Scientific Research
Research on life prolonging effect
It is not an easy task to scientifically confirm the ancient knowledge about the life prolonging effect of pearl powder in human beings. It may take about 50 to 100 years. However, it is not so difficult to show this compelling evidence in animals. To be clear, Chinese scientists have shown that pearl powder can prolong the life span of animals in several research models.
In one such study conducted in Suzhou Medical School, scientists found that by immersing some mulberry leaf, a favorite meal for silkworm’s, in a five percent pearl powder solution, that it can increase the adult phase of silkworm (moth) by an incredible 57.7 percent. When they fed mice their meals containing 1 percent pearl powder, they found that the mice’s life span on average was increased by 21.6 percent.
In another longevity study, scientists at Guangxi Chinese Medicine Research Institute studied the effect on fruit fly’s life span by feeding meals with some added pearl powder. They found that compared to the placebo group, the average life span of fruit flies fed with 0.5% pearl powder is increased from 55.2 days to 74.4 days for female fruit fly and from 45 days to 64.6 days for male fruit fly. Fruit flies’ longest life span is increased from 70 days to 100 days for female fruit fly and from 60 days to 102 days for male fruit fly.
If we were to translate the anti-aging effects, the profound life extending phenomena as observed in the silkworm, mice, and fruit flies from the pearl powder, it would indicate that our life span could increase from 80 years old to at least 96 years old on average. Perhaps, another compelling reason our ancestors found pearl powder so precious!
Traditional wisdom and current scientific research is demonstrating that pearl powder has a definitive anti-aging effect. More research and clinical trials are needed to confirm its full range of effects.
Reduces wrinkles, aging, and sunspots and promotes radiant and youthful-looking
E. Lopez and other French scientists from the Biophysics Laboratory at the Museum D’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France, have found that pearl nacre, which is the material made of pearl, can enhance regeneration of fibroblasts.84 In their research, these scientists implanted pearl nacre in the dermis of rats to test the ingredient’s effect on skin fibroblasts. They found that pearl nacre enhanced the fibroblasts’ synthesis of the extracellular matrix. It increased the production of components that help cells stick together (which reinforces the barrier function of the skin) and
their cellular communication with each other. And it also helped collagen - the main structural protein in the skin - regenerate itself.
This research scientifically confirms the traditional wisdom that pearl nacre can increase skin regeneration, thus help improve skin tone and promote youthful looking skin. It shows that pearl nacre does this by increasing collagen and other extracellular matrix production and by increasing cellular communication. However, it tells us more than this. Since fibroblasts are "builder cells" that abound in all connective tissue that surround our muscles, skin, and organs, by enhancing fibroblasts regeneration, pearl nacre in fact can help keep your body in shape and make your muscle and organs strong. This research may explain, at least partly, why pearl nacre can make your heart beat stronger and more regular and help improve eye health as being shown in other scientific research.
Grow stronger bones by stimulating new bone growth and increasing bone density
In 1992, E. Lopez and other French scientists from the Biophysics Laboratory at the Museum D’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France, did some interesting experiments to study the osteogenic properties of pearl nacre (again, this is the exact material that comprises both pearl and mother-of-pearl). 56-59 They placed pearl nacre chips on a layer of human osteoblasts. They found that the osteoblasts that were near the pearl nacre chips proliferated, and then attached themselves to the chips. Even more amazing, the osteoblasts formed a complete sequence of bone in the presence of the pearl nacre. How do we know it was the pearl nacre that caused this? Because only the osteoblasts surrounding the pearl nacre chips induced this type of mineralization.
In 2003, the same group of French scientists decided to investigate pearl fillings. They placed pieces of mother-of-pearl in experimental cavities in the lumbar vertebrae of sheep. They found that the insertion of this pearl nacre induced the production of layers of newly formed bone adjacent to the implanted pearl nacre filling.56 They also discovered that inserting the mother-of-pearl caused an increased mineralization of the sheep’s bone, which means that the bone surrounding the cavity actually became stronger.
Next, the scientists compared pearl-filled cavities with empty cavities and with cavities patched with the normal acrylic polymer filling used by dentists, which is called PMMA. They found there was no new bone formation in the empty cavities or in those filled with PMMA.56 In fact, they discovered that PMMA actually causes necrosis – or cell death – of the surrounding bone cells. It also changes bone architecture and causes a significant reduction in bone formation and mineralization.
