Eat Your Clay And Wear It Too!

    My husband and I went to a preparedness expo in the fall and we noticed that two of the exhibitors were selling Bentonite Clay. We have sold Bentonite Clay at Herbs First for about nine years and I have never really understood what it was used for.  In talking with the exhibitors they had it on hand for many purposes, which I will tell you about.  We were able to attend a class about Redmond Clay, which is who Western Botanicals buys the Bentonite Clay from. 

     Clay has been used for thousands of years to prevent and cure ailments.  It is very effective in removing toxins from the body including radiation, clearing up dysentery, food poisoning diarrhea and other digestive problems. Bentonite Clay is very alkaline and is very useful in neutralizing heartburn, reflux, and upset stomachs.  It contains over 60 trace minerals and makes a wonderful electrolyte replacement that helps with hydration.  To use put one teaspoons of clay in 8 oz or more of water and mix.  Let it sit for 30 minutes, mix and drink the clay, or let it settle to the bottom of the glass and drink the liquid and throw out the clay.  Drink lots of water to help flush out the toxins it is collecting. It can also be capsulized.

    We were amazed to learn about the external uses of Bentonite clay to heal burns, road rash, broken bones, sprains, insect bites including brown recluse spider bites, ear aches, infections including MRSA and more. For the past few months my husband and I have been using the Bentonite Clay externally to see what it would do for us.  I started with my thumb joint that flares up with arthritis from time to time.  I covered my thumb from the bottom joint to the top of my wrist, wrapped it in plastic wrap and wore a glove to keep it in place overnight.  I could tell quite a difference, so repeated it the next night.  It has been over three months and that joint feels great, no pain whatsoever and no flare-ups.

    We both have problems with our shoulders and have had great results with using the clay on them.  I pulled a muscle recently and between taking Dr. Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone formula and putting the clay poultice on it, the muscle was able to heal quickly. I used it to clear up a stye on my eye, and of course it makes a great clay mask for the face.

    The clay should never be allowed to dry out, especially if using it on burns.  Use cheese cloth to contain it if using it for an ear ache, or put it directly on the skin and cover it with plastic wrap as we have done with the thumb, shoulders, etc. Always use a thick layer of hydrated Bentonite Clay on the area you are working on.  To hydrate the clay, put 1 cup of clay in a quart jar, add 1 cup water to the jar, put the lid on it and shake for several minutes.  Add another cup of water and shake well.  Let it sit overnight, it should be a mustard consistency, if too dry add more water and shake and let it sit for awhile. Keep the bottle handy and start using it for anything and everything.  It won’t take long for the whole family to be using this amazing healing Bentonite Clay.  Photo shows our clay bottle that we keep in our bathroom. Use a plastic or glass lid, metal will rust.

    For a detoxing footbath put 2 tablespoons and fill the footbath with hot water.  Soak the feet for 30 minutes.  Don't water plants with the water, as it has pulled toxins and poisons out of your body and will kill plants.  Put it on weeds!  For a detoxing bath put 2 cups in the tub and soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

    Follow this link to a great PDF booklet from Redmond Clay telling more uses of the clay as well as some great photos.  We hope you will enjoy using Bentonite Clay as much as we have.  Just a few months of experience and we are convinced that we will be using the clay for the rest of our lives.  I bought ten pounds of clay and bottles, and mixed it up and gave away bags of clay with bottles of mixed clay for Christmas.  My mother-in-law used it on her feet that had a fungus and it cleared it up quickly. People become believers when they use it. It doesn't take much effort to use, and the healing is amazing.

Have a great month!
Kathryn

Clearing up an Acidic System

This time last year was very stressful for me when my father passed away and dealing with all that comes with the passing of the second parent. For many months before he died I was on Mindtrac and I have continued to stay on it due to the stress that we continue to go through since the loss of my husbands job 16 months ago with his going back to school.

