A Tribute to Loic le Ribault
(April 18, 1947 – June 7, 2007)
There are a few scientists who have advanced the study of orthomolecular nutrition, and Loic le Ribault is certainly among them. His discovery of the process of developing a high-potency form of organic silica could potentially revolutionize the treatment of wounds, psoriasis, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and a myriad of ailments plaguing mankind today. Organic silica happens to be one mineral that most people are deficient in and our ability to assimilate the optimum daily amount not only diminishes with age but is nearly impossible to obtain solely from plant sources. His discovery and subsequent successful study of thousands of "patients" throughout Europe with OS5, his patented form of high-potency organic silica, must not be forgotten, even though he will likely never be mentioned in our "corporate-controlled" history books.
Loic le Ribault, who had a doctorate in geology, was France’s most renowned forensic scientist. In his 20s, the French Academy of Science published several of his groundbreaking research articles.
History of a Grain of Sand
In 1971, Le Ribault discovered a unique function for the electron scanning microscope (ESM), enabling him to discern the entire history of a grain of sand—where and when it originated, how it was formed, where and how it had been transported, where it had next lodged and how long it had stayed in that place.
By the time he had finished his research, he had devised a list of 250 criteria by which the history of sand might be diagnosed. The field was later to become so specialized that it would take three years to train a scientist in the technical knowledge necessary to interpret the data from these tests.
While in the process of understanding more about the silica coating on grains of sand, he wrote his first book, The History of a Grain of Sand. When Le Ribault was first approached by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to test three sand samples, he was able to tell them the exact location in the world from which each had been collected, such as identifying one as coming from Beirut, Lebanon in the vicinity of an explosion.
In 1972, while working with sand on the ESM he made an interesting discovery: A layer of water-soluble amorphous silica which contained micro-organisms covered the surface of some sand grains. When looking through the ESM at certain grains of sand with 10,000x magnification, the image looks something like a flower blooming (see photo in silica story above).
This mineral flower represents secondary crystallizations that develop on quartz crystals under specific conditions. Certain grains of sand acquire these deposits from the combined actions of microorganisms that break down the sand and the diverse environmental conditions in which the granule finds itself. The end result is a form of silica that contains more carbon and hydrogen, thus making it organic in nature.
The importance of this discovery may not seem significant to some, but to others, especially those who are interested in leading a healthier lifestyle, its importance rings loud and clear. Organic silica differs from mineral silica in that it contains carbon and can be readily assimilated by animals, making his discovery important for its potential therapeutic applications.
Though our bodies are made out of minerals, they do not readily assimilate minerals found in rocks and soil. Our bodies require minerals that are organic by nature; minerals that micro-organisms or plant life have converted into organic, bioavailable forms. The only foods known to contain reasonable amounts of silica are some vegetables, bamboo, the husks of seeds, and horsetail herb. But the main problem is that the amount of silica in these foods is simply not enough to support our body's daily requirements for silica, which increases as we age.
Harvesting Organic Silica
By 1975, Le Ribault had created a process by which it was possible to recover these deposits from the surface of the sand. All of this work was accepted by the scientific establishment and his papers were published by the French Academy of Science. Although much research had been conducted on the possible therapeutic applications of organic silica since the 1930s, Le Ribault had not been following this research as he continued perfecting the process of extracting organic silica deposits from grains of sand.
But, in the early 80s, while working on the organic silica deposits, he immersed his hands in an organic silica solution and found that his psoriasis had disappeared. From then on, Le Ribault’s work became focused on the therapeutic properties of silica.
Adventures in Microscopy
After le Ribault discovered his silica "blooms," he continued on with his career of microscopic adventures until he found himself at the head of the world’s forensic experts. In 1982 he set up his own laboratory known as CARME which became the main laboratory used by the French police, judiciary and the French Home Office for solving crimes. He would go to the scene of the crime, take samples, go back to his laboratory CARME and investigate what had occurred.
