University of Duhok, UOD

Faculty of AgricultureSoil & Water Sciences:

Clay and Healing Clays

Asst. Lecturer: Marwan B. I. Govay

Is soil an important ingredient in your every day life?The answer is yes, and here are a few reasons why:

Last night you slept in a building built on soil.You drink water that flows through soil and is cleaned by the soil.You breathe air that comes partly from plants growing in the soil.You even wear clothes made from plants that grow in the soil.

Soils make our lives possible. We build on them, play on them, drive

on them, eat food grown in or raised on them, take medicines from

them, wear clothes we wouldn’t have without soils, drink water that

wouldn’t be clean without soils, breathe air we wouldn’t have without

the plants and trees growing in soils. The entire earth—every

ecosystem, every living organism—is dependent upon soils.

Healing ClaysAllah Almighty put in clay many useful characteristics. Let us read……….

What is it?• Fine particles of dirt which

float in a stream or river then sink to the bottom- breaks off from rocks

• River valleys tend to have a lot of clay.

Ancient CulturesAncient man discovered that clay could be shaped and modeled into forms both

• decorative and functional.

Types of Clay

• PRIMARY: (Kaolins)

– Has been in the same place for millions of years.

– Not good for building.

– Always WHITE in color.

• Not used as much in ceramics, except for porcelain.

• But, is used in paper making, toothpaste, cosmetics, and paint!

Types of Clay• SECONDARY:

– “Art” clay- can be worked and shaped

– Variety of colors: reds, yellows, whites, blacks, greys

– Carried into riverbeds- goes to a ‘secondary’ place from the original rock and contains more impurities/smaller particles.

The Properties of Clay

One of the greatest clay properties is its extraordinary adsorption

power. Clay has a unique power to attract impurities and toxins out

of the human body, simply because clay is electro negative and the

impurities and toxins are electro positive.

Clay also provides our bodies with trace minerals that go through

the skin into the blood stream. This occurs with the application of an

external poultice.

Clay acts like a sponge, attracting water and toxins not only to its

negatively charged surface, but also inside the numerous canals in its

crystalline structure.

Clay is a natural healer and acts softly but deeply on the body.

Because Clay is a powerful natural medicine, gently start your clay

detox cure with Clay Water. Clay removes chemicals, toxins and

pollutants from your body and traps them.

The toxins have gone inside the clay and sit in between the layers.

The contaminants are incorporated into the clay structure.

Through ionic exchange, the harmful poisons are drawn to the outside surface of the clay.

Contaminant particles are attracted to the outer surface of the clay crystal.

Absorption

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Adsorption

Today, we live in a heavily polluted world. Pollution finds its way

into our bodies through water, air, food and everyday products. This is

what we now call a body burden.

However, Nature has provided us with ways to help our bodies to

deal with this burden. Among such ways, clay has a very special

status. Its extraordinarily rich physico-chemical properties make it one

of the best detoxifier/purifier available. Simple, yet powerful, it

detoxifies the body and heals a wide array of ailments. It acts like a

sponge and a sticky paper for chemicals, pollutants, toxins.

Clay has been used for millennia by many different

civilizations. Considered sacred by Egyptians, clay

was prescribed by ancient doctors for internal use to

heal a panel of gastro-intestinal diseases. In the 5

Elements Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is

considered to focus telluric and cosmic energies and

allow the entry of the Element Earth in the global

dynamic of an organism.

How Can Green Clay Help Me?

The essential minerals within the clay are released and the body absorbs

those it needs to maintain health & vigor. Illite Clay is believed to hinder

the exacerbation of infection and have a regenerating action on the

tissues. It is absorbent, adsorbent, antiseptic, antibacterial and

haemostatic.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Illite clay is its ability to

act according to each person's specific needs. Unlike chemical

medicines, which can destroy healthy tissues and beneficial bacteria as

well as bad, Illite clay is selective allowing healing to take place at a

natural rate. Green Clay also possesses analgesic properties effective in

relieving muscular or joint pains by decongesting the affected area.

In addition, Illite clay is a valuable beauty treatment and is the main

ingredient in many natural face masks, bath & spa products. It has a

deep cleansing action, removes dead skin cells, absorbs impurities,

excess sebum & oils to keep the skin smooth, fresh & radiant.

