Oligosilicic acid

Until now people in Europe and Asia have used an alcohol infusion of nettle in cases of confusion, inflammation and wounds. Nettle is a strong silicon-phile, containing oligosilicic acid. 

Hydrated amorphous silica, here designated as a separate class in which most, if not all, of the silicon atoms each retains one or more hydroxyl groups in the silica structure. This type of polymeric structure is obtained if monosilicic acid or oligosilicic acids in water are concentrated and polymerized at ordinary or low temperature and in slightly acidic solution. It is now believed that under these conditions the silica polymerizes to extremely small spherical units less than 20-30 A in diameter, which, when concentrated, link together into a three-dimensional gel mass, trapping water in the interstices, which are of molecular dimensions and retain water which can be desorbed only above about 60 C. 

---