Through amazing skill and keen observation, the mystery as to what happened would be revealed, often leading to solving the case. For many years he performed incredible feats of detective work, acting as though he was a veritable Sherlock Holmes only with a much more powerful magnifying glass.
Blacklisted
Unfortunately, as a result of his work on organic silica, the same agencies that Le Ribault had worked with turned against him, funneling to the media false information. In 1985, Le Ribault published a famous comprehensive text entitled "Microanalysis and Criminology," which was distributed to all the Gendarmeries (police force) in France. Several years later, text from this publication was later reviewed and some "interesting" modifications were discovered. Important references to CARME were missing, his method for marking invisible objects was no longer mentioned as patented and his name was completely omitted from his own report. After these unfortunate events, CARME was not able to stay open for more than a few more years due to lack of clients.
Although this was hard for Le Ribault to handle, he was a resilient fellow. Thankfully, during the years CARME had been in operation, he had been engaged in research with a highly acclaimed research chemist, Professor Norbert Duffaut from the University of Bordeaux who had synthesized an organo-silicon molecule. Between them, they hoped to develop an easy to ingest form of organic silica and to apply it therapeutically to patients who they believed could benefit from its application.
Success. He stabilized it in salicylic-acid and it proved to be an effective therapy. Duffaut treated numerous patients and stated having success with joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis, skin ailments and other health conditions.
Le Ribault and Duffaut worked together for many years, treating patients for free out of their own houses. In 1985, they secured an international patent for their organic silica formulation which they called G4. Word soon spread about their successes with G4 and articles were published about their discovery in newspapers and popular magazines.
Persecution. In November 1993, after 12 years of working together, and perhaps as a consequence of their work on the new therapy, Duffaut was dead, poisoned in suspicious circumstances and Le Ribault himself had suffered two months solitary confinement in a French jail. The primary charge? Practicing medicine without a license.
Le Ribault had always justified his lack of a license for both himself and his reformulated product, G5, saying G5 was a natural, non-toxic substance that was more of a tonic or dietary supplement.
Vindication. Then, in October, 1995, an investigative article written by Jean-Michel Graille appeared in the magazine, Sud-Ouest Dimanche, outlining most of the case studies done by Le Ribault and Duffaut, including pictures and testimonials from satisfied patients. The response was overwhelming.
In the three months following the article’s publication, Le Ribault did his best to treat thousands of people who converged on the area needing help. The backlash from the pharmaceutical and medical professions was swift. Apparently, local pharmacists lost 35 percent of their business during this tidal wave of patients seeking help from Ribault’s new formulation, G5.
The rest of Le Ribault’s story takes a turn for the worst after his G5 gained so much notoriety. He had been appealing to several pharmaceutical laboratories about the importance of G5, encouraging them to produce it. After 15 years there was no reply except from one pharmaceutical executive who was willing to give him $1 million USD in exchange for his patents. The man wanted to put an end to G5, which he stated "is showing to be too effective."
Exile. Although Le Ribault denied the offer, several charlatans began capitalizing on the popularity of G5, and imitation and frequently dangerous products flooded the market, leading to his arrest. After spending several months in prison, he ended up fleeing France through Belgium and then onto England where he settled on Jersey, the southernmost of the Channel Islands—about as close to France as one can be without being there. He spent a few years in Jersey, making a significant impact on the health of its residents.
A Couple of his Jersey Cases
Le Ribault began administering his treatment, now called OS5, to hundreds of people and although a few found it to be ineffective for certain conditions, in the main, his clients were extremely satisfied. Most of those who were treated knew of Le Ribault’s deeper problems and some of them, infected by the fear which surrounds such cases, did not want to share their stories publicly. However, there were many more who stood by him in his efforts to provide OS5 to more and more people.
