The Incredible Healing Powers of Edible Clay:

The Egyptians used it to preserve their famous mummies. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to restore health. The great German Naturopaths of the last century hailed clay as one of nature’s great remedies. Mahatma Ghandi advocated the use of clay for health and purification. Numerous so-called “primitive” tribes have used clay for both internal and external purification…. Jesus healed the blind with Bentonite Clay, dams are patched with it. The Native Americans used it for money. The Russians capped Chernobyl with it after the nuclear plant melted down. NASA feeds it to astronauts to prevent osteoporosis.

A few years ago I discovered that using Calcium bentonite clay was the only thing that would stop and reverse my cyclical vomiting syndrome (most likely a result of severe leaky gut). As I have come to learn more about my condition and what bentonite clay does I now understand much better why this was the case. Bentonite clay removes all types of toxins from our bodies, either by ingesting it directly or by bathing in it or even by washing our produce in a bath of bentonite clay. Bentonite will also help to remove parasites from your bowel and is a very powerful bowel cleanser. It is coming more into the spotlight these days because it is also able to remove a variety of radiation from our bodies as well as heavy metals. As our bodies do not absorb bentonite at all, the toxins will not get re-absorbed into our bodies, but will be removed. I am a big fan of bentonite. It is also very helpful if you have diarrhea, a tummy bug or food poisoning. These following quotes show why bentonite helped my condition:

Dr. Bernard Jensen, N.D., D.C., Ph.D., suggests using bentonite to absorb radiation from the bones. Since so many of us are subject to various forms of radiation, whether from X-rays or television or computers, this would be something to consider. This could be extremely important for those who have undergone radiation treatment for cancer. Some people take about a cup of extra thick liquid bentonite and put it into their bath water. -Source: Hydrated Bentonite Clay

Dr. Timothy Ray says that during chelation of mercury with DMSA and DMPS (sulfhydryl chelators), “Some of the mobilized metals may be unbound because the mobilizing and binding mechanisms of each chelator may have different degrees of efficiency depending on each patient’s current biochemistry. The longer the metals stay in the bowel, the more damage and inflammation they can cause. If the patient has Leaky Gut Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which most of these patients do, the increased permeability of the intestinal wall may provide little resistance to the re-absorption of these mobilized metals, which then travel back to where they came from – the brain, kidneys, liver, connective tissue, etc., or are deposited into previously healthy tissue.”

Now, I have seen a variety of websites lately promoting using bentonite internally, recommending that we take around 2 teaspoons of bentonite daily to help keep our bodies clean. I get the feeling that the folks recommending this have forgotten how dangerous it can be to suddenly start adding that amount of bentonite into your daily regimen. When you start to use bentonite or other clays you should start very slowly and cautiously and see how your own body responds. Be sure to drink lots of water. I would even recommend starting with very small amounts of bentonite 1 t every 3 days. The way to do this is mix up 1 t of clay in about 1/2 quart/litre and drink 1/3 of that each day. Shake the jar well before drinking it. Wait a couple days and if you do fine then gradually increase the amount. Again, be sure to drink tons of water. Bentonite can cause extreme constipation as it absorbs many times it’s weight. It can also cause herxiheimer reactions. I think bentonite is great, it just needs to be used with respect and caution.

Your clay should be drunk at least an hour before or after taking supplements and not taken at the same time as pharmaceutical drugs as it will reduce their action. It is best to take it on an empty stomach before eating anything else in the morning or evening. I have also seen various sites warning that there are types of bentonite with aluminum which should be avoided. Other people have said that since the bentonite isn’t absorbed by our bodies any aluminum will also not be absorbed:

With increasing public knowledge about minerals, some have expressed concern over the presence of small amounts of aluminum in bentonite clay. However, Rich Anderson himself, and numerous others who have used Bentonite clay extensively with his cleanse program, have had hair analyses done which indicated that the body does not absorb aluminum from Bentonite. -Source Hydrated Bentonite Clay: A Priceless Gift from Mother Nature

Other people have been recommending zeolite clay, but bentonite clay works much better internally than zeolite, especially if it is being taken long term. -Source Zeolite vs. Bentonite Clay

Bentonite and other clays have been used for millenia by humans, birds and animals. They have even been called the first medicine. Special clays were even used as money in cultures all over the world, and are still made into clay cookies and sold in markets in Africa. People who eat clay have been called clay-eaters, dirt-eaters, chalk-eaters and other names (the official term for it is geophagy or geophagia), but they knew what they were doing. The first time I ever came across this phenomenon was when I read Gabriel Garcia Marques’ book One Hundred Years of Solitude. One of the characters in the book was obsessively eating dirt. I think she might have been pregnant, but I don’t remember all the details. I remember being rather shocked and alarmed by the idea at the time, but somehow that sunk into my subconsciousness and when I stumbled on research discussing the healing uses of bentonite clay and whatnot, it was easier for me to accept.