Dr. Y. Shen and colleagues studied the osteogenic activity of pearl in a culture of simulated body fluid and cells, with the intent to compare its effects to that of mother-of-pearl and hydroxyapatite, a form of calcium known to be osteogenic. They found that not only did pearl stimulate the growth of osteoblasts, but the proliferation occurred more quickly and smoothly than on either of the other substances.60 In fact, an abundant extracellular matrix occupied the whole pearl surface after just five days. The researchers concluded that pearl is a superior osteo-inductive material with high osteogenic activity. In other words,pearl can build better bone than mother-of-pearl and hydroxyapatite.
Strengthen the heart, promote a regular heart rhythm, and aid recovery from heart disease
Research shows that pearl powder taken internally can improve heart function. Yunyi Zhang and colleagues at Shanghai Medical University studied pearl’s pharmacology and its effect on heart function.77 They found that pearl powder can enhance the heart’s contraction without affecting the frequency of heart beat, which means more oxygen-rich blood is pumped per beat through the circulatory system without increasing numbers of beats. This means the heart is working smarter and more efficiently; not harder. The research also indicates that pearl powder can help the heart’s pacemaker keep its natural rhythm, helping rebuff and recover from the effects of arrhythmias or abnormal heart rhythm. 78
Promote healthy blood pressure
Kangmin Gong and his colleagues at Zhejiang Chinese Traditional Medicine Research Institute and Zhejiang University No. 1 Adjunct Hospital conducted ahuman clinical trial to study the effect of pearl powder on high blood pressure.79 The 90 patients in the study took 500 milligram of pearl powder twice a day for 30 days. The average systolic pressure dropped from 161.0 mmHg to 139.2 mmHg – a decline of 15 percent. The average diastolic pressure dropped from 96.0 mmHg to 84.6 mmHg – a decline of 13 percent.
In another similar human clinical trial with 75 patients, Kangmin Gong and his colleagues obtained similar successful results.80 It has also been reported thatpatients notice fewer headaches, less dizziness and irritability, and improved sleep after taking pearl powder.
Dongmei Wang and her associates at Shaanxi Xian Jiaotong University Adjunct Hospital also studied pearl powder’s effects on blood pressure. They found that pearl powder can lower the blood pressure of mice, improve their sleep, and make them more calm.81
Promote healthy cholesterol levels
Blood lipid research indicates that pearl powder taken internally can reduce lipid peroxide and cholesterol levels of coronary disease patients.78
Dr. Huang and his colleagues at Zhejiang Medical School conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial to study the effect of pearl powder on lipid peroxides and cholesterol content of coronary disease patients. 78 Twenty patients took pearl powder for a month. Seventeen patients took placebo. The researchers found that for the patients taking pearl powder, their harmful lipid peroxide and total cholesterol levels were significantly reduced, while for patients taking placebo, there was not much change on average.
This can help stop the formation process of athroscelerosis in its track, before it can clog your arteries, so it never becomes a problem for your cardiovascular system.
Support healthy eye sight
H. Xu and colleagues at the Department of Chemistry of Huazhong University of Science and Technology provided scientific validation that pearl powder can help prevent and treat chickens with myopia. 76
Improve memory and immune system
Pearl powder might not only extend life span, it can also improve the qualityof life. Studies done in China demonstrated that pearl powder can boost immune function in animals.74,75 In one study, it found that taking pearl powder for 12 days can enhance mice’s antibody production and increase cellular protective functions.
Furthermore, it was found that after giving mice meals containing 1% pearl powder for 14 days, mice make much less mistake during study test. This study indicates that pearl powder can improve learning ability and memory in mice. 75
Calm nervous system, reduce stress and promote restful sleep
Jianxin Pan and his colleagues at Suzhou Medical School studied the effects of pearl powder on the rabbit’s nervous system.89 They found that pearl powder could relieve pain and promote a calming effect on their nervous system. The researchers discovered also that after injecting the rabbits with a pearl powder solution, their brain production of 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and NA increased. These are positive " elevated mood" neurotransmitters, and this research indicates that pearl powder can reduce the level of stress, and promote a more peaceful, positive internal biochemistry.
Improve children's IQ, school performance, and overall health
Chinese scientists found that pearl powder can improve children’s IQ. In one study, they had more than 200 children with mental disabilities take 750-1500 mg of pearl powder every day. 90 After three months, the IQ of 92% of the children has been improved and more than 80% of the children’s IQ were enhanced to normal range.
Dr. Jian Wang at Nanjin Second Hospital and Dehui Hou at China Medical University studied the effect of a pearl powder supplement on mice. They found that the mice that had taken pearl powder for 12 days did better in maze tests and had stronger immunity than the mice that did not.74 In other words, pearl powder made the mice smarter and healthier.
Pearl Powder is a Powerful antioxidant
Pearl Powder is a powerful antioxidant. It can both enhance the activity of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the body's premier antioxidant enzymes, and also reduce peroxidation, one of the major aging processes of our body.
