Tin

Tin (Sn) is an element vital to human general health. Daily intake of tin ranges from 1 to 3 mg. In the past when tin cans and pans were used, tin intake was ten times bigger. Researches conducted on animals have shown that insufficiency of tin can cause reduced growth, loss of hearing, loss of hair and reduced feeding efficiency.

Tipton and Shafer have reported that after sudden death, traces of tin in human tissue had been found in brain, aorta, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, spleen, pancreas, uterus, prostate and stomach but not in thyroid gland.

Benefits and Side Effects

Tin is connected to iodine in the same manner as calcium with magnesium. Iodine maintains thyroid gland while tin supports adrenals. Tin deficiency together with lack of vitamin C and vitamin B are causes of low adrenals. Since tin and adrenals are controlling the left side, this insufficiency leads to left-sided heart problems. This problem can then lead to breathing difficulties and asthma. Lack of tin may result in depression and fatigue while adding tin boosts energy and has positive effects on the mood. It can be also helpful with headaches, insomnia, digestion and skin problems as well as different pains and aches. Side effects of tin supplement can be digestive problems or skin reactions.

Reported toxicity of tin is connected to food tin containers where symptoms were nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Excessive tin is swiftly excreted from organism and there are no long-term negative effects. Inorganic tin is much less toxic to human organism comparing to other elements like cobalt and copper.

In one research it was proven that tin can help with depression though the condition is usually associated with imbalance in levels of lithium, magnesium, copper, sodium, manganese and certain vitamins. Only in case where cause for depression doesn’t lie in low thyroid, low blood pressure, low adrenals and chemical imbalance, tin can relieve the condition.

Tin is ingredient of some toothpastes. It is added to asparagus for the taste and used as a remedy for stomach parasites.

Tin can be found in herbs like nettle, barberry, yarrow, licorice, senna, doggrass, juniper, milk thistle, valerian, lady slipper, althea, yellow dock, kelp, devils claw, pennyroyal, irish moss, blessed thistle, red clover, bilberry and dulse.

Tin is also available in all vegetables and fruits in small amounts. Plants absorb tin from the soil hence level of tin in them depend on quality of the soil.