Maria. Thirty-six year old athlete Maria de Jesus had lived in Jersey since 1982. In 2004, she began training to run 150 miles across the Sahara desert in the Marathon des Sables, but nearly broke her ankle when her foot caught in a hole. With only five weeks to go before the marathon, hospital doctors gave her crutches and told her she would definitely not be fit for the race. She became increasingly convinced of this, when after a week and a half of concentrated physiotherapy, she was no better.
A friend suggested that she visit Le Ribault and made an appointment for her.
"My friend rang him at eight o’clock in the evening and he said come over. I told him about my ankle, he looked at it and told me that I would be able to do the race. I did not believe him and was very skeptical. I had to drink a spoonful as well as putting a poultice on my foot. I was quite frightened but I was willing to do anything in order to go on the race."
After taking OS5 for a few days, Maria felt more energetic and began jogging. A week later, her ankle had completely recovered. Three weeks later, Maria set off for Morocco where she ran the grueling, 150 mile race across the desert.
Frank. Frank Amy is a tough, level headed, skeptical working-class man, who has had a crumbling spine for the last 18 years. Amy, who had been on strong pharmaceutical pain killers for eight years, was sleeping only two to five hours a night because of discomfort and pain but what really upset him was his inability to bend enough to tie his shoe laces. After his first meeting with Le Ribault in November 1997, Amy began treating himself with OS5.
Feeling that it was important "to be fair to the process" Amy stopped taking his expensive pain killers. Within two weeks of taking the treatment he was feeling and sleeping better; some nights he slept for eight hours. Within a month he could bend down to tie his shoe laces.
Amy took OS5 for 10 weeks. Seven months after this trial period, he still felt good and was almost able to touch his toes without the slightest pain. Apart from the continuing problem of a crumbling spine and occasional painful twinges which he puts down to sensitive nerves, he considers himself symtom-free.
Paul: Paul Leverdier was a 40-year-old pool technician for the Jersey General Hospital, a carefully spoken triathalete who works with patients in the hospital pool.
In early 1998 he was suffering from chronic Achilles tendonitis, a painful tightening and jamming of the Achilles tendon often caused by overtraining. After six months without relief, a physiotherapist colleague at the hospital tried to treat the condition with ultra sound and frictions (a massaging of the tendon).
After another six months, the problem had been going on for so long that Leverdier began to think that he would reluctantly have to take long-term rest. After Laverdier was introduced to Le Ribault, he taped OS5 to the back of his ankle and left it overnight. Previously, when he went running, the pain on starting to run and speeding up had been crippling.
The morning after he treated himself, there was no pain and, when he had finished, the tendon was not jammed up with heavy mucus as it had been in the past.
Leverdier continued with using OS5 for two more consecutive nights, applying it to both tendons. Five months later, Laverdier’s tendonitis was completely gone and he turned in triatholon times he would have been proud of five years earlier.
Loic Le Ribault’s Legacy
He successfully worked with more than 100,000 people with something as simple as an organic mineral. Le Ribault described his organic silica as a very important substance that proved its importance time after time. He stated that, "it has the capacity to penetrate the outer and inner layers of the skin to be diffused throughout the body, reaching areas that have been damaged, or are suffering from pain. It a anti-inflammatory processes and strengthens the immune defenses of the organism. It plays a major role in supporting collagen formation, bone mineralization and body metabolism in general. With age, the amount of organic silica present in the body dwindles irreversibly, since the human system is incapable of transforming the mineral silica ingested from food and drink into organic silica."
It is fairly self-evident the monumental importance of Le Ribault’s discoveries and their applications. Because of them, Le Ribault was known wherever he went. People he had never met, upon hearing his name would come over and introduce themselves and thank him for everything he had done for them or a family member. Many times it was these people that helped Le Ribault out when he was in desperate need.
Due to the fact that Loic Le Ribault had passed on in June of this year, we felt it was important that he not only be remembered but never forgotten for the important contributions he made to the science of orthomolecular nutrition and to humanity as a compassionate practitioner.
From the November 2007 Idaho Observer.
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