Germanium Sesquioxide
An Organic Mineral Complex with Unique Health Benefits
By Linda Fugate, PhD
Germanium sesquioxide is an exceptional product designed through the chemical intuition of the Japanese Ph.D. chemist Kazuhiko Asai. (1) Germanium by itself is considered an ultratrace element in human nutrition. These are defined as elements that are required in the diet in quantities of around 1 mg/day or less. The ultratrace elements currently recognized by the US Department of Agriculture include boron, chromium, germanium, lithium, molybdenum, selenium, silicon, tin, and vanadium. Various studies have been performed to measure the amounts of ultratrace elements in human diets. For germanium, the typical dietary intake for humans is 0.4 to 3.4 mg/day. (2-4)
Deficiency studies have been conducted on animals. For each ultratrace element, a diet is carefully prepared to contain all the known dietary nutrients except the investigational element. The diet is fed to experimental animals, which may be rats, goats, chicks, pigs, or other species. Signs of poor health are noted and attributed to the deficiency. Rats on a germanium-deficient diet exhibited altered bone and liver mineral composition, and decreased tibial DNA. (2-4) It is clear from the animal studies that germanium is biologically active.
The remarkable success of germanium as a semiconductor in the electronics industry motivated Dr. Asai to study the biochemical potential of this element. However, the inorganic form used in the semiconductor industry has caused concern because too much exposure can cause kidney failure, which may be preventable by the use of L-arginine. (5,6) Dr. Asais chemical intuition told him that a water-soluble, organic complex of germanium would be a better answer. He expected this complex to change the oxidation state of the human body and correct the chemical imbalances responsible for most illnesses. To check his hypothesis, he measured the germanium content of various plants. He found notably high levels in a number of plants which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, including:
1. Shelf fungus (Trametes cinnabarina Fr.),
2. Ginseng,
3. Sanzukon (Codonopsis Tangshen),
4. Sushi (Angelica pubescens Maxim.),
5. Waternut (Trapa japonica Flerov),
6. Boxthorn seed (Lycium Chinese mill),
7. Wisteria knob (Wisteria floribunda),
8. Pearl barley (Coicis Semen), and
9. Gromwell (Lithosemi Radix).
Other plants high in germanium include aloe, comfrey, chlorella, and garlic, all of which are considered healthful in modern nutrition. From this data, Dr. Asai concluded that an organic form of germanium would be safer and more beneficial, while maintaining the unique electronic properties of the mineral. (1)
Dr. Asai established the Germanium Research Institute to produce a water-soluble organic complex of germanium. The result, first found in 1967, was bis-betacarboxy-ethylgermanium sesquioxide, often shortened to germanium sesquioxide or germanium-132. The structure is shown in Figure 1. (7)
Throughout the 1970s, Dr. Asai operated the Organic Germanium Clinic in a suburb of Tokyo. He and his staff offered germanium sesquioxide treatment to all who came, regardless of illness. This bold experiment led to a number of satisfied customers and academic research papers. Dr. Asai reported the results from his clinic in his book, Miracle Cure: Organic Germanium in 1980. (1) The book reports that several thousand patients used the clinic without a single complaint. Twenty percent of the patients became germanium believers, continuing to take the compound on a regular basis. Three medical doctors added chapters to the book describing their positive experiences with germanium: Drs. Shigeru Makiuchi, Takahiro Tanaka, and Mieko Okazawa.
Benefits of Germanium Sesquioxide
Dr. Asai reported that germanium sesquioxide benefited patients with a wide variety of conditions, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, stroke, and stomach ulcers. (1) Researchers investigated both animal models and humans in order to understand how one compound could treat so many disorders. Their conclusions, summarized in Table 1, are that germanium sesquioxide aids the bodys natural defenses against disease and aging.
Germanium Sesquioxide in the West
Western scientists discovered the benefits of germanium sesquioxide through an entirely different route. A detailed study of various organometallic complexes as possible cancer drugs was reported in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 1994. (11) Both clinical and animal studies were used. The rationale for these experiments was the success of an organic platinum complex called cisplatin.
Two organogermanium compounds were studied extensively: spirogermanium and germanium sesquioxide. While both were effective against some cancers, their mechanisms of action were completely different. Spirogermanium was found to be effective in killing cancer cells, even when the cells were cultured outside the body (in vitro). (14) Remarkably, germanium sesquioxide does not kill cancer cells directly. (15) The researchers concluded that germanium sesquioxide stimulates host-www.ed, immunopotentiating mechanisms, leading to augmentation of natural killer cell activity and activation of macrophages. (11)
Japanese researchers have found excellent results using germanium sesquioxide to treat cancer. (16-18) The Korean medical literature reports success in treating cancers of the breast, cervix, nervous system, esophagus, and endometrium. (19) Chinese researchers found that germanium-132 can also inhibit the abnormal growth of fibroblasts in the eye. (20) Similar reports have begun to appear in the western medical journals. One particular case is described in the next section.
A Case Study
After four cycles of chemotherapy, a 47-year-old woman with inoperable lung cancer gave up and refused all further medical treatment. Six weeks later, she heard about the nutritional supplement germanium sesquioxide, also called germanium-132. She began taking 7.2 grams per day of the supplement, and felt her lungs opening up within a few days. She tapered off to a low dose of germanium, and within 7 months her chest x-rays showed near complete disappearance of the cancer. This incident was reported in Chest medical journal in February 2000, (21) and at that time the woman had been in good health with no evidence of recurring lung cancer for 4 years.
