So, I drink dirt. I just love saying that. People never know if I'm serious or if I'm using my "special" sense of humor on them. I'm definitely serious. But it's a special kind of dirt called Bentonite Clay.
Not only is it a great detox, but it's also helped with IBS symptoms.
Why I Drink Dirt
1) It's Natural
Bentonite Clay is one of the most powerful substances Mother Nature has given us.
Have you ever watched those wildlife documentaries and seen the animals shamelessly eating dirt? They are actually eating clay. They instinctually know that clay will help with digestion and elimination of toxins. It's programmed into their behavior and I bet that at one time in history it was our instinct to eat dirt, too. But I bet that some jerk-face decided that it was "uncivilized" to eat dirt and everyone else was like "Yay! Woo!! Civilized people! No dirt!!" so we stopped.
I bet it happened just like that.
2) Detox
This isn't just any dirt. Bentonite clay that can produce a negative electric charge once it's hydrated which helps to pull heavy metals, toxins and radioactive material out of your body and into your poop which then goes into the toilet thus exiting your holy vessel. It's pretty awesome.
However-- this is super important-- don't let your clay come in contact with metal. The negative ions will absorb the ions from the metal and then a) the clay loses some of it's pull b) you are drinking some metals which will bind to the clay and be excreted, but still-- you are ingesting metal. No thank you.
It's similar to eating Wheaties apparently. Watch this YouTube Video. It's about cereal and a magnet and what happens when they collide! It's slightly disturbing so watch at your own risk (especially if you like Wheaties). Also, it's a good reason to go buy some clay.
If that doesn't freak you out, then you can look at this article which shows you 32 surprising sources of toxic heavy metals.
3) Help certain ailments
Bentonite Clay could be beneficial with health concerns like the following:
- Supports digestion
- Supports healthy skin
- Help boost up the immune system
- Cleanse the liver, colon and skin
- Help provide some trace minerals that humans can sometimes lack in their diets
- Improves symptoms of dehydration
- Aids in the absorption of nutrients
- Helps support healthy gut flora
- Supports parasite removal from the gut
- Help to to correct the imbalances in bacteria of the GI tract
- Iron absorption issues -- you may need blood monitoring.
- High blood pressure
- Check with your doctor if you are taking prescription medications to make sure it will not interfere with their absorption. ALWAYS take medication and vitamins either 30 minutes before or 2 hours after you ingest clay.
- If you have concerns, always check with your doctor.
Side Effects:
The most common side effect is constipation because the clay pulls water from your colon as it passes through. So drink water. But if adding more water to your diet isn't going to fly, then you can add fiber to the clay to help the poo slide right out.
You may also experience some detox symptoms when you first begin to use bentonite clay such as the following:
- Head Pain
- Nausea
- Fatigue (Eeoyre) or extreme energy (Tiger)
- Body aches
- Nasal or sinus issues
- Sore throat
- GI irregularities
- Cold Sores
- Skin rashes
- Sleeping difficulty
- Increased or decreased sex drive
- Flu-like symptoms
Feel free to take breaks from this detox. In fact, you should take breaks if you start to feel ill. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!
How to Drink Bentonite Clay?
- 8 oz water (room temp is best)
- 1 tsp to 1 TBSP of Bentonite Clay
Either mix the clay in the water with a PLASTIC spoon or add a PLASTIC lid and shake that bad boy up. Remember-- no metal! Your drink will be less clumpy with the violent shaking vs gentle spoon mixing.
Now you have options:
- Either let the drink sit for a few minutes to let the clay settle on the bottom or drink it right away.
- You can choose to either drink the clay that settles at the bottom of the cup or discard it.
For beginners: drink 1 tsp of clay a day. You may want to take slight breaks for the first few weeks due to detox symptoms-- this is recommended. For example, you can consume bentonite clay for 3-4 days and then take a 2-3 day break and then resume.
I drink bentonite clay every day for 6 weeks twice a year and then I also drink it as needed if I'm feeling bloated, sluggish, need a good poo, or if I think that I may be getting sick. You can drink a small amount (1-2 tsp) daily for maintenance.
For a major detox, I'll drink it a few times a day for 5 days.
For a major detox, I'll drink it a few times a day for 5 days.
More Info:You can also use bentonite clay for any of the following (recipes in the links):
- Toothpaste
- Face mask for deep cleans and to reduce acne
- Foot detox
- DIY Deodorant
- Heal burns or bug bites
- Baths
- Hair Mask
but there's a lot of good clay companies out there-- just do your research before you buy (like making sure they don't use metal when they collect the clay).I'm doing a week long detox program using herbs so stay tuned to see my post about that!! I'm shameless I know.
If you don't want to buy the powder, you can buy the clay in capsule form: Redmond Clay Daily Detox Vegetarian Capsule, 120 Count
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review, but I did receive the clay for free from Redmond Trading Company and I was instructed to provide an unbiased review (They are pretty confident). Seriously, I would tell you if it was horrible. It's definitely not. I love it!
If you buy any of the products from my recommended Amazon links I will get a very tiny and rather small commission from Amazon (your price stays the same) which I will use to buy more stuff to blog about. True Story.
