all utilize silica. The elasticity of the aortic walls lessens as a result of a decline of silica content in the aortic tissues.Atherosclerotic arteries usually contain dramatically less silica than healthy arteries, thus silica helps to prevent hardening of the arteries. Silica is vital to bone growth and density, and works with calcium and magnesium to give bones both hardness and flexibility. Silica increases bone calcium absorption, even in those with osteoporosis due to aging. Calcium alone can make bones harder but it offers no flexibility to them, which is important to prevent breakage when the bones are exposed to a shock (as in a fall).
How does silica relate to arthritis?
Mucopolysaccharides are natural substances produced by the body that work with collagen as a tissue connector. All connective and elastic tissues, including collagen, elastin and mucopolysaccharides are rich in silica when in their healthy state. But levels of silica decline with age and these tissues degenerate correspondingly. Dr. A. Charnot has researched the relationship between silica and degenerative tissue and joint diseases. He discovered that such conditions are often accompanied by a deficiency of silica in the body. Silica’s ability to enhance connective tissues has made it effective in the treatment of muscle-skeletal disorders including arthritis and rheumatism. Silica also stimulates chondroblasts to deposit chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid into the cartilage matrix, and will improve the effectiveness of glucosamine sulfate.
How does silica support hair and nail health?
Silica supplements are often touted as “the secret of the stars” due to its ability to prevent wrinkling of the skin, in part by supporting collagen production. Strong, healthy hair, nails and teeth (silica helps to build tooth enamel), as well as the anti-wrinkle properties of silica, makes it a beauty aid for both genders. Herbalists often recommendsilica-containing herbs to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an inflammation of the prostate that causes frequent nighttime urination. Because silica offers elasticity to tissues it is helpful also for issues of incontinence. Because there is a hormonal link between BPH and hair loss in men ( see newsletter on Prostate Health part 1 and Prostrate Health part 2 for more information) , those fighting hair loss should consider using silica as a supplement. Women and men can both gain benefit from silica’s ability to strengthen the hair shaft, making it thicker, stronger and less likely to break.
What is the dietary daily requirement for silica?
The average daily requirement for silica is between 10 mg and 20mg. The recommended therapeutic dose is 2 to 3 times that amount. One capsule of NutriStart Bamboo Silica contains 70mg of silica. Most of the foods that we eat are deficient in silica: many of our foods have lost minerals due to being over-processed, and have also been grown in soil that is de-mineralized due to erosion of topsoil and use of incomplete chemical fertilizers. The foods with highest silica content include rice, oats and the herb, nettle. These are followed by fresh produce such as lettuce, asparagus, onion, cucumber, strawberry, leek, cabbage, sunflower seeds, swiss chard, celery, cauliflower and rhubarb. These foods will only be rich in silica if they are organic; the silica must first be present in the soil before the plant can obtain and store it.
