Is there evidence for memory of water?

by Lucy Pringle

2003

This heading was the title of a recent article in New Scientist (14 June 2003) written by Lionel Milgrom in which he suggests that a possible explanation for the theory put forward several years ago by the eminent allergy researcher Dr Jacques Benveniste that water had a memory of water, (and which cost him his government funding at the time,) lies with the pattern and behavior of hydrogen bonds.

This is of particular interest to me as since 1991 I have been burying 25ml glass and plastic (pvc) bottles of Volvic water both inside and control samples outside crop formations. Volvic water was used at the recommendation of Dr Cyril Smith who when testing the water for resonances required water that constantly did not go beyond 4Hz. Volvic water contains 6mg of nitrates per litre.

Over the years these bottles of water taken from different formations have been analyzed by scientists all over the world and in every case marked changes have been found between the water from the bottles buried inside the formations compared to the control samples buried samples outside.

In Dr Cyril Smith’s tests the results showed a different pattern of resonances between the water buried inside against the controls. Seed A was also a control and shows a different pattern to Seed B.

> Stimulation frequency : < Depression frequency
Control Sample (tap water) : > 1.1 MHz
Water sample 1:
>9.5, <17, >160, <9k, >80k, <960k, >3.6M, <13.2M, >59M
Water sample 2:
>5.5, <14, >140, <900, >6k, <95k, >350k, <1.36M, >5.4M, <15M, <58M

Seed 1:
>80, <14k, >130k, <640k, >5.8M
Seed 2:
>7, <18, >50, <130, >650, <3k, >16.5k, <120k, >230k, <440k
>1.26M, <112.4M, >57M

Although there is no one to one correlation between the sets of results, what is of significance is the pattern generated and the fact that the end frequencies for both water samples and seed sample 2 are close to 59MHz, indicating a resonance in the seed that has been retained by the water sample.

Dr Jacques Benveniste was the next to blind test different samples with the following results and comments.

WATER RESULTS
I remember writing at the time that nothing had happened to change my belief that certain formations may have homeopathic qualities and to that end, my research continues; burying 20 ml bottles of water, (all taken from the same source) inside formations and control samples outside the formations, to see if when analyzed, there is any change in the structure of the water. Many of you will be familiar with the results from experiments conducted by Dr Cyril Smith and Dr Levengood, both of whom found significant changes respectively in resonances and bacteria levels. But as happens oft-times with science the wheels move slowly and one has to return to the drawing board to re-think and restructure techniques and procedures. At times I almost get the impression that the 'force' does not wish to be pinned down by scientific analysis and is trying to avoid all our concerted efforts.

Last September I devised an experiment in which Dr Jacques Benveniste was to analyze bottles and would send them to Dr Cyril Smith. If they both revealed substantial changes between the samples buried inside and the samples buried outside a formation, it would have been a major step forward. However the best laid plans of mice and men do not always materialize; the bottles arrived with Jacques, he was busy over the winter and in the spring moved laboratories; "The bottles are not lost, I wrapped them up myself, but I cannot find them".

However he most generously agreed to test samples from 1996 and then send them to Dr Cyril Smith for analysis. The results from Jacques Benveniste have just arrived and are as follows.

RESULTS OF JACQUES BENVENISTE’S TESTS
Four samples of water from the crop fields were tested. The water was contained in 20 ml bottles, two of which came from inside formations and two were control samples. The formations tested were the Mayan Symbol at East Oakley and the Triple Spiral below Windmill Hill.

These tests were carried out blind, using the well known classical Langendorff method using Krebs-Henseleit buffer. Jim Lyons has kindly helped analyze these results and suggests "that this method is to test the effects of potentised water on living tissue, the target in this case being the hearts of suitably immunized guinea pigs. This is a method of identifying directly the effects of the presence of subtle energies on living tissue. Heart rate is usually an indicator of the level of energy present. This technique appears to measure percentage variation between a control sample of water flow and a potentised one".

In these tests there is a 10% variation. Most controls are below 6%, so between 6 & 10%, Dr Benveniste suggests "that something may be happening and we repeat the measures."

Bottle No 018 was the control sample buried in the same field but furthest from the Mayan Symbol formation.

Bottle No 022 was buried in a shaft jutting off from the Mayan Symbol.

Bottle No 030 was the control sample buried in the same field but furthest from the Triple Spiral.

Bottle No 034 was buried in the centre of the centre circle of the Triple Spiral.

The results were as follows:

Bottle            018        022        030        034
______________________________________________________________
                    4.1         2.7        17.1       11.3
                                              26.7
______________________________________________________________

So taking 6% as the threshold percentage, you will now see that whereas both samples from inside and outside the Mayan Symbol were below 6%, both samples from inside and outside the Triple Spiral were above 6%. The sample inside the centre circle showing increases of 51.3% and 136% over the control sample.

According to Jacques "sample 034 is clearly positive and sample 030 very positive."

Jim Lyons comments that,

"Although these represent a very small experimental sample, the fact that there is very good compatibility between results based on well proven experimental protocols is very comforting. This has been shown for the soil tests which were also an attempt to find a measurable effect in subtle energy affected by living matter and aura dowsing tests which are based entirely on potentised matter due to subtle energies. In all cases the matter, be it water, seed head or soil act as storers of this energy. Together with Cyril Smith’s stored frequency results (7) shows that we have a technique which can be further developed to provide full energy spectrum results for the crop or soil."

A further test illustrating and confirming Dr Jacques Benveniste’s theory was as follows.

The Magic of Water
Over the years many eminent scientists such as Drs Cyril Smith, 'Lefty' Levengood and Jacques Benveniste have kindly examined and tested my 25ml bottles of buried water with encouraging results. Resonances, levels of bacteria and change of heart rate have all revealed dramatic anomalies. However there comes a time when these services can no longer be given or expected free.

