Edible clays: An ancient healing practice of consuming certain types of clay (10/2023)

Edible Clays

History

Clays have been used both externally and internally for many centuries.

Humans have been using clay for receptacles and for construction since time immemorial. Cave paintings in places like France and Spain are often made of mixtures of clay and other materials. People working with clay would undoubtedly have noticed the drying and healing effect that it has on skin. The earliest recorded medicinal uses of clay come from the Mesopotamian societies that flourished over 3,500 years ago.

Is clay not just dirt?

Clay differs from soil in one important way: the particles are much smaller, smaller than 2 µm. Since the particles are so tiny, the relative surface area of clay is very large. This is what gives clays their many wonderful properties.

There are at least two points that make clay minerals so active in natural processes, and became the key for their wide applications: (a) The very large surface area that arises from the tiny size of the particles (nanoscale), and (b) The fact that those particles are electrically charged, leading to relatively strong electrostatic interactions.

Clay Minerals as an Ancient Nanotechnology: Historical Uses of Clay Organic Interactions, and Future Possible Perspective (https://t.ly/vwpUfs)

Pelotherapy

The term “application of mud to the body for therapeutic purposes) has been in use since 1934. Since the external use of clays has such a long history, naturally, there existed many names for the practice. They coined the term “Pelotherapy” as an umbrella under which all the other mud therapy names could nestle.

Peloid, from the Greek TTAOS ( = mud), was adopted by the International Society of Medical Hydrology at its recent annual meeting in Switzerland as a generic name applicable to any naturally produced medium such as is used in medical practice as a cataplasm for external treatment. Such media are known in the various countries as boue, fango, gyttja, liman, moor, mud, peat, schlamm, etc., these names being used in confusion for both specific media and in a generic sense. The new word, with its derivatives pelology and pelotherapy, will avoid this confusion and allow the local terms to be defined and used in their restricted sense. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/133288a0

Geophagy

Geophagy is the practice of eating earth materials containing clay minerals.

Edible clays, for internal use, need to be sterilized using heat and pressure, such as autoclaving or steaming.

Different cultures consume clays in different ways. of course, this post is for information purposes only. Consult your healthcare provider before using clays for healing or detoxing.

Edible Clays:  An ancient practice that is still alive today.

Gut health and clay

The importance of maintaining a healthy intestinal microbiome cannot be overstated. More and more research shows that the gut-mind connection is real. Serotonin is mainly produced in the gut. Inflammation in the colon directly affects the liver via the hepatic-portal circulation. A sluggish liver predisposes us to all sorts of metabolic problems. So, using edible clays, if it is appropriate, can be a huge part of any preventative medicine program.

The gut provides approximately 95% of total body serotonin, most of which exists in plasma. Although serotonin has intrinsic roles in the intestines and peripheral metabolism, it is capable of locally activating afferent nerve endings that are connected directly to the central nerve system.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/

Types of Edible Clays

There are probably loads of different clays that can be consumed. I only have experience with bentonite clay (at a detox retreat in Thailand) and green clay (nowadays).

Clay Chemistry

Clays are minerals. This implies that the particles are not tightly connected like molecules, but rather they are held together by electrostatic forces within a well-defined structure. Minerals form crystals when they are arranged in regular, repeating sheets. That is why you can “shear” a crystal, or cut it along its fault line. It’s why a diamond can be faceted.

Montmorillinite is a mineral with the chemical formula Al2H2O12Si4 (Aluminum, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Silica). Bentonite is a type of clay that contains the mineral montmorillinite.

Montmorillonite is a subclass of smectite and a natural aluminomagnesium silicate clay, with potential protective effect for the digestive tract mucosa, and anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal activities. Although the exact mechanism of action has yet to be fully elucidated, upon administration, montmorillonite may adsorb bacteria, bacterial enterotoxins, viruses and other potentially diarrheagenic substances. It may also bind to mucin and modify mucus properties, thereby enhancing the mucus barrier function.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/71586775

French green clay

This is my favourite clay for everyday use. As it comes from France, quality control (QC) is assured. QC is important for sterilization and checking if the clay is free of contaminants.

