Bamboo Silica (Bambusa vulgaris)

Quick answer: Bamboo Silica (Bambusa vulgaris) is a hair & nails ingredient. The plant world's richest source of silicon, a trace mineral the body uses in connective tissue. Take daily with water alongside a meal. Hair and nails renew slowly, so think in months.

Role

Hair & nails

Origin

Drawn from the leaf and stem of cultivated bamboo, mostly in South and South-East Asia.

Form

Bamboo leaf and stem extract, standardised to at least 70% silica

Evidence

Emerging, The clearest human trial used stabilised orthosilicic acid rather than a plant powder, so read the evidence as being about silicon rather than about bamboo specifically. Hair and nail change, where it appears, takes months.

Citations

1 peer-reviewed reference

Worth knowing

Silicon is poorly absorbed from most plant powders, so the form on the label matters more than the milligram count. Anyone with reduced kidney function should check with a doctor before daily use.

Origin

Drawn from the leaf and stem of cultivated bamboo, mostly in South and South-East Asia.

Sourcing

Bamboo grows fast and needs little, which makes it an unusually light-footed source of silicon. We ask suppliers for species, plant part, extraction solvent and silicon assay, because silica content varies enormously between a leaf extract and a stem powder.

How it works

Silicon appears to play a structural role in collagen and keratin formation. Human evidence is limited and mostly uses stabilised orthosilicic acid rather than plant powders, which is worth knowing before expecting too much.

How to take it

Take daily with water alongside a meal. Hair and nails renew slowly, so think in months.

Form & standardisation

Bamboo leaf and stem extract, standardised to at least 70% silica

Research

• Barel et al. 2005 · Archives of Dermatological Research, Twenty-week randomised trial of stabilised orthosilicic acid reported improvements in skin surface and in nail and hair brittleness.

Frequently asked questions