Therefore the quest was on for a suitable means of inexpensive and accurate testing. Christopher Weeks, long time crop circle researcher and fellow member of UNEX (Unexplained Phenomenon Research Society) came up with a possible remedy.

The procedure involves using Merckoquant Nitrate strips. It is an easy method to obtain a quick quantitative determination of NITRATES. The test strip contains two reaction zones at one end, which should not be touched. The zone at the very end indicates both NITRATE and NITRITE, while the other zone reacts only to NITRITE. It serves as a warning zone as any pink to red-violet coloration indicates the presence of NITRITE that interferes with the reaction.

The method of testing is to immerse the strips in the liquid for one second so that both the reaction zones are fully wetted.

Remove the strips; shake off the excess liquid and after one minute compare the reaction zones with the color scale that is shown on the side of the container.

These strips can also be used to test soil, plant sap and on the plant itself.

The measurements are based on parts per million.

It is recommended that distilled water be used.

We conducted the first tests using this method with the following results. Report on the tests carried out on 3rd April 2001 at 5 Town Lane, Petersfield, using Merck Eurolab nitrate testing strips. Tests carried out on (plastic) bottles containing Volvic water buried in crop circles and areas in surrounding field (control) sealed with elastoplast and wrapped in aluminium foil:

Test 1. Crop Circle 2000 - six triangles within a circle - opposite Silbury Hill (2 June) (Photo 4)

Bottle No. 180 - Control - edge of field
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0

Bottle No. 181 - Within circle, at apex pointing towards Silbury Hill
Nitrate: 10+
Nitrite: 0

Bottle No. 182 - Within circle, at centre
Nitrate: 10+
Nitrite: 0

Bottle No. 183 - Within circle - far centre of perimeter
Nitrate: 25
Nitrite: 0+

Test 2. Barbury Castle "Flower of Life" (photo 5) formed on 19/20 April 1997 in oilseed- rape.
Bottles buried on 22 April, retrieved 11 May:

Bottle No. 041 - Within circle - at apex of first crescent upon entering:
Nitrate: 25+ to -50
Nitrite: +

Bottle No. 043 - Within circle - at apex of crescent towards Wroughton, going from centre in line with inside of tramline:
Nitrate: 10+
Nitrite: 0

Bottle No. 044 - Control - patch of green camomile at entrance to field:
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0

Bottle No. 045 - Control - under stone by exit under barbed wire fence:
Nitrate: -25
Nitrite: 0

Whereas the control tests conducted from both formations exhibited no Nitrite content, control samples taken from both formations revealed Nitrate contents ranging from 0-10 and in one control sample from the 1997 Tree of Life Barbury Castle, the Nitrate content measured -25.

In every instance the Nitrate reading was higher than the Nitrite.

The highest Nitrate reading (25+ to - 50) came from the bottle buried on the perimeter of the 1997 Barbury Castle formation inches away from location where the anomalous discoloration of stems in the standing crop beyond, were found.

In the control sample taken from the bottle of unburied water both the Nitrate and Nitrite content was 0.

Conclusion
It is interesting to note that the frequency of Nitrates was not only able to penetrate the plastic bottles, but the water was able to retain this frequency, especially in water buried some 5 years previously. It suggested by Jim Lyons that it is really a vibration problem. The water is storing the imprint of nitrite/nitrates, which the test responds to without any physical molecules being present.

These are preliminary results and if we can reproduce these findings they will be significant and certainly of interest to Dr Jacques Benveniste.

The Mystery of Water
Despite great strides in medicine, physics, chemistry and biology, water and its behavior still remains a mystery.

In an article by Robert Matthews, he tells us that whereas most substances are denser in their solid form than when they are liquid, water floats. Most substances shrink when you cool them, yet frozen water expands taking up more space than the original liquid.

The boiling point, melting point and heat conducting abilities are far higher than other substances an it takes more energy to boil a pint of water than any other liquid. It has also been shown in tests performed at Berkeley University that water molecules bond together briefly forming bigger more complex shapes.

So what is going on?
Long time friend and polymath Keith Wakelam kindly sent me this Potted Course in Physics, which I found helpful.

"Hydrogen has one positive charge on its proton nucleus that attracts one electron with a negative charge. This is a Hydrogen bond. However, there are normally two electrons in the first shell around an atom. So Hydrogen atoms bind together in pairs as a molecule, sharing the two electrons between them as a complete shell.

"When combined with Oxygen to form water molecules the two Hydrogen atoms each share their one electron with the outer shell of the Oxygen atom. This means that there are vacant spaces for two more electrons to attach loosely to the Hydrogen atoms in the water molecule. This is not an electric bond, but it does soak up any low energy free electrons that may be around. This is why when heavier elements are in solution in water they tend to lose one of their outer electrons to the water molecule and become positive ions.

"If there aren’t any elements in solution (having been extracted by homeopathic dilution) some water molecules may be looking for the electrons and would tend to pair up with any other water molecules that pre-existed in the solution, since they would be replacing such heavier molecules one by one as were separated in dilution.

Wakelam suggested that this could be tested by seeing if the separated solute in the homeopathic process does have a positive charge. Wakelam also suggests that in Rey’s article in the New Scientist,

"his thermoluminescence test seemed to pick out loose bonding energy of water molecules at 170 deg. K. Because electrons were stripped off the sodium chloride and lithium chloride during the homeopathic dilution, these electrons could provide the ghost linkage to the other water molecules and therefore the peak at 170 deg.K was lower. As previously suggested this could be tested if the separated solute was positively charged."

The mystery remains to activate us to conduct further research.

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