Zeolite: What You Need to Know
Greetings House of Buckle blog readers! With Thanksgiving this week and then another month of food merriment to follow in December I thought it would be an appropriate time to highlight a wonderful mineral called Zeolite. This mineral is known to provide terrific full body detox support*, immune support*, and digestion support*. Never heard of it? Well then you are in for a real treat! Let's get down to business...
I hope you are ready for some science!
What is it?
The word Zeolite originates from the Greek words 'zeo' (to boil) and 'litos', (a stone). It is a natural mineral created by volcanic ash falling into an alkaline water source and being then being put under pressure for a time. It is found in volcanic deposits in multiple locations and countries around the world. Its structure is made up primarily of aluminum and silicon.
It is worth noting that it is one of the rare minerals that has a natural negative charge.
Because of how it is formed, Zeolite is a negatively charged mineral with a porous three dimensional framework. Stated another way, it is a 3D cage-like structure with a network of open channels. As a result of both its honeycomb structure and net negative charge, Zeolite acts like both a sponge and a magnet, respectively.
There are over 240 kinds of Zeolite (40 are naturally occurring while 200 are synthetically produced) but the one used most often for a health supplement by humans is Zeolite Clinoptilolite, which is a naturally occurring zeolite.
How does it work?
As stated, due to its structure, Zeolite acts both like a sponge and also like a magnet; it acts like a sponge soaking up liquids and a magnet by exchanging magnetic compounds. Once positively charged/loosely bound atoms travel through a channel, they become bound to the negatively charged honeycomb structure. In this way, Zeolite attracts and cages toxic materials which then can be safely transported out of the body during elimination.
Zeolite Uses:
Zeolite is used in many applications. Industrial uses mainly use synthetic forms of the mineral. Some industrial uses include:
Industrial
- Agriculture: provides needed minerals and controls moisture
- Chemistry: used to speed up various chemical reactions
- Public health: for purifying water
- Household: cleaning and deodorizing
- Farming: great at removing odor (by absorbing and neutralizing ammonia) and also helps to manage wastewater
Personal
- Personal health supplement: The Zeolite form most often used as a health supplement is Clinoptilolite, which, as previously stated, is naturally occurring.
- When taken in pill/liquid form, Zeolite is purported to have great full body detox, immune, and digestion support*, respectively.
Side Effect/Interactions:
In clinical trials, there were no known side effects produced. However there are some concerns to lung damage if inhaled. Bottom line, just take the supplement in capsule or liquid form and you won't have to worry about possible inhalation.
It is also worth noting, as with ANY supplement, make sure you buy from reputable companies that source from clean regions.
Since Zeolite binds complex organic toxins, it will also do this with drugs or other supplements with similar structures. So it is not advised to take Zeolite with an antibiotic for instance or an iron supplement etc.
Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any natural supplement. And avoid if you are pregnant, nursing, and do not give to children. Its always best to err on the side of caution.
Dose:
- Liquid zeolite (suspension in water): follow label for dosing
- Capsules: Minimum of 700-800 mg dose daily, on empty stomach first thing in the morning.
- 1,000 mg dose/day is preferable however.
That's a wrap on this one, folks! As always, thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and be safe and smart! Thank you for joining us on the natural path to well being and remember, the best wealth is your health! Until next time, take care!
Sources:
o https://ida-ore.com/what-is-zeolite/
o https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/zeolite
o https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277462/
o https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/zeolite
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx-zjPW5_TY
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6ihHB9UTkg
o https://www.britannica.com/science/zeolite
o https://selfhacked.com/blog/zeolite-benefits/
o https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617723/
o https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4087055/
o https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28605233/