Healing earth, sometimes better known as mineral clay, offers an astonishing variety of medicinal and cosmetic uses that can bring your body back into balance. It can literally help you stay grounded! Clay may be used externally and orally.
For external use, the clay may be applied to the whole body as in warm spa mud wraps or prepared in poultices for application to specific parts of the body. The heat opens up the pores of the skin and helps the clay to act as a binder, pulling out excess oil and impurities from the skin. Internally it is used to detox the intestines, the colon, and thus the entire body. Clay reduces inflammation, bacterial and fungal infections, and supplies up to 75 important trace elements (depending on the type of clay).
BEAUTY – Your Spa at Home
Clay is fantastic for facial masks, which are easy to prepare, and popular because of their exfoliating, purifying properties. Clay masks withdraw excess oil and pollutants from our faces, and they help heal rashes and acne.
French green clay: Combination of volcanic matter, decomposed plant substances and minerals. High binding capacity and, thus, very cleansing. Recommended for oily skin or a normal/oily skin combination.
Moroccan red clay, Rassoul: With a long tradition in Hammam baths, this clay contains iron and is used to heal acne.
Bentonite: This clay is found in the Western United States (with Luvos loess being a traditional, therapeutically used clay from Germany). Safe for use on all skin types.
Fuller’s earth: This is a very fine, grayish colored powder derived from algae that is chock full of minerals and very absorbing.
In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the clay with about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Depending on your skin type use spring water or rose water for normal skin, or witch hazel and orange blossom water if your skin is oily. For dry and sensitive skin it is recommended to substitute water with sesame, olive, or almond oil. If you are suffering from acne, add 1 tablespoon apple cider to the mix, and massage a few drops of cold-pressed rosehip oil into your face following the clay mask. The consistency should be thick and cream-like, not runny. If you added too much of the liquid just stir in a little bit more clay. Apply the mask to your cleaned face and neck with your fingers or a make-up sponge. Avoid the eye area. Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Once the mask is dry, rinse off with lukewarm water, and finish with a splash of cold water. Follow up with moisturizer or oil (depending on your skin type), and enjoy the new glow of your skin.
HEALING – Medicinal Uses of Healing Earths
Healing clay provides an affordable and natural yet effective remedy against diarrhea, heartburn, and acid-related stomach pain due to its ability to bind excess bile acids, and cholesterol. Simply stir 1 teaspoon of either bentonite or green clay into 8 oz. of water, and drink on an empty stomach in the morning. Wait for 30 minutes before eating anything. Incorporate this into your spring detox regimen or use as needed for treatment of acute ailments.
Bentonite, montmorillonite, and illite have been proven to be antifungal. I often recommend them as part of a mold detox regimen, including toxic and carcinogenic infections such as Aflatoxicosis. They are also effective against yeast infections including Candida albicans. Eating or drinking healing earth can also be incorporated into a heavy metal cleanse to remove lead, cadmium, and mercury.
Another property of immense benefit is the antibacterial effect of bentonite and green clays. In several scientific studies conducted in France and Arizona, the clays have been found to be highly effective against E. coli, pseudomonas, salmonella, and even the dreaded “superbug” MRSA and the flesh-eating African bacteria Buruli to name just a few. One side-effect to be considered before using clay internally is the inhibition of the body’s absorption of antibiotics, substitute hormones and heart medication by coating the digestive tract.
How is it possible that certain types of clay are so versatile and beneficial for human health? Loess, bentonite, and green clay naturally form a negative charge when mixed with water. This negative charge creates a pulling effect called adsorption, drawing positively charged ions out of our cells – and it so happens that bacteria, heavy metals, and pesticides all have a positive ionic charge. Negatively charged ions stay untouched. One more amazing capability of clay that depends on its acting like a plus pole is the adsorption of radiation. A study performed by Duke University found that specific parts of the human DNA and RNA exposed to damaging gamma radiation recovered faster in persons that had eaten clay.
