  Jarrow BioSil 30 ml (NATROL)Biosil is no longer available from Jarrow Formulas. However, the same exact, patented formula is available from Natrol and this is what we are selling now.
Jarrow BioSil is a stabilized, concentrated Orthosilicic Acid. Silicon is an essential mineral required for the strength and elasticity of bones, joints, connective tissue, hair, skin, nails, mucous membranes and arteries. BioSil’s active silicon is an essential partner of calcium for bones, glucosamine for joints, and antioxidants for healthier arteries and cardiovascular function.
The superiority of silicon from BioSil has been proven in a peer reviewed scientific study comparing three different forms of silicon. The results of the comparative, cross-over, double-blind clinical trial demonstrated that the stabilized monomeric form of silicon (stabilized orthosilicic acid – as found in Biosil) is far superior to colloidal silica and horsetail extract. In fact, of the three experimental groups, only BioSil offered a bioavailable source of silicon; the other forms of silicon (horsetail and colloidal gel) were no better than placebo.
BioSil Usage: Take 6 drops per day, or as directed by your qualified health consultant. Mix drops in 1/4 cup of fluid, preferably juice, and drink immediately or put drops into an empty hardshell capsule and swallow immediately with liquid.
The body absorbs silicon only in the form of Orthosilicic Acid: a dissolved form of silicon that consists of a single molecule or monomer. Orthosolicic Acid is produced in small amounts in the stomach from dietary silicon. Only Biosil contains a highly potent 2% solution of stabilized, biologically active stabilized, concentrated Orthosilicic Acid. Horsetail, algae and polymerized silicic acid have a relatively poor rate of conversion to stabilized, concentrated Orthosilicic Acid and, thus, are not well absorbed. Human studies indicate that while silicon from horsetail absorbs slightly better than the colloidal form, Biosil absorbs 2.5 times better than horsetail or colloidal gel.
BioSil is a 30 ml solution of stabilized, concentrated orthosilicic acid, choline chloride and glycerine. Each drop contains 1 mg of silicon as stabilized, concentrated orthosilicic acid. There are 600 drops in each bottle.
Solution composition: 2% elemental silicon (Si) as stabilized, concentrated orthosilicic acid [Si(OH)4] in a solution of 47% choline chloride, 33% glycerol (vegetable) and 18% distilled water.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The Importance of Silicon – Silicon is a trace mineral required for the formation of healthy connective tissue, bone, skin, hair and nails. Silicon is essential for collagen formation, healthy arteries and regulates calcium deposition in bones.
Absorption is Key - Dietary sources of silicon such as those found in food, horsetail and colloidal gel (silica) products are very poorly absorbed because of their insoluble, polymerized forms. For absorption to occur, dietary silicon must be first converted to Orthosilicic Acid (monomeric silicic acid), the bioavailable form found
in BioSil.
Why is BioSil Different?
BioSil (Si[OH]4) is 20,000 times more soluble than silica (SiO2 - found in horsetail and colloidal gels) and 2.5 times more bioavailable than other forms of silicon!
BioSil® is a product of Belgium.
BioSil Stabilized Orthosilicic Acid: Biologically Active Silicon
By Dallas Clouatre, Ph.D. and Kevin M. Connolly, Ph.D.
Bone, joint and connective tissue problems are among the most common health issues that trouble individuals as they grow older. Osteoporosis and arthritis currently are two of the most active categories of supplement sales, and concern with these conditions can only increase as the “baby boom” generation matures. By the year 2010, almost one-third of the population of the U.S. will be age 50 years or older. Bone, joint and connective tissue problems also affect athletes and others who exercise regularly and vigorously. One of the most significant products for supporting the health not only of the bones, joints and connective tissues, but also that of the skin, hair and nails is stabilized biologically active silicon (orthosilicic acid). Stabilized concentrated orthosilicic acid is a patented product sold exclusively in the US under the name Biosil™.
Silicon plays an essential role in the synthesis of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the body. Its synthesis requires vitamin C and the minerals copper, iron, manganese, zinc and silicon. The synthesis of collagen and its ultimate formation into support structures involves a complex series of enzymatic reactions, each critical for proper collagen function. Silicon is an important cofactor in several of these reactions, stimulating protein synthesis machinery, increasing production of amino acid raw materials for procollagen synthesis, and activating the enzymatic reactions which allow collagen chains to self-assemble into their mature form.
Collagen fibers are constructed from chains consisting predominantly of the amino acids glycine and proline woven together to form strands. These fibers are the primary structural proteins of the body and take various shapes to match the body’s needs. Thin layers form the skin, rope-like structures form the tendons, and yet another shape supplies the basic scaffolding of the bones.
Supplementing with stabilized, concentrated orthosilicic acid has been found to stimulate the synthesis of collagen in a study performed on calves. Their dietary silicon was increased by only 5%, but since it was by stabilized orthosilicic acid, the serum level increased by 70%! After 3 months, the calves receiving the supplemented biologically active silicon had 12.5% more collagen in the dermis of their skin.
