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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Therapeutic Uses for Green Illite Clay

Since the days of ancient Mesopotamia, green illite clay has been used as an internal and external health treatment for numerous ailments. Although Mesopotamians may not have known why the clay healed, mineralogists today recognize that its benefits are derived from absorbing essential minerals from the plant kingdom—silica, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, cobalt, manganese, zinc, selenium, alumina, phosphorous and sodium—for thousands of years.

Green illite clay, often mined from bedrock quarries in southern France, has long been popular as a remedy for aching muscles and joints and an ingredient in spa products. It sets the highest standard for therapeutic clays because of its purity and extraordinary ability to absorb toxins. Today, a large deposit of green illite clay in the Northeastern United States, left behind by glaciers that receded more than 10,000 years ago, provides domestic consumers with a readily available source.

Illite clay’s analgesic properties are effective in relieving muscular or joint pains by decongesting the affected area. As a main ingredient in bath and beauty treatments, it exfoliates dead skin cells, tightens pores and rejuvenates the skin by absorbing impurities. In bathwater, essential minerals within the clay are released and the body absorbs those it needs to maintain health and vigor. Simultaneously, the clay’s cumulative, negative ion charge causes it to draw out, bond to and remove harmful toxins.

Resource: Bruce Fox, Iceillite. 239-404-7251. Iceillite.com.