The Power of Ingredients
“What goes in” has always been my curious (and passionate!) approach to life…..what goes in to that amazing salad dressing I love, what goes in to the sunscreen I put on my children, what goes in to the beef & chicken that ends up on our plates, what goes in to our minds and hearts as we go about our day….simply put, what are the “ingredients” that go into our life – from food and thoughts to cosmetics and daily pollutants – we absorb it all holistically – on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. This is a vast topic and I could go on and on and on….but, I want to stick to specifics today and link this “what goes in” philosophy back to my world of creating healing & transformational formulations for the skin. I am an ingredient purist and I know that this is the foundation of what makes my formulations so powerful, medicinal and healing. A final product can only be as good as the ingredients that go in to it, so I am going to shine a spotlight every month on some of our hero ingredients – why I use them and why your skin drinks them in (and responds with illumination!).
The Amazing Power of Silica
Silica (a compound found in the Earth, most prominent in quartz and sand), is known to be the reviver of youth and beauty because of its ability to promote the natural synthesis of collagen; it smoothes, softens and clears the complexion and is the master mineral for hair, skin, nails and bones.
The plant “horsetail” is one of the most abundant sources of silica in the plant kingdom. The recorded history of Horsetail goes back to the Devonian period, almost 350 million years ago. To have a healthy, well functioning, self-healing, self-repairing body with flexibility, strength, resilience and elasticity you must maintain approx. 7 grams of Silica in your body.
The first ingredient in my newest formulation, Spontaneous Recovery Crème, is the certified organic herbal infusion of Horsetail – it is the high silica content of this miracle herb that brings recovery, healing and radiance to the skin within a single application. Read more about my newest creme here.
Some of my favorite authors and healers have written in depth about this incredible ingredient:
David Wolfe writes in Eating For Beauty: “The mineral silicon possesses many hidden properties, one of which is its ability to be transformed into calcium. Silicon is a conscious mineral; it seems to posses a form of intelligence. Both of the minerals silicon and sulfur work together with vitamin C to create glowing skin.”
Gabriel Cousens writes in Spiritual Nutrition: “Silica is the beauty element. It gives sheen, resilience, and smoothness to the skin, hair and naisl. It is also essential for all neuron transmission in the form of electrical impulses through the neurons, acting as a link between the nervous system and blood system. People with adequate silicon have a certain kind of beauty of movement, a sense of charm and charismatic personality. Silicon is also a protector of the skin as well as an insulating agent. Silica is one of the most important minerals for connective tissue, hair, ligaments, lungs, lymph nodes, muscles, nail, skin, teeth and tendons. Silicon is connected with consciousness. The more silica we have, the more we have the energetics and radiant flow of the liquid human crystal that we are. Because silica/silicon is a binding element, it helps with the flow of electricity, heat and energy movement throughout the body. Silicon is needed for the plumpness of the skin and functioning strength of all connective tissue in the body. The highest concentration of silica is in the nails and hair.”
Get more Silica in your body by including these foods in your diet: Barley, bamboo shoots, kelp, oats, brown rice, brown rice syrup, alfalfa, horsetail tea, cucumbers, bell peppers, hemp leaves, nettles, spinach, radish, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, nuts, seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax), cereals and grains.