Silicon may also have structural role in glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the abundant polysaccharide network that can supplement collagens in the construction of various tissues. Silicon is a natural component of all human GAGs. In the GAG networks of bone, cartilage, and other connective tissues, bound silicon can increase the resistance to tissue degradation (by mechanical stresses, heat, or enzymes). Silicon may also have a role in “bridging” individual GAG polymers to form three-dimensional networks.
Bone: Today scientists know that silicon supplementation both increases the amount of calcium available in the circulation for deposit in the bones and increases actual bone density. However, such facts are not widely appreciated. It was first recognized that silicon was a factor in the calcification of bone only about 30 years ago. Since then the picture has been more fully worked out. Bone consists of crystals of the calcium-phosphorus mineral apatite imbedded in a matrix of the fibrous collagen protein and associated amino sugars. This combination produces a tissue of uniquely flexible strength that at the same time is capable of bearing weight. Approximately 28% of bone is collagen, mostly type I, and another 3% of bone is made up of several different types of glycosaminoglycans. Inasmuch as silicon is necessary for collagen synthesis, it might be suspected that silicon also is necessary for bone health.
Indeed, although most research on bone health has focused on calcium, the intake of silicon has been shown to be as important as is any other nutrient, including calcium, in determining bone mineral density in men and in women before menopause. Moreover, individuals who take calcium almost certainly can improve their results by supplementing with biologically active silicon at the same time. Animal experiments have found that supplementation with orthosilicic acid increases the uptake of calcium from the diet., Stabilized orthosilicic acid, in particular, is highly bioavailable (2.5 times more than the silicon in horsetail or silica gels, for instance) and stimulates the synthesis of collagen. Orthosilicic acid directly stimulates the production of collagen type1 in human osteoblast-like cells (bone-forming cells) and enhances osteoblastic differentiation.
BioSil recently demonstrated benefits in a 12-month clinical trial with women subjects with a mean age of 61 years. The trial showed that in comparison with supplementation with 1000 mg calcium and 800 IU vitamin D3 alone, the addition of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid conferred statistically significant additional benefits in terms of bone formation and bone mineral density, especially in the case of the neck of the femur (thigh bone) in women with poor BMD in this area. The group receiving BioSil also exhibited greatly improved production of procollagen, an indicator of new bone formation.
Joints: Similarly to the bone, the cartilage of the joints is composed of 20% to 25% collagen and proteoglycans, compounds which are themselves made up of glycosaminoglycans. As this implies, the health and structural integrity of bone collagen is vital to the health and structural integrity of the bone itself. Many of the same factors that protect the health of the cartilage of the joints will influence the health of the bones, and vice versa. As described, silicon is required for the production of the collagen structural units, and collagen is the initial “building block” for the connective tissues. When there is a nutritional silicon deficiency, the joints are malformed and there is a decreased content of articular cartilage.
Skin, Hair, Nails: To improve skin health, it is necessary to speed the rate at which the skin is renewed and/or to reduce the rate at which the skin is destroyed through processes such as inflammation and degradation by enzymes. A powerful means of improving skin regeneration is through supplementation with stabilized orthosilicic acid. Clear proof of these benefits emerged in a recent clinical trial in which fifty women between 40 and 65 years old with symptoms of aging facial skin were divided into two groups, one taking a placebo and the other taking 10 mg BioSil per day for the 20-week period. No other anti-wrinkle treatment was followed. Researchers examined changes in skin roughness, elasticity and structure. Brittleness of the nails and hair also was measured. The test demonstrated that subjects taking BioSil experienced a 30% reduction in skin roughness compared with the control group. Similarly, the skin of the BioSil group exhibited improved elasticity compared with those taking the placebo. Both hair and nails showed less brittleness after 20 weeks of supplementation with BioSil.
Aluminum: Silicon protects against aluminum toxicity. Aluminum is widely suspected of playing a role in certain age-related reductions in mental functioning. Orthosilicic acid has been shown to increase the urinary excretion of aluminum.
We no longer regularly consume many of the best food sources of silicon and dietary silicon compounds are all polymerized forms of orthosilicic acid, known as silicates. These must be solubilized by stomach acid into the orthosilicic acid monomer to enable gastrointestinal absorption. The obvious weakness here is that the production of the stomach acid that is required to solubilize dietary sources of silicon declines markedly with age. In fact, by age 65, some 30% to 35% of individuals are deficient in their ability to produce stomach acid. Therefore, supplementation is especially important as we enter our later years.
Biosil™ orthosilicic acid is highly concentrated. One bottle of Biosil contains the amount of silicon found in 600 bottles of mineral water. Biosil™ can be absorbed directly through the stomach wall and from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream for maximum bioavailability. Now, Biosil™ is also available in Vegi-Cap dry capsule form. Each capsule provides 5 mg of silicon as orthosilicic acid.
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9. 27th Annual Meeting American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Nashville, September 2005
10. J Nutr. 1976 Apr;106(4):478-84.
11. Archives of Dermatological Research. 2005 Oct;297(4):147-53.
12. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders. 1987;1:83-89.
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