Silica-Silicea-Silicone-Silicon

Silica is a white or colorless crystalline compound, SiO2 occurring abundantly as quartz, sand, flint, agate, and many other minerals and used to manufacture a wide variety of materials, especially glass and concrete. It is also taken up by plants such as horsetail and alfalfa which are used as a nutritional supplements.

Silicea, also known as Schuessler Cell Salt #12: (Silicic acid or silica)–Silicea is found in connective tissue and in the brain. Found in bran, egg whites, hair, nails, epidermis, and in connective tissue.

Silica is used for fatigue, greater mental than physical strength, over- sensitivity to noises, absentmindedness, crankiness, headaches from nape of neck to top of head settling in one eye, nausea, nervous exhaustion, falling hair, sties, floating spots before eyes, red tip of nose, violent sneezing, thickening of nasal mucus membranes with congestion, intensely painful hemorrhoids, large abdomen in children, uric acid deposits in urine, smelly feet and armpits, pus formation, boils, tonsillitis, stomach pains, brittle / ribbed nails with white spots and weak ankles.

To read more about the other cell salts in the body see the Cell Salt page.

Silicone: Silicone , not a food or supplement, is the organosilicon polymer,  most commonly polydimethylsiloxane. Silicones are widely used in plastics, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, antifoaming agents, and cosmetics to name a few.

Silicon: Silicon (no e) refers to the element in any form, most commonly found as silica or silicate minerals.

Food Sources of Silica:

• Beer
• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Brown rice
• Leafy green vegetables
• Root vegetables
• Seafood
• Soybeans
• Whole grains

Herb Sources of Silica:

• Alfalfa
• Horsetail

Other Sources of Silica – Brand Names:

• Hard drinking water
• Silicates, a form of silicon, is added to some processed foods
• Silicic Acid (the water-soluble form of Silicon)
• Gastrex (Standard Process Labs)

Health Concerns – What Silica is Used For:

• Minor injuries
• Soft nails
• Helps make bones and connective tissue healthy 

What Silica Does:

• Formation of collagen for bones and connective tissue
• For healthy nails, skin, and hair
• Calcium absorption in the early stages of bone formation
• Needed to maintain flexible arteries
• Counteracts the effects of aluminum on the body and is important in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
• Prevention of osteoporosis
• Stimulates the immune system
• Inhibits the aging process in tissues
• Helps guard against certain heart and circulatory diseases
• Believed to help prevent falling hair

Cautions & Comments about Silica:  

• Excess silica can cause kidney stones, but only at very high doses
• Silicon levels decrease with aging, so elderly people need larger amounts
• Boron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium aid in the efficient utilization of silica.

Helpful Links and Resources for Silica:

• Why is there silica in my vitamins: https://livewell.jillianmichaels.com/there-silica-vitamin-5279.html