Germanium (Ge) - General Discussion

Mendeleev had predicted the existence of the element germanium in his periodic table, but it was not until 1886, that a German scientist, Clemens Winkler isolated this element and named it germanium. Radio do-it-yourself kits from the 40's and 50's utilized the germanium diode crystal to attract the radio signal to your radio. The germanium atom is structured so it accepts and transmits electrons, thus acting as a semiconductor - it is therefore not too surprising that germanium is closely related to silica and carbon.

Biologically, germanium is a highly efficient electrical impulse initiator intracellularly and acts as a metallic cofactor for oxygen utilization.

In 1950, Dr. Kazuhiko Asai, a Japanese chemist, found traces of germanium in fossilized plant life. Russian researchers quickly attributed anti-cancer activity to germanium. Dr. Asai was able to connect the healing properties of certain herbs to relatively high levels of germanium -many of these herbs are accumulator plants for germanium. Germanium is known to enhance the immune system by stimulating production of natural killer cells, lymphokines such as IFN (Y), interferon, macrophages and T-suppressor cells.

Asai synthesized GE-132-carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide in 1967 by a hydrolysis method. This organic germanium structure forms a cubic structure with three negative oxygen ions at the base of a cubic triangle.

As an organic or chelate form of germanium GE-132 is absorbed at the rate of 30 percent efficiency and the total intake is excreted in one week.

Food plants and animals contain small amounts of germanium (Le, beans-4.67 ppm; tuna-2.3 ppm). Healing herbs such as garlic, aloe, comfrey, chlorella, ginseng, watercress, Shfitake mushroom, pearl barley, sanzukon, sushi, waternut, boxthorn seed and wisteria knob contain germanium in amounts ranging from 100 to 2,000 ppm.

The "holy waters" at Lourdes, known world wide for their healing properties contains large amounts of germanium.

Severely reduced immune status, arthritis, osteoporosis, low energy and cancer typify deficiencies of germanium.

Twenty to 30 mg per day is the recommended maintenance dose for germanium; 50 to 100 mg per day are commonly used when an individual has a serious illness that requires an increased oxygen level in the body.

1.Goodman, S.: Therapeutic Effects of Germanium. Med.Hypoth.26: 207.1988.

2.Suzuki, F., et al.: Ability of Sera from Mice Treated with Ge-132, an Organic Germanium Compound, to Inhibit Experimental Murine Ascites Tumours. Br.J.Cancer-52: 75 7.1985.