Types of Clay: Discovering Nature’s Edible Healing Substance

Types of clay are numerous and each of them serves a valuable purpose for humans, animals, and Mother Earth herself. When looking for the best types of clay for consumption in effort to achieve better health, one may feel somewhat ambivalent, especially those who aren’t overtly scientifically inclined.

However, understanding the chemical composition and physical properties of mineral elements within various types of clay is instrumental to understanding how they work to bring you better health. Here, we will discuss a bit about different types of clay and their various uses without embarking into a disquisition of complex terminology.

What Makes Up the Various Types of Clay

The elements within most types of clay minerals – oxygen, silicon, potassium, etc. – are spherical in nature, and they arrange themselves in a three-dimensional pattern. These spheres are the building blocks of many types of clay, and the combined characteristics of any clay mineral group ultimately determine the category of the clay and its subsequent uses. Essentially, the clay’s mineral structure ultimately gives scientists a specific understanding of its how we can most effectively use the substance – particularly within the scope of better health.

The Types of Clay Groups

Clay minerals come in a variety of shapes and sizes and produce an extensive list of types of clays; however, not all of them share the same function. Many are more suitable for industrial purposes while others are ideal for internal use. There are seven categories of clay groups; however, these three are the most widely used and recognized globally.

Kaolin Group: Kaolin is used in the over-the-counter stomach remedy Kaopectate. Its efficacy is due to its ability to adsorb toxins and bacteria, which allows it to work as an anti-diarrheal medication.

Illite Group: Named for the state of Illinois, the most recognized form of this clay is glauconite – green mineral clay typically found in clay beds of a marine origin. This clay is often used for a wide variety of external and internal uses and it also may be white or yellow.

Smectite Group: Considered the most valuable of all types of clay because it boasts adsorption and absorption properties, meaning that it has the ability to both attract toxins and bacteria to the outside of the compound as well as expand and draw these harmful substances into its own physical structure.

Find out more about the properties of adsorption and absorption here.

What Makes Calcium Montmorillonite Types of Clay So Remarkable

Because of its structural uniqueness, smectite has become a favorite clay for both dietary and industrial uses, and it is the most researched of all of the types of clays. One of the most familiar species of smectite is calcium montmorillonite. Boasting a wealth of minerals within fine particulates holding a negative ionic charge, the layers contain loosely bound ions that are easily exchangeable. This encourages toxins (which typically hold a positive charge) to stick to the outer surface. Furthermore, this reaction fosters the reaction of allowing elements and organic matter to enter into the space between the layers.

“The result of consuming calcium montmorillonite in its purest form is natural detox and a system full of minerals and trace elements vital for life.”

The compound’s structural properties offer a large surface area when hydrated, which offer a serious boost to its absorptive and adsorptive capabilities. Calcium montmorillonite is a much more complex clay than others, and it offers a higher exchange capacity that other types of clays of simpler compounds. Scientifically, this means that this particular smectite clay has the ability to detoxify the body to a much greater capacity than any other type of living clay!

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