Bentonite / Montmorillonite: The Clay Cure
Sodium & Calcium Bentonite / Montmorillonite

Clay Research Articles

 

Bentonite: Public Research Project An Educational Compilation of Commentaries and Articles: 1995 & 2011 Bentonite Search Terms Appendum for this page Bentonite is a commercial name (as is montmorillonite) for a class of clay minerals scientifically known as smectite. Clay minerals are complex microcrystals usually composed of aluminum silicate. What defines clay is the makeup of the minerals, the particle characteristics, and the minute size of the clay particles. The most predominant forms of clay minerals used in traditional and natural medicine are calcium bentonite and sodium bentonite. Through its journey through nature, clay becomes specialized due to natural weathering. Smectite clay particles are rectangular in shape, and once hydrated, gain an amazing sorption ability, which allows the clay to pull to its surface-- and hold-- positively charged ions. The flat surface of the smectite particles take on a negative surface charge, which creates this amazing ability technically knowns as an ion exchange capacity. The corners of the clay particles have a slight positive charge. Through natural weathering, clay also collects an abundance of trace minerals. Each clay deposit is unique. There are two primary types of clay deposits: Volcanic origin clays and sedimentary clays. One type is not better than the other, but they are quite distinct from each other. Prized thereapeutic grade clays have been used in farming, water treatment, animal feed, balneotherapy, skincare, and detoxification/cleansing protocols since before recording history, and on every continent in the world that human beings have called home. To learn more about clay therapy, be sure to visit our homepage: Bentonite, Montmorillonite & Illite: Healing Clays of the World. The bentonite articles referenced below were compiled over many years of research. The information was first compiled, printed and freely distributed in 1995. We'd love to add any other relevant research materials. Feel free to email us! Quick Links to the Articles in this Section || What is Bentonite? || Bentonite Clay Mineral Formation & Evolution || || Hydrated Sodium Bentonite Studies - Edible Clay || Bentonite & Food Poisoning || || Pascalite Article - White Calcium Bentonite || Clay Use by Primitives & Indigenous Cultures || || Trace Minerals and Clay || Living Clay: Bentonite || To Purchase Edible Clay Visit: Edible Clay for Supplements Public Research: Bentonite Jason R. Eaton & Tammy M. Eaton Educational Compilation 7/9/95 "Clay is the most versatile, profoundly effective, cheap, mysterious, underrated, covered-up health treatment available. "I know this because I am a natural health professional who uses clay personally and professionally for healing and health maintenance. I research and read everything I can find on the therapeutic use of clay. I have seen clay perform "miracles." I get very excited about mud. And in case you think I got my diploma out of a Cracker Jack's box, rest assured; I have a bonafide Masters Degree..." "...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 adsorbs 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, anemia, in fact, the list of uses is too long for this article. It was used during the Balkan war of 1910 to reduce mortality from cholera among the soldiers from sixty to three percent." - Julie Crist, M. Ac., [email protected] Julie Crist For those looking to purchase the highest quality edible clays for use in natural medicine, here is a brief recommendation list. Please see our pages on clay links for more valueable resources: Edible Clay Supplements - Bentonite & Montmorillonite - Supreme blends of edible clays USP Grade Bentonite & Red Desert Clay - Exceeding clean detox and mineral supplement blend. Micronized Zeolite - The highest quality micronized zeolite. Terramin - The renown Terramin red desert clay. Redmond Clay - Mixed layer sodium bentonite healing clay.

 

See Also:

 

General Uses of Clay Healing Clay Uses - Pelotherapy	Introduction to Healing Clay Pelotherapy and Healing Clays of the World

 

Clay Chemistry Clay Chemistry - Healing Clays: Bentonite, Illite, Montmorillonite

 

Featured: Did You Know...?

"What is the evolutionary significance of plant toxins and animal anti-toxin behaviour? From a plant's evolutionary perspective, a seed should be high in nutrients to support germination and seedling growth; the ripe fruit around the seed should also be nutrient-rich and attractive to animals, encouraging them to pluck and eat the fruit and disperse the seed. On the other hand, the seed itself should be repulsive to animal consumers, inducing them to regurgitate or defaecate it, and the unripe fruit should be repulsive, lest animals harvest it before the seed is viable. From an animal's evolutionary perspective, an ability to defeat the plant's toxin defences would enable it to obtain the nutrients in the seed as well as those in the ripe fruit, and to outcompete other animal consumers by harvesting the fruit while it is unripe and still unpalatable to them. "Any textbook of animal biology describes the resulting evolutionary arms race, in which plants evolve increasingly potent toxins (such as strychnine and quinine), and animals evolve increasingly potent means of detoxification. While enzymatic detoxification has previously received the most attention, the work of Gilardi et al.10 and the wide distribution of geophagy among animal herbivores suggest an additional important means of detoxification by adsorption on ingested soil minerals." - Jared M. Diamond, Department of Physiology, University of California Medical School, Los Angeles Read more about indigenous habits and instinctual use of edible clay minerals in our bentonite articles section.