It is funny how our bodies will react to stress in different ways and it is up to us to figure out what to do about it. My family has way too much going on these last few weeks of the year and this weekend my body let me know in a quite uncomfortable way. My system became quite acidic and anything I ate just didn’t set well with quite distressful consequences. I was popping capsules of Soothing Digestion, but it just wasn’t doing the job because the distress started above the stomach and all through my whole system. I finally started taking spoonfuls of Slippery Elm & Licorice that I had left over from the candida program. It only took a few days of drinking it in water to repair the damage and get me feeling good again. It is the same formula as the Soothing Digestion, but since the problem was starting above my stomach it wasn’t doing the job. This little combo is a great one to have on hand for diarrhea, acidic stomach, etc. Use 75% Slippery Elm and 25% Licorice Root found in the single bulk section at Herbs First. The Licorice Root adds a nice flavor and this combo is so soothing you feel it working just about as soon as you get it into your system. Had I gone to the doctor for this problem I would have been put on an acid-reflux medication. Nice to take care of it at home and have it all better in a few days. Had medication been prescribed I likely would have gone on for quite some time if not years without the result that was given me in just a few days with the herbs.

I love learning about herbs and being able to take care of myself and my family. Having a good variety of herbs and formulas on hand helps me to be prepared to take care of problems when they happen. I find natural medicine to be quicker and cheaper and best of all it works!

Food Poisoning

We had a family reunion and were the second group to arrive at the beach house that we had rented. My brother and family arrived there first and I saw his whole family, but he was nowhere to be found. I asked his wife where he was and she told me that three days earlier he had eaten at the famous “Golden Arches” restaurant and gotten very sick within 20 minutes of eating his food. For three days he had tried over the counter drugs for nausea and diarrhea but was still feeling terrible. I told her that I thought I had something that would help and went to my handy bag of herbs. I had Slippery Elm which is great for diarrhea, and Ginger which works well for nausea. I gave her the little packets which hold about 25 capsules and said that I would take the Slippery Elm every half hour until I was feeling better and Ginger every 2 - 3 hours. My brother showed his face a few hours later and said that he was feeling much better and was fine the rest of the week long reunion.

Food poisoning is most commonly a reaction to toxins produced by bacteria or other toxins. Bacteria thrive in food that is not prepared hygienically, that is kept out of refrigeration for too long, or that is not thoroughly cooked. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, and generally start 4 - 36 hours after eating contaminated food and often can last several days to two weeks. The reaction is so similar to the flu that it is often mistaken for the flu.

Slippery Elm is the herb of choice for any gastrointestinal disturbances including food poisoning. It is very calming and soothing to the intestinal tract and will often stop the diarrhea with a few doses. I have used it when I have been emotionally upset which often causes an acidic condition in the body which manifests itself with heart burn all the way through my system and ending in burning diarrhea. I mix the powder in with water and take it every half hour and within a few hours I will be back to normal. The capsules are great for trips and came in handy for my brother.

Slippery Elm has saved many people’s lives and brought them back to good health. My favorite story is on the Herbal Legacy website called Elijah, a story of hope and progress. Dr. Christopher’s well-known poultices for abscesses, boils and gangrene use Slippery Elm paste as a main ingredient. Slippery Elm is the herb that was used to heal the hip of a young pioneer boy when he received a musket blast at the Hauns Mill Massacre. His mother was instructed through the spirit how to heal him. He laid on his stomach for five weeks until he was entirely recovered, a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing joint and socket.

Ginger helps to stomach pain, cramps and indigestion. Ginger protects while stimulating, treats constipation and diarrhea while relieving nausea, inhibits toxic bacteria while promoting friendly species of bacteria. Ginger has been found to work better than the popular over the counter drugs for motion sickness. I also use it for menstrual cramps and it is found in many herbal formulas. Dr. Christopher said, “Ginger is generally combined with herbs going into the abdominal area, because it is a carrier. Ginger is an herb which accentuates so many herbs.”

Two simple herbs made a happy vacation for my brother. You can purchase these herbs and others at Herbs First.