V.E. Irons Inc.

If one still wishes to purchase hydrated bentonite in a form ready for use internally, we recommend products by V.E. Irons, Inc.  V.E. Irons, Inc. has been in business for decades, and has contributed to the knowledge base of humanity with their own research staff.  V. Earl Irons, founder, was a pioneer in natural products long before most of our country knew what a supplement was.  They have published papers and been involved in the vitamin/supplement movement since its inception.  They have various patented methods for creating their final products. Their internal clay, one of the first bentonites to reach market in ready to consume form, is USP Grade rather than FDA grade, which is the exact road we would take if marketing a similar product.  Notice that they sell their product in a GLASS UV PROTECTED container.  While clay does not need to be protected from sunlight, this is standard packaging procedure for their hydrated products. Our hats are off to to the fine family who has contributed so much to the world of mineral supplements.

Visit a distributor of VE Irons Bentonite ( this link was changed 12/01 ).

American Colloid Company

The American Colloid Company sells various forms of bentonite for industrial and pharmaceutical use.  They market a standard unprocessed 325 mesh technical grade bentonite that works better than Aztec or any other so-called healing clay ( pure bentonite ) that I have tested on the open market.  They do NOT recommend its use for healing and we have tested it for external use only; indeed, they really have no idea that bentonite can be used as a healing agent.  No large quarry or processing plant can recommend its clay for use on the human body and be in compliance with the FDA/USDA guidelines that regulate their industry.  However, unlike Aztec and some others, when you purchase this clay, you are guaranteed that it is free of grade related contaminants ( 325 mesh bentonite is tested for bacterial contamination and other potentially harmful contaminants ).  They do not directly sell to the public; one must find a supplier.  They sell it in powdered form for a fraction of the cost one would see online or in a health food store.  For internal use, they sell a pharmacy grade bentonite which the FDA has approved for use in the human body.  While more expensive than the 325 mesh industrial grade clay, its price ( once the powder is hydrated ) is still a fraction of the cost you'd find from a specialty carrier.

We've also tested American Colloid HPM-20 Agricultural grade clay for use in baths, and it performs admirably.

Pascalite

Pascalite is a rare specialty clay ( Calcium Bentonite ).  Although not nearly as affordable as a standard bentonite, we believe the price is justified because they truly offer a fine specialty clay.  Ray P., founder of Pascalite, is reputably quite a character.  His book is also available directly from Pascalite. Their products may be ordered by using the following URL:

http://www.pascalite.com

Engineered Ceramics - EMX

Dr. Teruo Higa of Okinawa developed this unique product line based on a philosophy of Effective Microorganism engineering ( EM ). While we have never used EMX, we understand the principles by which Dr. Higa has formulated his products. Ceramics and clays have an incredible dense molecular structure, and if Dr. Higa has indeed succeeded in engineering a ceramic product which exemplifies clay properties, then his product is certainly worthy of serious consideration. His products for use with the human body are designed to effect the electromagnetic fields generated both by the body and by artificial devices. It should be noted that where "solid-state" products are concerned, about 10-20% of the general population can feel immediate effects, about 50% cannot perceive a difference, and about 30% may feel a general improvement in well being.

All of his products are reasonably priced, excepting his refreshment drink which costs an amazing $70.00 for 500 cc's! His products may be viewed at the following web site address:

http://emtrading.com/store/index.html

A Word About FDA and Other Purified Clays

"FDA grade" clay may or may not maintain the healing potency of natural and USP grade clay. These clays tend to be over processed, bleached, and sometimes chemically washed and irradiated.

When we submitted two samples of clay for lab analysis, one FDA grade and one natural, the group doing the analytical work elected not to even study the FDA grade clay after preliminary work using Transmission Electron Microscopy. The processed clay was described as useless mud! To qualify this statement, FDA grade clay ( and other "purified" clays ) will still maintain their ability to adsorb substances, and thus may still be sufficient for internal cleansing programs. Needless to say, our recommendation is to use a natural or USP grade clay for internal use.

Finding Clays for Use in Natural Medicine

Local ceramic supply stores often carry at least one brand of pure bentonite.  They traditionally carry a few variations of bentonite for use as an additive to clays used for ceramics/sculpting that contain additives in them, so be certain that you get a pure bentonite.  If necessary, ask to view the Material Data Sheet that the store will have on file for the clay.

Most ceramic supply stores are small enough to offer old fashioned personalized customer service.  The person in charge of ordering their clays may have access to suppliers that carry American Colloid Company clay, and perhaps clays from Pfizer and other manufacturers as well.  I highly recommend purchasing clay in the 50 lb. bags that the manufacturers ship them in.

Construction firms often have access to bentonite suppliers as well, as do drilling companies.

Finding Natural Clays

The more adventurous soul may wish to find a natural source of clay for use. There are very important considerations to remember whenever finding a natural source of green clay that one wishes to use on or in the human body. The following is NOT all inclusive, but may serve as a general guide on natural clay sources.

