Clays are naturally occurring, mineral-based materials with many interesting properties that make them useful for everything from construction to medicine.

Clays have been used for medicinal purposes throughout history, ranging from an early form of nutritional supplements to more recently being used to help shield from nuclear radiation.

Over the last several years, there has been a renewed interest in clay-based products as more research has reaffirmed and expanded our understanding of the usefulness and safety of clays for health and wellness.

This research has shown that these mineral clays have several health benefits and that these benefits are explained by their unique chemistry. There is nothing artificial about clays, they cannot be grown in the laboratory and are only born from nature.

They offer detoxifying effects, have antibacterial properties, and contain a mineral composition similar to our own; therefore, they are an excellent source of minerals for your skin and teeth!

And the cherry on top? They are abundant, inexpensive, and entirely natural, making them healthier and more sustainable substitutes for ingredients in many currently available and entirely new products!

What are the Types of Clay?

Clays exist in many forms and are categorized by their composition and how they were formed. Depending on these factors, the resulting clay will have different effects on the body and offer various benefits.

 Some of the most used and highly regarded clays include Bentonite Clay, French Green Clay, and Kaoline Clay. All of which offer a range of advantages and can be incorporated into health and beauty products to make use of their amazing properties.

 

 

Bentonite Clay

Probably the most frequently used clay for medical applications are bentonite clays. These clays are formed from volcanic ash, and contain minerals including calcium, magnesium, and iron – all of which help to promote good health, especially for your teeth!

While Bentonite clays are known for their ability to absorb large amounts of water, they are most famous for removing toxins from the body.

These effects have made Bentonite clay among the most heavily studied, further confirming and explaining their amazing abilities.

French Green Clay

Somewhat opposite to Bentonite clay, French Green Clay is known for its ability to absorb large amounts of oil rather than water.

Its infamous green color comes from it containing iron oxide, which is characteristically green. While there is more limited research on the effects of French Green Clay, there have long been self-reported benefits, and it is a common ingredient in many favorite health and beauty products.

Kaoline Clay

Kaolin clay gets its name from the main component, which is a mineral called kaolinite. Kaoline clays are often referred to as white clays due to their pure white color but can be colored in many hues depending on their exact mineral content. Because of this variety of minerals, this clay is also often used in health and beauty products, as it is less absorbent and well-suited for sensitive skin.  

How Clays Detoxify the Body

In a world that is growing ever more dependent on industrial manufacturing and suffering from many other environmental problems, toxins are an emerging public health crisis.

From microplastics to heavy metals, the products we all use every day are beginning to have serious consequences. To combat this growing problem, we must find new ways to protect and repair our bodies; as well as discover replacements for many of the hazardous ingredients that are the source of the problem to begin with.

Among these solutions are clays, which have the amazing ability to remove toxins from the body while being safe and environmentally friendly themselves. This incredible ability has made clays the ideal ingredient for many health and wellness products.

We have incorporated clays into a range of Primal Life’s products to make them as safe, effective, and sustainable as possible.   

The Magic of Clay Chemistry

The amazing ability of clay to help detoxify the body is due to its unique chemistry, and specifically how the molecule is built.

The special structure of these clays contains large areas of negative charge, which can capture positively charged toxins including viruses, yeasts, molds, and heavy metals.

This is to say that just like a magnet, toxins are attracted and held to the surface of the clay –also meaning that they are being removed from the body. This process of adhering is called adsorption, and after adsorption, these charged particles are absorbed into the internal structure of the clay, where they are no longer able to cause bodily harm and will be excreted along with the clays.   

What Kind of Toxins Should I Be Worried About?

There are many toxins and contaminants that are regularly found in everyday life and pose a range of health risks.

While there are sadly too many to name, two of the most concerning are heavy metals and bacteria.

Both toxins are growing problems across the world, making the need to manage their risks more pressing than ever. Thankfully, clays can be a useful tool to combat these dangers by reducing your exposure through the removal of these toxins.

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are an especially hazardous type of metal that pose potentially severe health risks depending on the specific metal and how big of an exposure.

Some of the most hazardous of these metals includes lead and cadmium, two metals that are commonly used to manufacture everyday products with a proven toxicity to humans.

Metal toxicity can affect organs and tissues including the heart, bones, and nervous system, and can also lead to developmental issues in children.

Most people have at least some exposures to these elements as they are naturally present in the soil, atmosphere, and bodies of water.

 This is again supplemented by human activity since these metals are commonly found in industrial manufacturing. Thus, contaminating products and introducing these toxins to the environment when waste is mismanaged.

