Determined to prove there really is a beneficial difference in the water he sells, Raynard Smith contacted Body & Soul following the release of articles which looked at the merits of expensive bottled water.

Articles ran in Body & Soul on Tuesday, October 23, which looked at Penta water and Anti Ageing Detox Extreme water, two of the most expensive bottled waters on the local market.

Local biologist Dr. Michael Bradshaw said in that article that water is water and manufacturers who claim to have a superior product may have altered it.

"When they say it is anti-aging, the only way to get any action is if you have added something to it. If you increased minerals or taken something out but then it is not pure water," he said.

But Mr. Smith, local distributor of Anti Ageing Detox Extreme water ($4.30 for 16 oz.) insists that it has a different molecular structure.

"The reason that the hexagonal water is able to outperform the regular water is because of the six-sided shape of the molecules versus the five-sided in tap water," he said. "When it rains the water goes deep into cisterns in the earth.

"The earth's magnetic field shapes it hexagonally. When it comes out of a spring it will hydrate considerably better.

"When it pools on the ground, it reverts to its pentagonal shape which is five-sided and not able to penetrate through cellular walls nearly as well as when it is six-sided."

I asked Dr. Bradshaw if there was any validity to Mr. Smith's claim and he said he is unfamiliar with this type of research.

Understanding of people's scepticism, Mr. Smith volunteered an experiment.

He said we could get two flowers put one in tap water and one in his Anti-Aging Detox extreme water and note the difference over two weeks.

We did it. I went to the flower shop and picked the carnations myself to ensure there was no fudging of the evidence.

Mr. Smith foot the bill for two carnations and two pieces of fern.

I bought a third carnation at the same time to put in Penta water, (the other highly priced bottled water that was covered in the October 23rd article).

We put the flowers in separate vases and examined them at one week and two weeks. On the third week some still remained fresh.

Here's what we found:

Week 1: All three carnations still look fresh as do their ferns.

Week 2: The tap water carnation is completely brown and wilted. The fern is drying up. The hexagonal water carnation has a straight firm stem and the flower still looks fresh although there is some browning at the edges of the petals. Its fern remains fresh.

The Penta water carnation is still fresh and its leaves are firmer than those of the carnation in the hexagonal water. There is no fern in this water.

Week 3: The tap water fern has wilted more. The hexagonal water carnation is beginning to wilt. Many of its petals are brown. The fern is beginning to dry up. The Penta water flower remains fresh. But what does this really prove?

According to Mr. Smith, it is evidence of the superior ability of the hexagonal water to be absorbed by cells.

"That's what it does in the body. It does not sit in the stomach," he said. "It will go through intestinal walls and permeate the cells of the body. It has been proven to hydrate the body 13.4 times better than regular water.

"Water good for a flower will also be good for human beings. There's no greater example than using another living creature. If you take a plant and don't see any caterpillars on it, then you shouldn't eat it either. It's probably got pesticides on it."

But although his argument may sound convincing, it doesn't explain why the carnation in Penta water, which is not hexagonal, remained fresh.

And his conclusion was not shared by many Royal Gazette employees who followed the experiment.

"I was very surprised with the results but still would not spend that much money on bottled water. I will have to continue to die at the rate I am with tap water," said one woman. "Besides, flowers are flowers and have a totally different biological makeup from me."

Another woman, Marguerita Carter said: "It is interesting but I am concerned about what is in that water that is making it do that. I am now more suspicious and worried to drink it. I am not afraid to spend more if I know it will be good for me, but I don't know what's in that."

Kim Bell oversaw the experiment and at the end was an enthusiastic advocate. "It's made me want to buy it for flowers," she said. "My sister buys a lot of flowers and this would keep them fresh longer. As far as taking it to replenish me, no.

"It's not worth the price. At my house, tap water is free and for age-defying benefits I can use a host of other things."

And one man pointed out that plants also thrive in things that would be toxic to us like manure and urine. "You can give plants anything," he said "His (Mr. Smith's) theory isn't scientific enough to convince me."

I didn't find anyone at the Royal Gazette who was moved to buy the water after witnessing the experiment. I drank a bottle and confess I didn't notice any superior thirst quenching but perhaps I'm jaded.

So I gave my husband a bottle one night when he asked for water. After drinking it I asked him if he felt a difference. He didn't.

Mr. Smith said it will be difficult to convince sceptics but insists that, especially if you exercise, you will notice a difference after eight weeks of using his hexagonal water.

If you try it, do let me know the results email gazettehealth[AT]yahoo.com.