Miracle cure or spontaneous remission? The authors of the report mention the possibility of spontaneous remission, but consider it unlikely because of the aggressive nature of the cancer in question. They recommend further studies on the use of germanium sesquioxide.
The editors of Chest journal published a comment titled, Unconventional Cancer Therapies: What We Need is Rigorous Research, Not Closed Minds. (22) This editorial demonstrates that at least one western physician is ready to consider the benefits of the unique germanium compound from the East.
Safety Issues
Product purity is critical to the safety of germanium sesquioxide. In the thousands of patients who attended Dr. Asais Germanium Clinic, there were no reported cases of germanium toxicity. The dosage for several patients was reported as 40 mg per kg of body weight. That is, a person who weighs 110 pounds would take 2,000 mg (2 grams) per day. (1) The woman in the Chest article started with 7.2 grams per day. (21) Even at such high doses, the product appeared to be safe. Pure germanium sesquioxide is completely excreted in the urine within 72 hours. However, products contaminated with inorganic germanium can be seriously toxic. Inorganic germanium accumulates in the kidneys, and may cause renal failure. Eighteen cases of renal failure have been reported in patients taking germanium compounds that may have contained inorganic germanium. In two cases, x-ray diffraction demonstrated that the major component of their organic germanium product was actually germanium dioxide, a form of inorganic germanium. (5)
It is particularly important to use superior grade ingredients with regard to germanium sesquioxide, where a product of lower quality may cause kidney failure.
Conclusion
Germanium sesquioxide is a novel mineral supplement with significant potential for maintaining health and extending life. The high-purity organic complex is safe, with much lower toxicity than the inorganic form. This product has been in use since 1967 in Japan, and is now gaining popularity in the West. Germanium sesquioxide aids the bodys natural defenses against disease and aging. Its primary action is the restoration of the natural balance of cells in the immune system.
References:
1. Kazuhiko Asai, Miracle Cure: Organic Germanium, Japan Publications, Inc., 1980.
2. Eric O. Uthus and Carol D. Seaborn, J. Nutrition 126, 2452S - 2495S, 1996.
3. Forrest H. Nielsen, How Should Dietary Guidance Be Given for Mineral Elements with Beneficial Actions or Suspected of Being Essential?, J. Nutrition 126, 2377S - 2385S, 1996.
4. Forrest H. Nielsen, Ultratrace Elements in Nutrition: Current Knowledge and Speculation, The Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 11, 251-274, 1998.
5. A. G. Schauss, Biological Trace Element Research 29: 267-279, 1991.
6. H. Yanagisawa, N. Yamazaki, G. Sato, and O. Wada, hiro@ns2.saitama-med.ac.jp
7. M. Tsutsui, et al, Journal of the American Chemical Society 98, 8287-8289, 1976.
8. N. Kuga, et al, Acta Pathol. Jpn. 26:1, 63-71, Jan. 1976.
9. A. Fuji, N. Kuboyama, J. Yamane, S. Nakao, and Y. Furukawa, Gen. Pharmacol. 24:6, 1527-32, Nov. 1993.
10. F. Suzuki and R. Pollard, Journal of Interferon Research 4:2, 223-233, 1984.
11. P. Kopf-Maier, European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 47, 1-16, 1994.
12. M. K. Yang and Y. G. Kim, J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A 58(5), 289-97, Nov. 12, 1999.
13. [B] T. Komuro, N. Kakimoto, T. Katayama, and T. Hazato, Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem. 8(5), 379-86, Oct. 1986.
14. M. Slavik, O. Blanc, and J. Davis, Invest. New Drugs 1: 223-234, 1987.
15. S. G. Ward and R. C. Taylor, In: M. Gielen (ed), Metal-based Anti-Tumour Drugs. Freund Publ. House Ltd., London, pp 1-54, 1988.
16. H. Sato and A. Iwaguchi, Antitumor Effect of a Novel Organo-Germanium Compound, Ge-132, Jap. J. Cancer Chemother. 6: 79-83, 1979.
17. N. Kumano, et a;, Effect of Carboxyethylgermanium Sesquioxide on the Methylcholanthrene-induced Tumorigenesis in Mice, Sci. Rep. Res. Inst. Tohoku Univ. Ser. C 25:89-95, 1978.
18. N. Kumano, T. et al, Antitumor Effect of the Organogermanium Compound Ge-132 on the Lewis Lung Carcinoma (3LL) in C57BL/6 (B6) Mice, Tohoku J. Exp. Med. 146: 97-104, 1985.
19. V. G. Bespalov, et al, J. Korean Med. Sci 16, Suppl. S42-53, Dec. 2001.
20. Y. Liu, X. Sun, and B. Li, Chung Hua Yen Ko Tsa Chih 36(4), 263-266, July 2000.
21. M. G. Mainwaring, C. Poor, D. S. Zander, and E. Harman, Chest 117(2), 591-593, February 2000.
22. E. Ernst, Unconventional Cancer Therapies: What We Need Is Rigorous Research, Not Closed Minds, Chest 117(2), 307-308, February 2000.