Clays’ detoxifying properties are explained by two key factors.

1. It’s absorptive capacity is very high so it draws toxins out of the

body effectively.

2. Its negative cumulative ionic charge which helps to attract and

bind positively charged waste and eliminate it out of the body.

Illite clay is supplied in its natural dried form and can be usedas a poultice for application to muscles, joints, sprains, slight wounds, infections, minor burns

and much more.

Used in a general bath or a foot bath, clays act as a very effective detoxifying remedy. For best

results, internal clay use is recommended at the same time.

Used over hemorrhoids, clay helps heal them quickly.

Used over skin conditions - acne, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, Illite clay draws toxins out and

promotes healing. It is a Godsend for oily, problem skin - with its purifying, drying action.

Used over burns /sunburn, cold clay compresses are the fastest healing and pain relieving

remedy which helps regeneration of tissue and prevents formation of scars.

Tense over-worked muscles – clay poultices/wraps will draw the lactic acid and relax the

muscle.

Cuts, bruises & abrasions – the clay’s absorptive, antiseptic, antibacterial and haemostatic

qualities support the body’s natural curative abilities and greatly reduce healing time.

What is Bentonite Clay?

“Bentonite, also referred to as Montmorillonite, is one of the most effective and

powerful healing clays. Bentonite can be used externally as a clay poultice, mud pack

or in the bath and, in skin care recipes. A good quality Bentonite should be a

grey/cream color and anything bordering “pure white” is suspect. It has a very fine,

velveteen feel and is odorless and non-staining. The type of Bentonite offered by

Mountain Rose herbs is a Sodium Bentonite.”

Bentonite Clay is composed of aged volcanic ash. The name comes from the largest

known deposit of Bentonite Clay located in Fort Benton, Wyoming.

In recent times, healing clays like Bentonite Clay have

once again been gaining popularity for internal and external

detoxification, and with good reason.

Bentonite clay is a common ingredient in detox and cleansing products. It has an alkalizing effect on the body and when taken correctly, it can help balance gut bacteria.Personally, I’ve seen people benefit from taking Bentonite Clay to help with:•Digestive disturbances like acid reflux, constipation, bloating, gas, etc. •Helping with skin and allergy issues.•To help provide minerals for the body.•To help speed recovery from vomiting and diarrhea.•Detoxification.•In oral health preperations.•Externally for all types of skin problems and to speed healing.

Healing clays like Bentonite have a high concentration of minerals including silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and potassium.

Characteristics and different uses of clay

Today, scientists believe that there are many unique characteristics in soil so that it has

many different uses as the following:

1. Clay is used for making pottery items, both utilitarian and decorative. Different types of

clay, when used with different minerals and firing conditions, are used to produce

earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.

2. It is used in many industrial processes, such as paper making, cement production and

chemical filtering.

3. Clay being relatively impermeable to water and is used where natural seals are needed,

such as in the cores of dams, or as a barrier in landfills against toxic seepage.

4. Recent studies have investigated clay's absorption capacities in various applications,

such as the removal of heavy metals from waste water and air purification.

5. A traditional use of clay as medicine goes back to prehistoric times.

6. A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to fruits,

vegetables and other vegetation to repel or deter codling moth damage, and at least for

apples, to prevent sun scald.

Major Benefits and Contraindications of Clay Used Internally

Uses of healing clays such as bentonite, montmorillonite, and illite ingested

orally:

•To assist in the removal of toxic substances in the digestive system, both chemical

and pathological

oBacterial food poisoning, organic and inorganic toxicity

•To cleanse the colon and promote proper bacterial balance in the

intestines.

•To stimulate liver function

•As a part of short term cleansing programs used to promote good

health

•Critical to support external healing clay treatment ( pelotherapy )

•Removal of heavy metals and recovery from chemical therapies and

radiation

•With special long term treatments, to increase T-cell count and fix free

oxygen in the blood stream

oReduction of free radical damage ( thus anti-aging )

oImproved immune system function

oImproved cellular respiration

•Improved digestive efficiency

•Reduce food sensitivities ( the so called developed "allergies" )

•Stimulate healing by strengthening the body's general constitution

Clay Bath

(www.MagneticClay.com)