Bentonite attracts and neutralizes poisons in the intestinal tract. It can eliminate food allergies, food poisoning, mucus colitis, spastic colitis, viral infections, stomach flu, and parasites (parasites are unable to reproduce in the presence of clay). There is virtually no digestive disease that clay will not treat. It enriches and balances blood. It absorbs radiation (think cell phones, microwaves, x-rays, TVs and irradiated food, for starters). It has been used for alcoholism, arthritis, cataracts, diabetic neuropathy, pain treatment, open wounds, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, stomach ulcers, animal and poisonous insect bites, acne, and anemia. Lacerations, bedsores, spider bites, poison ivy and mysterious rashes seem to vanish. -Source: Healing Properties of Bentonite Clay

Historically, clay eating has been associated with treatments for cholera and bacterial infection. In a practice dating back to Greek and Roman times and later absorbed by Christianity, holy clay tablets were widely distributed and traded throughout the Mediterranean region and Western Europe for use in religious customs and rituals, and as cures for poison and the plague. These clay tablets, blessed by the Roman Catholic Church, were listed in pharmacopeia as late as 1848. -Source: Eating Clay

Pregnant women have a particular affinity for eating clay in various cultures in Africa, Southern America, Australia. In Africa clay is taken from termite mounds and is especially high in minerals. Research is being done as to why pregnant women crave clays and various theories have been put forth: clay is rich in minerals, clay is a powerful detoxification tool and clay helps to prevent nausea. Modern people are often deficient in various minerals and have high levels of toxins in their bodies, so clay can help with both of these things.

One example from the animal kingdom is the use of clays by animal species that regularly scavenge for a wide variety of foods, often of varying toxicity. Researchers discovered that the ingestion of clays by such species, among them birds, parrots, rats and primates, enables a diverse diet without suffering the toxic effects of substances consumed. The chemical structure of earthen clays determines their suitability as a detoxicant.

Their crystalline shape includes hexagonal networks of silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons, giving them a large surface area with which to bond with potential toxins. In addition, hydroxyl ions and colloidal properties within their structure promote the ability to bind and exchange metals as well as adsorb water and other organic compounds. In cultures across continents, anthropologists and mineralogists have documented and substantiated the use of clays to reduce bioavailability of plant toxins from foods and make them more edible.

Also documented is the practice of baking clay with acorn flour in breads, used historically among peoples of present-day California, Sardinia and Sweden. In examining the mineralogy of the acorn bread clays, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition supports the effectiveness of clays both as adsorbers of toxins and as contributors of trace minerals to the diet. Their function was found to reduce the toxicity of acorns by as much as 77%, and to potentially provide 38% of the adult RDA of Calcium. -Source: Eating Clay

Edible clay can also be used topically. I have used it on my belly when it wasn’t feeling so good, after a bath. It can also be used for toothaches, by packing it into the tooth. It will draw out the infection and reduce the pain. It can also be used on other infections. It can even be used for carpal tunnel syndrome by wrapping the wrists in clay. Spider veins can be removed by using clay as well. I have also seen reports that it will help with skin cancer as well as Morgellons disease. It will remove heavy metals such as mercury and more from the body.

“Ordinary clay can kill the drug-resistant superbug MRSA — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — and other lethal infections, and is being investigated as a potential tool in treating patients. “Healing” clays have been known for years to soak up toxins produced by bacteria, which can limit the spread of infection. But now, research at Arizona State University shows some forms of clay actually kill salmonella, E. coli, MRSA and Mycobacterium ulcerans, which causes flesh-eating disease. If they can figure out how it works, this could make a cheap, low-tech weapon against infection available throughout the Third World.” The Calgary Herald 2008

It also can be used to cleanse your plants if they have had radiation rain fall on them. A liquid solution is good to use to wash your produce in these days as our world has incredibly high levels of radiation, which is rapidly increasing with the Fukushima nuclear disaster and has already been detected in our food supply as well as our drinking water. Washing your fruit and vegetables with a clay/water solution will also remove toxic pesticides.