A local miners' association or mineral society may have information about natural deposits in local regions. In the U.S., the Bureau of Land Management may have maps available that show natural clay deposits.

Usually, one finds a natural source for green clay because a subterranean vein has reached the surface. Surface clay in regions that have a high level of rainfall will most likely have succumbed to excessive leeching. When one finds a green clay on the surface, however, at least one vein will be nearby. It is worth the search to find this "pure vein", because the pure form of the clay should be used for testing purposes. Remember that hundreds of thousands of years have gone into the development of natural clays, and anything could have been sorpted into the clay during this time. Clays that have been subject to human-made waste products or clays that are located near any industry should not be used in the human body.

It should be noted that nearly, if not all, natural green clay sources located in the United States were known and used by indigenous cultures before the modernization of America. It can be well worth the time to research the area thoroughly to see if any clay found was used by Native Americans. This is not as easy of a proposition as it may first appear. Most of the modern tribes have long since lost the art of clay healing. Those who have kept this tradition alive will most likely not speak of it at all to "outsiders".

In our case, it took a year to determine that the natural clay had in fact been in use for over 10,000 years. There were two tribes indigenous to the area that had no knowledge of clay use in healing.

Obviously, if one is able to determine an extensive history of human use, and the environment has not gone through drastic changes, then the found clay will undoubtedly be both safe and effective for use. There is a comfort, in fact, knowing that a product has been successfully used for hundreds if not thousands of years! Our own modern medicine has much less of a proven history, and is in fact not doing very well against infections as nature responds to antibiotic use!

Having found and acquired a natural clay, the only certain method to determine safety of use is via laboratory analysis. If certainty is essential, then one would be best advised to take the clay in the purest form available, hydrate it with distilled water until it forms a consistent gel, and have a lab perform the equivalent of USP testing. It should be tested for anti-microbial properties, heavy metals, mineral content ( ionic content as well as dissolved solids ), and the PH balance should be determined. Salt / Sulfur contamination is a common occurrence through leeching. While these types of clays may have very special properties for external use, it is not offhand recommended that these be used for internal use.

There is considerable expense involved in such testing. Students of natural medicine, armed with considerable knowledge about health, may wish to perform some more affordable tests to determine the properties and the potency of any given natural clay. Again, always start with the purest form of clay available. Ideally, the clay is taken directly from the vein, where it is in solid form. If the clay from the pure vein crumbles easily, there is a good chance it contains various salts.

Often, clay taken from underground will be moist. Allow the clay to dry in a clean environment. Measure out ( estimate if needed ) about one cup of clay. Place the clay in a glass container. Slowly hydrate the clay by adding very small amounts of water. Keep a running total of the amount of water used. Keep in mind that it does take time for clay to incorporate the added water. Keep adding water and determine if the clay is expanding into gel form. A high potency green clay will adsorb 3-5 times its volume in water. Clay contaminated with excess impurities will not do so.

Provided that one has been successful producing a clay gel, the next step is to begin once more adding water. In this case, the amount of water added does not need to be measured. Slowly add water, again in a see through glass container. When adding water, the clay should begin to disassociate, and one should notice only water and clay. At this point, do not add "too much" water to create a liquid,rather just enough water to observe what is actually occurring as a result. Mix the solution. As more water is added, many impurities, if present, will begin to separate from the clay, either rising to the surface or dropping toward the bottom of the container. There will usually be sediment that DOES drop to the bottom, and this is normal.

If no impurities are noticed, then take some clay gel and set it aside to dry. Upon drying, salts and sulfur will leave a white residue. If this residue is excessive, then the clay has sorpted large amounts of these substances which may not be noticeable without the drying process.

If the clay appears relatively pure, and has exhibited the "swelling" that is characteristic of green clays, then take some "magma" or "gel" and cover about 1 square inch of the back of the hand with the clay used about 1/2 inch thick. Do not compress the clay, but make certain there is uniform skin contact. Do not allow the clay to dry. Keep it on the skin for a few minutes, then gently remove it and clean the back of the hand with a body-temperature wet wash cloth.

Observe the skin for signs of a chemical reaction or irritation. Any such reaction may indicate a high presence of compounds that may make the clay unsuitable for use. However, there ARE a few specialty clays that DO react upon the skin that have great value for use. The operative idea is that if one is not sure - get sure! A pure green clay, while it will quickly remove impurities from the skin, will not cause a chemical reaction with the skin itself. There ARE many thermal reactions that can occur when using bentonites and other healing clays; the back of the hand is the chosen testing point to minimize the chance of mistaking a different type of reaction from a chemical one.

These are a few ideas that give one a general indication of the purity of a natural green clay source. If the history of a clay source is unknown, and one cannot submit samples for lab testing, then one should carefully begin testing the clay.

If the swelling properties of a clay are not present, then one may have found a different type of bentonite. Keep in mind that this document expounds on the properties of a pure bentonite, not a bentonite compound nor any other type of clay that may be suitable for use.

The color of natural bentonite will vary from a dull gray, to a green gray, to a deep and rich green.