The Heart Has Its Own Brain. And It Needs Silicon.

I received this message a few days ago: "The heart has its own brain, 40,000 neurons — it's a major discovery." The question was: is it actually proven?

Yes. It is proven.

But it isn't a recent discovery.

And above all, what nobody mentions is that there's a direct thread between this "little brain" of the heart and organic silicon — a trace element I've been working with for over 20 years.

Let me explain.

40,000 Neurons in the Heart. Discovered in 1991.

The researcher's name is J. Andrew Armour. A Canadian neurocardiologist. In 1991, he published his findings: the heart has its own nervous system. Not just a nerve passing through — a real network, complete and autonomous, with around 40,000 neurons.

He called it "the little brain on the heart."

This network includes:

• SENSORY NEURONS: they detect what's happening in and around the heart.
• INTERNEURONS: they process the information locally.
• MOTOR NEURONS: they adjust the rhythm and strength of the heartbeat.

Just like the brain. In miniature.

And that's why a transplanted heart keeps beating on its own. Its little brain takes over.

Even more striking: 80% of vagus nerve fibers run from the heart to the brain. Not the other way around. The heart speaks. The brain listens.

So when the ancients said "listen to your heart," they weren't wrong. They were describing a physical mechanism. Science has now confirmed it — 5,000 years later.

Saint-Exupéry wrote in The Little Prince: "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."

TCM Has Said So for 5,000 Years: The Heart Houses the Shen

The Huangdi Neijing is the foundational text of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It states two principles:

心主血脉 — "The Heart governs the Blood and the Vessels."

心藏神 — "The Heart houses the Shen," meaning consciousness, spirit, and mental clarity.

In the theory of the Five Elements, the Heart is associated with the Fire Element. Fire also governs the blood vessels, the tongue, the complexion, and joy.

Where Armour describes a cardiac neural network that communicates with the amygdala and the hippocampus, TCM speaks of a Heart that houses the spirit. It's the same territory, seen from two different angles.

Why Organic Silicon Supports the Cardiovascular System

Let me pause here for a moment. Because this needs to be said plainly.

Western medicine is excellent when it comes to emergencies, surgery, and trauma. No one disputes that. If I broke my leg tomorrow, I'd go to the emergency room — not stay home.

But when it comes to the terrain, to the energy of the living body, to the deep cause — that's where it falls short. Doctors studied anatomy on dead bodies, not living ones. The energy of the living isn't visible in a corpse. So it was never studied. And what was never studied can't be recognized.

As a result, Western medicine learned to treat the symptom — with a chemical drug that neutralizes or cancels out the problem. But it doesn't look for the root cause.

We do the opposite. We look at the terrain. We look at the energy. We search for the cause. And we work on the body's raw material — not on the symptoms.

This isn't opposition. It's complementary. But it's different. And that's exactly where organic silicon comes into play.

The Heart Needs Flexible Vessels

The heart doesn't work alone. It pushes blood through a network: the aorta, arteries, capillaries. And this network needs to stay flexible.

The artery wall relies on two proteins:

• COLLAGEN: it provides strength.
• ELASTIN: it provides the rebound with every heartbeat.

Elastin is special. It forms at birth. After that, it barely renews itself. Its half-life is 40 to 70 years. So the elastic fibers in your aorta today are, for the most part, the same ones you were born with.

With age, these fibers fragment. The aorta stiffens. Blood pressure rises. The heart works harder.

And that's where organic silicon comes in.

Organic Silicon: Present in Healthy Arteries, Absent in Diseased Ones

The work of American researcher Edith Carlisle in the 1970s showed something that's rarely mentioned. Here it is:

A healthy aorta is one of the tissues richest in silicon in the human body — along with bones, tendons, and the trachea. Far more than the liver, kidney, or spleen.

And: silicon concentration in the aorta decreases with age. The more atherosclerosis progresses, the lower the silicon level. As if, by losing its silicon, the aorta was losing its structure.

In animals supplemented with silicon, researchers observed that the elastic fibers of the vascular wall remained intact — often even thicker — compared with unsupplemented animals.

Silicon is not a minor trace element.

It's a structural component of the artery wall — just as it is of skin, bones, and cartilage.

Organic Silicon MMST: The Duffaut Formula, 1957

The only silicon that actually works is organic silicon. Not horsetail silicon. Not nettle silicon. Both of these are plant-based silicas, absorbed at a maximum of 15%.

True organic silicon is monomethylsilanetriol (MMST). A formula developed in 1957 by Norbert Duffaut, a chemist at the University of Bordeaux, later taken up and further developed by pharmacist Philippe Voisin. Absorption rate: 80%.

This is the formula used at Laboratoire Géomer, at a stable 1,200 mg/L. No one else offers this within a complete holistic range built around TCM.

The Copier Story

Last week, the technician who services my copiers here in Fumay called me on my cell — about something else entirely. He'd already heard me give advice over the phone before, and he'd taken Organic Silicon Vitalis for some mobility issues. He's retired and plays tennis regularly.

At the end of the call, he said: "Alain, by the way — since I've been drinking your silicon every day, I feel a lot better. My pains are gone, and my medical tests all came back fine."

That's it. Just a closing remark, said casually, without any fanfare. And that's the kind of feedback we've been hearing for over 20 years. No miracles. No promises. Just people who, after a few weeks, say: I feel better.

My Ritual: 30 ml of Silicium Vitalis Every Morning

I drink 30 ml of Silicium Vitalis every morning. Every single morning. Otherwise, my gut is a mess.

I chose Vitalis over Forté because it's enriched with chestnut ellagitannins — a very powerful natural free-radical scavenger. It also supports the gut, which research increasingly refers to as our "second brain."

So here we are: between the little brain of the heart (40,000 neurons) and the second brain of the gut (100 million neurons), there are two places in your body that aren't just mechanical organs. They're nerve centers. That speak. That sense. That decide.

And organic silicon supports the connective tissue that houses them both.

In Summary

• The heart has 40,000 neurons. Proven since 1991 (Armour).
• TCM has said so for 5,000 years: "The Heart houses the Shen."
• A healthy aorta is one of the tissues richest in silicon in the body.
• This level decreases with age — and with disease.
• Organic silicon contributes to the synthesis and stabilization of collagen and elastin — and therefore to vascular flexibility.
• The original MMST formula dates back to 1957 (Duffaut, Bordeaux). 80% absorption, versus 15% for horsetail or nettle.
• At Laboratoire Géomer, we guarantee a stable 1,200 mg/L, within a complete range built around TCM. No one else does this.

That's it. Now you know the essentials.

To go further into organic silicon, the science behind it, and the Duffaut–Voisin lineage, read our full 2026 guide to MMST silicon.

This article is intended for educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice or a therapeutic recommendation. Laboratoire Géomer's dietary supplements are not a substitute for medical care. Anyone with a cardiovascular condition or risk factor should consult their doctor before making any changes to their lifestyle or supplementation.