Silica Liquid

Silica is a nutrient that is the third most abundant trace mineral in the body. It is present at 1–10 parts-per-million (ppm) in the hair, skin, and nails, where it helps to strengthen these tissues. Orthosilicic acid may stimulate collagen production, as well as connective tissue function and repair.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 50 women with photodamaged skin. Women were given 10 mg orthosilicic acid per day for 20 weeks or placebo. Silica was able to decrease skin roughness, as well as improve measures of skin mechanical properties, and longitudinal and lateral shear propagation time. Participants’ ratings of nail and hair brittleness were significantly lower after 20 weeks in the silica group compared to baseline.
Another study using the same dose of orthosilicic acid has found increased hair shaft thickness (after nine months), and improved tensile strength, including elasticity and break load, associated with supplementation.
Another study assessing skin damage used colloidal silicic acid, which is essentially an orthosilicic acid form that has less water in the solution. The study found that use of 10 ml/d for 90 days resulted in significant improvement in the thickness and turgor of the skin, wrinkles, and condition of the hair and nails. There was also a significant increase in the thickness of the dermis layer of the skin.
Orthosilicic acid (OSA, H₄SiO₄) is the major form of bioavailable silicon in humans and animals, bound to two water molecules. When present in low concentrations (under 2 mM), orthosilicic acid is the most stable form of silicon. When present in higher concentrations (greater than 2 mM), this molecule undergoes polymerization, binding to each other and forming colloidal species, which will eventually precipitate out of the solution. Polymerization reduces solubility and hence bioavailability.
Supplements containing OSA are the most bioavailable. In one study comparing the absorption of eight different forms of silicon, the supplement with best bioavailability was orthosilicic acid (43%), followed by choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (17%), with colloidal silica coming in last (1%). Plant-based sources of silicon (e.g. horsetail extracts) also have low bioavailability in humans. Furthermore, absorption of otherwise insoluble plant forms requires the breakdown of these molecules into smaller orthosilicic acid before they can be absorbed. Orthosilicic acid is also the major silica species present in drinking water and other fluids/beverages, including beer, and is readily absorbed, with about 50% of intake being absorbable.
Based on this data, orthosilicic acid (OSA) combines two important therapeutic features when compared to other silica products/forms: 1) high bioavailability (superior to choline-stabilized OSA); and 2) large amount of human level evidence (applying Ch‑OSA data to OSA yields three studies of oral use showing benefit in humans).