In detoxifying the body from heavy metals, clays have been shown to be especially effective. These carcinogenic materials only need to be in extremely small quantities to cause long term and sometimes chronic health effects.

Unfortunately, these can be life-threatening in high enough exposures. To avoid their buildup and chronic exposure, detoxing the body to reduce their presence is important in treating and preventing such conditions caused by metal toxicity.

Because most heavy metals are positively charged, Bentonite clays can remove these metals from the body by binding them to the clay and incorporating them into their internal structure. This has been studied widely in animals – including pigs where it has been shown that feeding clays led to a reduction in lead concentration in several places throughout the body.

In the extremely deadly case of cadmium toxicity, which is most often found in industrial workplaces, clays have similarly been shown to reduce cadmium-induced damage to several organs, including the liver and kidney.

For our own part, Primal Life’s specially formulated, clay-based dental products allow you to cleanse your mouth and help reduce your contact with these substances.

Bacteria

Just like the rising presence of heavy metals, bacterial infections are becoming an increasingly serious problem.

While antibiotics have saved countless lives and were a medical miracle, our excessive use of this medicine has caused bacteria to become more resistant; therefore, more dangerous.

Not only are antibiotics becoming less effective, but these new antibiotic resistant bacteria can pose new and more deadly risks to our health. This has led scientists to believe that antibiotic resistance is among the most threatening, looming public health crises – yearning for the development of new ways of controlling the risks for bacterial infections.   

Aside from developing new pharmaceuticals capable of killing stronger and stronger bacteria, we can also slow this process by destroying bacteria before they ever have a chance to cause an infection in the first place.

One way to do this is by using products with antibacterial properties, which requires them to be infused with clays. Clays have been shown to be capable of absorbing and killing many types of bacteria in a period of only 24 hours.

Clays were also shown to reduce the effects of toxins in animals including several types of aflatoxins and mycotoxins, as well as pesticides such as paraquat.

Even compared to similar materials such as charcoal, clays are considered by many to be a cheaper, more effective treatment. Regular use of clay containing products may play a significant role in keeping harmful bacteria at bay and maintaining good, toxin-free health! 

Other Health Benefits of Clays

Beyond detoxifying the body, there are additional proposed benefits to using clays in your health and wellness routine. One such example is feeding clays, which may be able to help in the alleviation of gastrointestinal conditions by preventing infections.

Beyond this, it has been documented in animals and humans that there is evidence of positive effects of clays depending on their ability to increase nutrient utilization with positive effects on intestinal health. Furthermore, clays exhibit shielding effects on the intestinal mucosa by reinforcement of the mucous barrier. This barrier is the first line of defense during gastrointestinal infections and is likely responsible for the antidiarrheal and anti-inflammatory effects of clays.

Other possible reasons for these benefits also include slower transit rate of intestinal content, increased enzymatic activity, and structural changes of the enteric mucosa.

There is still much to learn about the benefits of clays, and we certainly expect their number of uses to only increase with time!   

Health and Safety of Clays

As with any of the products we consume, it’s important to ensure every ingredient’s safety. However, making sense of concerns over ingredients can be difficult as there is often disagreement or confusion over the suggested risks – clays are no exception. In the case of clays, this confusion largely stems from, and can be understood by discussing Proposition 65.

Prop 65

To legally sell products to California residents, Prop 65 must be adhered to. Prop 65 warnings are applied to indicate that a product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

While this is certainly well-intentioned, it suffers from several flaws. This is because the proposition aims to regulate exposures instead of concentrations or evaluate actual threat of harm or injury.

Furthermore, the limits are so low that eating the recommended portion of many vegetables could lead to a significantly larger exposure than some products labeled with Prop 65 warnings.

Meaning, if a product simply contains a potentially harmful component, even if there is no ability for the component to affect one’s health, it is still required to be labeled with a Prop 65 warning. Inevitably, many everyday products that are considered “safe” could have the warning label – including clothing, jewelry, and makeup.

Because of this, the warning loses much of its impact as people become accustomed to seeing it even on products they regularly use and know to be safe. Many people have suggested revising Prop 65 so we can more easily make exceptions in cases where safety has been demonstrated, as in the case of clays. 

Prop 65 & Clays

Included in this list of safe products being misled with Prop 65 warnings are those that contain clays.

As mentioned, many clays are often formed volcanically, and as a result, they can contain trace amounts of metals.

These quantities are in parts per million (ppm) and pose no health and safety concerns due to their lack of bioavailability and low concentrations.

