The natural beauty of the interior
Healthy hair, glowing skin, and strong teeth, nails, and bones. All of these have one thing in common: everyone wants them. Another thing they have in common is they all need an important mineral: silica. Silica is so important for healthy hair, teeth, bones, and nails that we call it the “transformation mineral.” But before you grab the first bottle you see, be aware that not all silica is created equal.
Silica vs. Silicon
Silica comes in various forms. Silicon is the mineral found within silica compounds. Silicon dioxide is the form of silica found in glass and sand that is difficult for the body to absorb. On the other hand, orthosilicic acid is the water-soluble form of silica found in plants. It’s the form best absorbed by the body to create healthy connective tissue, hair and nails, and strong bones.
Why Do We Need Silica?
Silica is one of the main building blocks of collagen. Ample supplies of collagen give our skin that youthful glow and the elasticity to prevent wrinkles. Collagen is also an important component of hair and nails. A number of scientific studies have demonstrated that silica plays a crucial role in collagen synthesis and bone density. A UK study of 2,847 people found a positive link between silicon and increased bone density. Silica (or silicon) intake was correlated with a 9.6% increase in bone mineral density at the hips in pre-menopausal women and a 4.3% increase in men. The average daily intake in these studies was around 25 mg a day.1
How Flora Makes Florasil®
It’s no accident that we chose horsetail to make Florasil®. Horsetail is one of the best botanical sources of orthosilicic acid, in its water-soluble form. We extract this orthosilicic acid from horsetail using our gentle hot water process, which removes impurities while retaining important trace minerals that aid absorption. For instance, this process ensures no thiaminase or nicotine from the raw plant remains in the finished extract. Each Florasil® capsule is standardized to contain 10 mg of silica, delivering 4.7 mg of silicon. It also contains horsetail flavonoids and trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, and boron.
The Citrus Superstars
Diosmin and hesperidin sound like characters from a Greek play, but they are in fact bioflavonoids found naturally in citrus fruit. Since the late 80’s, they have been studied in numerous clinical trials for their beneficial effects in strengthening and protecting weakened blood vessels. Weak and leaky blood vessels often mean pain, discomfort, swelling, and inflammation in the form of varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Varicose veins affect about 25% of women and 10% of men in Western countries, while hemorrhoids appear in about 4.4% of the general population at some point in life.
A Natural Solution for Varicose Veins
In the case of varicose veins and hemorrhoids, the blood vessels in the area are weakened and leaky, which results in diminished blood flow back to the heart, as well as pain, swelling, inflammation, and ulceration. Diosmin and hesperidin act like citrus superstars to repair, strengthen, and tone blood vessels. They also provide antioxidant support against free radical damage and reduce inflammation. Swelling, pain, heaviness, leakage, and poor blood flow all gradually diminish over the course of a few months.
How Flora Makes CircuVein
Diosmin and hesperidin are extracted from citrus fruits in the sunny, warm climates of Spain and southern France. They are micronized to a smaller, more absorbable size, and then encapsulated with 450 mg of diosmin and 50 mg of hesperidin per capsule. These proportions are the standard amounts per capsule as they have been found to be the optimal ratio in clinical studies. Most diosmin and hesperidin studies have been between 1 and 12 months, but the use of these ingredients to protect the vascular system goes all the way back to 1971 in France. These capsules are then bottled in dark glass for worldwide distribution as CircuVein.
Florasil® and CircuVein are fantastic products from Flora that have been proven in the marketplace for decades. Beauty starts from within and how we nourish ourselves with phytonutrient extracts like these can play a key role.