Shengshan Hu and his associates at Jiangxi Medicine Research Institute also studied the antioxidant effect of pearl nacre.57 However, in addition to measuring lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, they also monitored SOD activity. The researchers found that after taking pearl nacre solution for 30 days, the SOD activity of the mice increased and their LPO activity decreased.
Chinese researchers at Suzhou Medical School studied the effect of pearl powder on the content of peroxidized lipids in the mouse heart and brain.57 These researchers found that after taking pearl powder for just 30 days, mice experienced a decrease in the amount of peroxidized lipids in their brains and hearts – indicating that pearl powder slows down and may even reverse some of the age-related damage. The results of this research were further confirmed in several other independent studies.57-63
The less oxidation, the less damage to your vital organs, the more functioning and better metabolic balance you’ll have, with your chances for enhanced quality of life optimized.
Peroxidized lipids (LPO) are fats that have been attacked and damaged by free radicals. This is when even good fats lose their value, and get transformed into dangerous substances. Free radicals are the molecules that are highly unstable, and they can rapidly damage and degrade tissues that are not adequately protected. The more peroxidized lipids you have, the worse off you are. This is often used as a bio-marker for determining your accurate biologic health and true age beyond just counting your years. Unfortunately, your peroxidized lipid content usually increases with age; it is part of the normal aging process. That’s why there has been so much interest in antioxidants lately at well, as some antioxidants can prevent peroxidation, slow down pre-mature aging, and preserve more youthful functioning organs, skin, and even your good looks!
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is one of the body’s premier antioxidant enzymes. SOD is so important to your health and longevity, its manufacture is ensured by the body by being encoded into our DNA to make sure we make it for ourselves! SOD catalyzes the dismutation reaction, where a potent and potentially highly damaging superoxide free radical is rendered harmless and turned into simple oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. SOD eliminates superoxide radicals from the cell’s environment and prevents the formation of reactive oxygen species and their derivatives, as they are known cellular killers and cripplers. It plays an important role in maintaining vascular tone, lung function, and the metabolism, and in the prevention of such diseases as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis. The higher the SOD level is, the better it is for you. Many scientists consider SOD the key antioxidant player directly linked to longevity (closely coupled with Catalase and Glutathione), as various animal studies show higher SOD levels can support better health over a much longer life span.
PEARLCIUM is a superior source of calcium and essential trace minerals
In 1998, Xiaoping Li and his colleagues at Wuhan Mineralogy University in Wuhan, China, conducted human and animal studies comparing the bioavailability of pearl powder to that of other calcium supplements in a human clinical trial.55 Their studies show that pearl powder is absorbed twice as efficiently as conventional calcium carbonate supplements (by far the most common form of calcium in dietary supplements).
Scientific tests reveal that calcium and essential trace minerals in pearl has a natural highly aligned micro-crystalline structure.
Latest scientific discovery reveals that the regulation of calcium involved in pearl formation is similar to humans’ at the DNA level. Our human body shares a deep kinship with pearl. Pearl is completely compatible with human bone. It can stimulate new bone growth, increases mineralization, which enhances bone density.
Pearl and osteoporosis
The possibility of using pearl powder to treat animals with osteoporosis has been explored by Chinese scientists. Hongfu Wang and his associates from the Shanghai Medical School Senior Medicine Research Center studied pearl powder for the treatment of osteoporosis in mice.53,54 Some mice were given a pearl powder formulation for 90 days; others were not. What the researchers discovered was that the mice that received the pearl powder formulation experienced significantly higher bone calcium content, bone mineral density, and total bone weight in comparison to the mice that did not. This is highly encouraging, but no guarantee, not yet anyway, as mice are used as the test subjects because they are excellent indicators for the expected effect in human metabolism. To date, pearl powder’s ability to treat osteoporosis in human’s is still clinically unknown, and we all await those human clinical studies for any confirmation of bone benefit.
Pearl and Eye Sight
For thousands of years, Chinese have used pearl to enhance their eyesight and treat eye diseases, such as myopia. H. Xu and colleagues at the Department of Chemistry of Huazhong University of Science and Technology provided scientific validation that pearl powder made from pearl powder can help prevent and treat chickens with myopia. 66
Pearl and Immune System, Pearl and Memory
Pearl powder might not only extend life span, it can also improve the qualityof life. Studies done in China also demonstrated that pearl powder can boost immune function in animals.64,65 In one study, it found that taking pearl powder for 12 days can enhance mice’s antibody production and increase cellular protective functions.
Furthermore, it was found that after giving mice meals containing 1% pearl powder for 14 days, mice make much less mistake during study test. This study indicates that pearl powder can improve learning ability and memory in mice. 65