I simply place a small amount of clay in a glass of water and leave it to soak overnight. In the morning, I drink the cloudy water, and leave the settled clay behind. Please, don’t gulp down the solid matter – this can cause blockage in the intestines.

Documentary: Eat White Dirt

And, so I leave you with this curious documentary that I came across while researching this post. Apparently, Georgia has abundant edible clays, but rather oddly, kaolin is the mineral of choice for these ladies.

New in March 2023!

Nuevo en marzo 2023!

THE BEST OF THE MONTH | LO MEJOR DEL MES

A new offer, and an upgrade to the website | Una oferta nueva, y una mejora a la web.

New in March 2023 - Body&Breathwork Bundle.  Nuevo en marzo 2023: Pack de masaje y respiración yoguica.

New in March 2023

Body & Breathwork Bundle

Welcome to Spring! Tourist season is just around the corner, so let’s get planning! New in March is the “Body&Breathwork Bundle”. This special bundle starts at only 150€ and comes in different sizes to suit you best.

  • A: 2 massages & 1 breathwork class
  • B: 4 massages & 1 breathwork class
  • C: 4 massages & 2 breathwork classes

If you’re a rental agency, I’m sure your clients ask you for wellness services. Look no further. I am local, reliable, self-employed, and insured, and have over twenty years of experience.

Contact me about special referral plans for real estate and rental agents.

Pack de masaje y respiración yóguica

Bienvenidos a la primavera! La temporada alta se está arrancando. ¡Planificamosla! Nuevo este mes es el Pack de masaje y respiración yoguica. El pack tiene tres formatos distintos, para que se ajuste a sus necesidades. Precios a partir de 150€.

  • A: 2 masajes & 1 clase de respiración
  • B: 4 masaje & 1 clase de respiración
  • C: 4 masajes & 2 clases de respiración

A las agencias de alquileres vacacionales, los clientes les suelen pedir referencias de servicios profesionales Aquí estoy! Vivo aquí todo el año, soy fiable, asegurada y llevo más de 20 años de trabajo continuo en el sector del bienestar.

Contactame para saber más de planes especiales para agencias de inmobiliaria.

Learn more | Saber más

Email me about Body&Breathwork Bundle ||
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Improvements to the Website

Customer reviews are key!  Everyone knows that.  Also new in March 2023, I added a page where you can read my Google reviews easily, so customers know what they can expect.  

If you’ve been to me for a massage, I have also created a convenient link to allow you to leave me a (hopefully glowing!) review.  

Check out my reviews page here.

Mejorías a la página web

La reseñas de clientes son la clave del éxito!  Todos lo sabemos.  Como tal, he creado un nuevo apartado en mi página web para colgar las reseñas que me dejan en Google.  

Si en algún momento usted ha recibido un masaje en mi consulta, he creado un enlace para que pueda dejarme una reseña (ojalá 5*!) comodamente.

Echa un vistazo a mi página de reseñas.

Also new in March…

I have finally started using MailChimp for my email list. I certainly feel safer subscribing to lists nowadays. Back in the Wild West years of the Internet, sharing your email address was seriously dodgy business. But no more. With the GDPR and opt-in legislation, we are much safer when we sign up. I tend to subscribe to interesting pages if anything only to jog my memory later on. So, please, scroll down and sign up!

Over and out

So, as Spring starts to Spring, let’s hope that YOU also re–> new in March 2023 and find meaning, joy and purpose in everything you do. Sending blessings from here. Así como vamos hacía la primavera, estoy deseando que tú también te renuevas en marzo del 2023 y que encuentres propósito, alegría y senda en todos lo que hagas. Enviando bendiciones desde aquí.

That’s all I have to say for now. Why not sign up for my mailing list, so you don’t miss any of my posts? Or, just leave a comment below, and let’s be neighbors! Ya está por el momento. Apúntate a mi lista de email, y así quedamos en contact y formemos un barrio virtual.

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