Eat Dirt! Bentonite Clay

Adventures with a stomach bug (estimated reading time 2 ¾ minutes)

My daughter and I were very sick recently. I would not normally have been so persistent in requesting a stool sample test for a simple stomach flu, but the recent Canadian E. coli recall had me questioning whether we had ingested tainted beef. The lab results came back 48 hours later, negative for E. coli but positive for Campylobacter jejuni.

Of five family members, my pre-teen and I were the only two affected. We still haven’t confirmed how we were exposed, and we may never know. However we did share a steak that no one else ate, from a store with a long list of recalled items, including this steak. But we’re not sure if it was from a recalled batch.

I’d like to share with you a healing strategy which I’m sure helped us recover faster than we might have otherwise. Neither of us took antibiotics, or even ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Our doctor said he wouldn’t recommend antibiotics unless the symptoms lasted more than a week or there were complications.

We took small amounts of bentonite clay at the beginning, but in retrospect, should have taken more, or the same amount more often, until we felt better. I did take more on Friday, and by Saturday, was feeling much better. As my husband often argues however, it could have been the placebo effect, or maybe I was already getting better. Again, we’ll never know.

  • Camphylobacter jejuni, like many harmful pathogens, is a gram-negative bacterium.
  • Bentonite clay binds to gram-negative bacteria and helps eliminate them from your digestive tract; it is very helpful in relieving diarrhea.
  • You can make your own liquid bentonite clay supplement or
  • fill your own gelatin capsules with bentonite clay to carry around with you in case of emergencies.

I generally take the liquid clay when I’m at home, and I give my daughter the clay pills as it’s more palatable for her.

Liquid Bentonite Clay

Because of its positive electrical charge, it’s important to store liquid clay in a glass jar. I have a 500ml (2 cup) glass jar to which I add 6 tbsp of bentonite clay powder and top up with water until the jar is full. I put the lid on and shake. It needs to sit overnight for the clay to completely hydrate. I store it in the fridge and give it a good shake before pouring onto a spoon and swallowing, followed by a chaser of tap water.

Clay Pills

For the clay pills, I use a capsule filling kit called Cap.M.Quik with size “000” capsules.

Each “000” capsule holds 1/4 tsp of powder and is the largest size available. The kit makes 50 capsules at a time.

I use the tamper to get about 2/3 more powdered bentonite than I would without compressing it.

The clay pills can then be carried around in a pill bottle or Tic Tac box in my pocket in case I ever eat something I suspect might be harmful. I even take a couple if I find myself in a situation where I’m enjoying eating gluten when I shouldn’t be, or if I’m feeling queasy. I feel that it reduces the likelihood of my suffering an urgent bathroom experience. I have also used my kit to make capsules filled with cayenne pepper for digestion and turmeric for inflammation.

So yes, by all means “Eat dirt!” If you’re trying to achieve optimal health, turn to clay before resorting to antibiotics for intestinal bugs. It’s wonderful to use as a cleanse, it’s helpful to take if you’re ever feeling queasy, and if you ever catch yourself eating anything or anywhere that might be suspect, make sure you have a few clay pills in your pocket.

 

4 thoughts on “Eat Dirt! Bentonite Clay

  1. Hi Sal:

    I’ve used two kinds, both bought in bulk at my local health food store. One is grey, and is a little bit gritty. The other is more white, almost looks like corn starch, but has no grit at all.

    I use the white clay when I’m cleaning my teeth, and I keep a jar of hydrated white clay that’s the consistency of sour cream in the bathroom and put some inside my sleep apnea mouth guard (Kleerway) at night to keep my teeth and gums healthy. I rinse it out in the morning.

    I prefer the gray clay for internal uses and that’s what I make the pills with. Sorry, I don’t have brand names. I think you can order it from Amazon, but check with a local bulk food or health food store first. And remember, it’s much more economical to buy the dry powder and hydrate it yourself, it just takes patience.

    I’ve found Eyton’s Earth to be a good resource for information on many types of healing clays. I’ve used bentonite for healing a toe that was crushed while moving a stove, for healing infections, it’s just amazing stuff.

    BTW, I first heard about using bentonite from Heather Twist from the Yahoo group GFCFNN. She too is an amazing resource.

    Theresa

    • Thanks for the additional info. Actually, I read yours and Heather’s post on GFCF Yahoo group and saw your link, which brought me here. I am intrigued by taking it internally, as I’ve had onset of intestinal issues this past year despite going GFCF. I just worry about possible intestinal obstruction from taking it.

      • I don’t know about the statistics on that, but I know from personal experience that it can prevent or stop diarrhea, so if you don’t have that, it could lead to constipation. I would recommend drinking plenty of water when you take it, and not take more than say a teaspoon at a time. Heather might have more experience in that department.

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