How Clays Work

Natural health practitioners believe that the body has all the necessary resources to heal itself. Nature has provided for it generously. Clays are perhaps some the most ancient remedies used by people and animals to accelerate healing in the most natural ways possible. Clays work in gentle, intuitive ways, by re-tuning the body systems and stimulating recovery. This is not to say that medicines should be abandoned in favour of clays. This is merely to say that clays have a well-deserved place in our health and beauty routines. The most important property of clay is to detoxify the body, due to its ability to attract positively-charged toxic ions (clay particles are negatively charged) and take them out of the body. A lot of our illnesses happen due to contamination of the body with toxins – both coming from the outside (environmental pollutants), and produced inside (metabolic toxins, such as free radicals, excessive hormones and other metabolic waste). In a healthy body toxins get eliminated by the body systems timely and efficiently. If the body resources are depleted due to stress, illness or fatigue, the removal of toxins is slowed down leading to their accumulation in fat and bone tissues, the brain, as well as other organs and muscles. Over time it can lead to serious health problems. Clays have a wonderful ability to work with the body, gently helping to remove heavy metals and other toxic waste. Clays, muds and salts are also wonderful natural cosmetic substances. They work on the skin by purifying it, regenerating the skin cells and improving blood circulation which ensures more nutrients reaching the skin. Oxygen gets delivered to skin cells more speedily and the removal of toxins and CO2 is facilitated. All this brings wonderful results – the skin becomes smooth, soft, pink, glowing, wrinkles get much less visible - skin regeneration takes place. Clays have been used by humans and animals since prehistoric times – to treat minor ailments, food poisoning, aches and pains, skin infections, mineral deficiency, in beauty rituals, as well as to make cosmetic products. The purpose of this book is to shed a bit more light on the scientific aspects of clays and clay-like minerals and their health-enhancing properties. I hope that you find it both educational and useful in more ways than one.

Here is a comprehensive and up to-do-date presentation of the origins, and properties of clay minerals at the Earth ́s surface. The text reviews the relatively simple laws that govern the chemical or isotopic composition and the crystalline structure of clays, and then discusses their genesis and alteration. Concluding chapters show that clay minerals can form in variety of different environments: meteorites, lavas, subduction zones, among others.

"How Clays Work - Science & Applications of Clays & Clay-like Minerals in Health & Beauty" is part of the "Mineral Healing" book series. The first book in the series is "Earth's Humble Healers." In the second book I write in more detail about why clays and clay-like minerals - muds, diatomite, zeolite, work the way the do. I have been researching uses and applications of clays in natural health and beauty for a number of years. Having read quite a few great books about clays for a clay user like you and me, I have not yet come across a non-scientific book which would talk about properties of clays and explain the science behind them. Most of the books I have read are either purely scientific, or consumer oriented, but with very little information of how and why clays work the the way they do. So I decided to write a book for those like myself, who like to dig deep into the subject. Why is it that some clays have such potent detoxifying properties? How does it happen? I was not happy with the explanations I saw. I wanted to learn it in more detail, to prove to myself that the assertion that clays can "ingest" toxins - both organic (e.g.pesticides) and inorganic (heavy and radioactive metals) and take them out of the body environment has a scientific foundation under it. I did my research, and this book is a result of it. I apologise in advance if some (only some) of the information in the book may come across as a bit too "scientific." "How Clays Work" is for those of you who would like to learn more about this wonderful mineral. Apart from cation (ion) exchange, it covers other phenomena - such as absorption, adsorption and intercalation as the properties playing an important part in detoxification processes. There is also a lot of detailed information about muds (which some people confuse with clays), and chapters about zeolite and diatomaceous earth. The section about mud is comprehensive covering types of mud, their origin, composition and how they work with the body. And for those of you who would like to learn about toxins - there is a section in the book about toxins - biological, environmental and metabolic. And of course, heavy metals. The book describes what they are, how they get into the body and how they affect us. It is quite detailed, if you are interested in learning about the subject from one source. You will also find quite a bit of information about various types of clays, their properties, and how they can be applied in health and beauty. This book is aimed at natural health and beauty practitioners working with clays, product developers, health shop owners. Wouldn't it be good to learn why clays work the way they do and explain it to your customers? But more than anything, this book is written for every one of you who is interested in learning about clays and why they play such an important role in detoxification and health maintenance. I hope that you enjoy reading the book. Please do leave feedback after you've read it. And of course - get in touch with me if you have any questions. All the best!

Healing Clays: History, Science and Uses of the Earth's Best Kept Secret takes the reader on a documented journey through the history, uses and scientific studies on this most fascinating subject of healing clay. Contemporary society is embarking on yet another learning curve when it comes to natural elements and their benefits for general health and well-being. Using clay as an instrument for improving the health seems like an unbelievable concept to most in modern societies, but history teaches us clay was once an integral part of many culture's health practices. From Cleopatra’s beauty mask to Pliny the Elder's detailed records to clay's uses and benefits there is no doubt that we have under our feet one of earth's best kept secrets.

If one seeks to understand Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) history, one must consider the history of Haudenosaunee land. For countless generations prior to European contact, land and territory informed Haudenosaunee thought and philosophy, and was a primary determinant of Haudenosaunee identity. In The Clay We Are Made Of, Susan M. Hill presents a revolutionary retelling of the history of the Grand River Haudenosaunee from their Creation Story through European contact to contemporary land claims negotiations. She incorporates Indigenous theory, Fourth world post-colonialism, and Amerindian autohistory, along with Haudenosaunee languages, oral records, and wampum strings to provide the most comprehensive account of the Haudenosaunee’s relationship to their land. Hill outlines the basic principles and historical knowledge contained within four key epics passed down through Haudenosaunee cultural history. She highlights the political role of women in land negotiations and dispels their misrepresentation in the scholarly canon. She guides the reader through treaty relationships with Dutch, French, and British settler nations, including the Kaswentha/Two-Row Wampum (the precursor to all future Haudenosaunee-European treaties), the Covenant Chain, the Nanfan Treaty, and the Haldimand Proclamation, and concludes with a discussion of the current problematic relationships between the Grand River Haudenosaunee, the Crown, and the Canadian government.

Kids will love learning to work with clay! These 52 projects use air drying, easy to clean up clay, making them perfect for home or the classroom!

This book is an attempt to provide a comprehensive and coherent description of three widely separated aspects of clays: the science of clays; the industrial uses of clays; and the role of clays in the environment. Most of the existing literature lacks such an integrated study and this work endeavours to fill that gap. An exhaustive account of the science of clays is presented in Part I of the book, which includes the classification, origin and evolution, composition and internal structure, chemical and physical properties of clays; soil mechanics; and analytical techniques for determining clay constituents. Part II provides a comprehensive description of the applications of clays and their derivatives in various industries, while Part III describes the role of clays in the environment; the pollution caused by clay minerals; and the application of clays in order to prevent environmental hazards. A principal feature of the book is its explanation of how the structure and composition of particular clay types facilitate their specific industrial or environmental applications, thus describing the interrelationship between three widely varying aspects of clay. A number of thought-provoking questions are raised at the end of the work in order to leave readers with a better insight in this regard.