These metals are not bioavailable as they are chemically bound to the structure of the clays and are thus unable to have detrimental effects on the body.

Ironically, this is exactly why clays are being used to begin with! Their ability to attract and absorb toxic heavy metals and remove them from the body should be highlighted as a benefit rather than listed as a warning.

Incorporating Clays into Your Oral Routine

Clays can be beneficial for several applications in the mouth – including patients suffering from gingivitis and periodontal disease.

They may help assist severe pain and reduce the risk of infection caused by mild burns or cuts; as well as from post oral surgeries.

Clays can also be useful for chronic conditions such as halitosis and to remineralize the teeth. For all these reasons and more, Primal Life has developed a range of products that make use of clays along with so many other incredible ingredients.

This includes nano-hydroxyapatite (HAp), Phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP), and light therapy. HAp is a naturally occurring mineral in  our bodies that helps to maintain strong teeth.

Having strong enamel is an important part of a whiter smile, and HAp can help to protect your teeth’s outer layer and rebuild enamel.

This wonder ingredient is present in all Primal Life’s clay-based dental products. Similarly, PAP is a strong stain remover that doesn’t risk your teeth’s enamel, unlike other peroxide containing products.

Peroxides whiten the teeth by forming very reactive oxygen-containing molecules that can also cause gum hypersensitivity and oral tissue damage.

For this reason, we’ve chosen to use safer and more effective PAP instead of potentially harmful peroxides. These effects can be further enhanced using LED light treatment, leading to an even brighter and healthier smile.

Dirty Mouth Toothpaste

While there’s no need to explain why we should all be brushing our teeth several times a day with toothpaste, most people find it difficult to decide which toothpaste is best for them.

You can become your own dental hygienist and make your entire mouth happy by using our Dirty Mouth Toothpaste!

Along with all the benefits of bentonite, kaolin, and French green clays, our toothpaste contains colloidal silver, alkalizing baking soda, and essential oils which make for a refreshing experience that leaves your teeth smooth and strong.

Plus, we’ve replaced fluoride found in traditional toothpastes with nano-hydroxyapatite so your teeth can gain strength from a remineralized enamel. It is truly the ultimate toothpaste for wholistic oral care.

Dirty Mouth Toothpowder

While great toothpaste can make all the difference, there are more ways to enhance our smile! One such way is with our Dirty Mouth Toothpowder. It uses many of the same amazing ingredients found in our toothpaste but adds an extra layer of protection and care due to it being more concentrated.

With the help of nano-hydroxyapatite, our toothpowder is as much of an oral supplement as it is an oral cleaning agent. Brushing twice a day with this remineralizing toothpowder polishes and cleans teeth, cleanses gum tissues from toxins, removes plaque, prevents tartar, and provides several other amazing benefits.

Of course, the main ingredient being bentonite clay, it will be able to gently scrub your teeth to remove tartar and absorb bacteria and toxins.

 

 

 

Real White Gel Pods

Primal Life’s Real White Gel Pods are among the most effective ways to both whiten and strengthen your teeth.

With a new and improved formula, removing harmful peroxides and adding hydroxyapatite, PAP, and light therapy, teeth whitening, and gum recession is stronger than ever!

This is on top of the other amazing ingredients, including white activated charcoal, olive oil, essential oils, and of course – clays! No pain, no damaging chemicals, and natural!

Conclusion

As with many ancient practices and technologies, modern science has shown that our ancestors were wise beyond our understanding.

While there is still more to learn, recent scientific research has demonstrated both the safety and medical efficacy of clays.

Using clays to treat various health conditions and fortify the body is an effective way to help maintain good overall health. Their abundance, cost, and natural production makes them excellent materials for living sustainably.

It’s often difficult and expensive to regularly test for your exposure for these toxins, and you likely won’t realize their adverse effects until a more serious health condition emerges. To do what you can to prevent this, utilizing clays to detoxify the body is one effective means of minimizing exposure from such toxins.

We hope that you consider the range of products developed by Primal Life!

Other blogs you might enjoy:

• DO YOU NEED A FLOURIDE DETOX?
• Benefits of Bentonite Clay

Resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/green-clay
https://www.akamaibasics.com/pages/prop-65

www.aboutclay.com

Iran J Public Health, Vol. 46, No.9, Sep2017, pp.1176-1183

http://www.earthslivingclay.com/

Comprehensive Review on the Interactions of Clay Minerals With Animal Physiology and Production

Article: Why Bentonite Clays are Safe to Ingest