Protection from Radiation Exposure:

The nuclear catastrophe raging through Japan’s nuclear power complex is generating an intense fear of radioactive fallout potentially reaching North America. Clay will do more than any other substance (natural or pharmaceutical) to remove radioactive isotopes from our bodies and to assist our bodies in returning to a state of good health.

Fallout is composed of radioactive particles that are carried into the upper atmosphere by a nuclear explosion or meltdown and that eventually fall back to the earth’s surface. Radioactive material is formed carrying a positive ionic charge. Calcium Bentonite Clay is a negatively charged ion. Simply put, Calcium Bentonite Clay adsorbs and absorbs, capturing positive charged ions, and you wash them off or pass them through your body. Unlike other clays, only Smectites (Bentonites) can absorb and adsorb and are characterized by its expandable properties. I recommend reading the book Living Clay Nature’s Own Miracle Cure for protocols, mixing directions, and to learn more about protecting your family and yourself from our inevitable exposure to radiation. -Source: Our Earth, Our Cure – Clay Therapy

Bentonite is one of the volcanic ashes. It is not a drug or chemical composition made in a laboratory. It is a product of Mother Earth. Bentonite in ages past was blown into the sky by volcanic action, which sifted down to help impregnate the soil with its 25 to 35 trace minerals. Bentonite is not a mineral, but a commercial name for “montmorillonite”, which comes from the city Montmorillon, in France, where the medicinal clay was first identified and is the active mineral in many medicinal clays. -Source: Hydrated Bentonite Clay

Clay has been used for soothing stomach ulcers and acidic conditions successfully:

I’ve suffered from a small stomach ulcer for a while and am on Pantoloc. I also use Gaviscom when my stomach gets upset, but after a while I found it helped very little. One day I decided to drink liquid clay and was astonished that within 30 seconds my stomach felt fine….Stomach Ulcers: ½ tsp. clay was taken just before eating. When acid was noticed, repeated use. If you are inclined to constipation, then I highly recommend you take an herbal laxative each and every evening of the day you take the clay drink as it can be very constipating. -Source: Bentonite Clay Healing

What are the Benefits of Eating Clay?

• Soothes and Purifies the Digestive Tract
• Remineralizes Cells and Tissues
• Promotes Bacterial Balance in the Colon
• Assists in Heavy Metal and Chemical Detoxification
• Augments Digestive Efficiency
• Supports Nutrient Assimilation in the Gut
• Alkalizes the Body

More info here

Some Things to know about Edible Clays:

First, all clays are different, making it complicated to understand the many differences in clay families. For this article, let’s focus on the Smectite Family of Clays known commonly as Bentonites. A unique trait of the Smectite Family of clay is the ability to adsorb, as well as absorb. In the Smectite Family of clays, there are predominately Sodium and Calcium Bentonites.

Sodium Bentonites are naturally high in salt – as high as 14%. They are the swelling or expanding clays, taking on more water when hydrated. These have been used primarily for industrial purposes (e.g., liner materials for landfills, binders for iron ore processing, suspension agents in oil well drilling, and water-proofing products for building materials.

In addition, all Calcium Bentonite Clays are not the same! They differ in composition of minerals, colors, textures, swelling capacity, taste, odor, grittiness and purity. The major differences lie in proportion of the trace minerals that make up clays. All clays contain from 60 – 70 trace minerals, and most in parts per million (ppm) and in insignificant amounts. The primary minerals determine the common names of many clays, as do locations.

Calcium Bentonites are more widely known as healing clays for detoxing, cleansing, drawing our impurities and used in many products such as toothpaste, antacids, and cosmetics. -Source: Criteria for Selecting a Quality Healing Clay

I am sure there is more information out there on clays and more soon to come, especially as they seem to be very helpful for detoxing radiation for plants, animals and people.

Great Websites with more info on Edible Clay:

• Special Clay Great clay for good price.
• Eating Clay
• Healing with Mother Earth
• Uranium Poisoning
• Hydrated Bentonite Clay. A Priceless Gift from Mother Nature: Herbal “First Aid”
• AboutClay.com
• EytonsEarth.com
• Remove radiation from your produce with Calcium Bentonite Clay
• Bentonite: Public Research Project
• Removing spider veins and varicose veins naturally with clay
• Our Earth, Our Cure – Clay Therapy – Healing Clay – Healing Earth
• Stop Needless Amputations with Calcium Bentonite Clay
• Criteria for Selecting a Quality Healing Clay
• Benefits of Magnetic Clay Baths
• Detox Foot Bath for folks who don’t have a bath.
• Living Clay Book
• Using bentonite (and other things) for detoxing and healing Lyme Disease