# Silicon and Collagen

> Silicon is the element behind the Institute's 2021 essay title "Adding Quartz to Human Cells" — a deliberately startling way into a real and unglamorous piece of connective-tissue biology.

Canonical: https://wiki.soapbox.community/wiki/Silicon_and_Collagen
Section: Substances and pharmacology
Last updated: 2026-10-20
Publisher: Library of Ashurbanipal (Van Kush Family Research Institute), https://wiki.soapbox.community

**Silicon** is the element behind the Institute's 2021 essay title *"Adding Quartz to Human Cells"* — a deliberately startling way into a real and unglamorous piece of connective-tissue biology.

**Quartz is not the point.** Silicon dioxide as mineral is biologically inert and, as respirable dust, is the cause of silicosis. The bioavailable species is **orthosilicic acid** (H₄SiO₄) — soluble monomeric silicon, the only form absorbed in the gut. Everything useful about dietary silicon runs through that molecule; polymerised silica does nothing.

## What it does

Silicon is implicated in the cross-linking and stabilisation of **collagen** and in the formation of glycosaminoglycans — the ground substance of connective tissue. It appears to act as a cofactor in **prolyl hydroxylase** activity, the enzyme step that makes collagen a stable triple helix. That places it upstream of skin, bone matrix and vessel wall integrity.

This is the mainstream nutritional position, presented as physiology rather than as a cure. Silicon has **not** been established as an essential nutrient in humans — no deficiency disease is defined and no requirement is set — though it is essential in chicks and rats.

## Sources

- **Horsetail** (*Equisetum arvense*) — the traditional silica-rich plant, and the one the essay names.
- **Beer** — genuinely one of the largest dietary sources in Western diets, because barley silicon is soluble.
- Whole grains, bananas, green beans, and drinking water in some regions.
- **Choline-stabilised orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA / BioSil)** — the supplement form with the human trial data; the choline stabilisation exists to keep the silicic acid from polymerising in the bottle.

## Evidence

- **Framingham Offspring** — dietary silicon intake associated with higher hip bone-mineral density in men and premenopausal women. Observational.
- Small ch-OSA trials report improvement in skin, hair and nail parameters and in bone markers alongside calcium and D. Small, and several are industry-funded.

## Cautions

- **Horsetail contains thiaminase**, which degrades vitamin B1. Prolonged use has caused thiamine deficiency in grazing livestock; supplement products are usually treated to inactivate it, and unprocessed herb should not be taken long-term without B1.
- Horsetail is a **diuretic** and some species accumulate nicotine and heavy metals; *Equisetum arvense* must be distinguished from *E. palustre*, which is toxic.
- **Do not inhale silica powder** — silicosis is real and irreversible. The essay's title is a metaphor.

See also: Chelated Minerals · Vitamin K2 · Stack Substances