Benefits Of Drinking Bentonite Clay. Why and How To Do It.

We discuss the benefits of drinking bentonite clay, which bentonite clay is best for internal use and a drink recipe to get you started.

Can You Drink Bentonite Clay?

can-you-drink-bentonite-clay
Can you drink bentonite clay?

Yes, you can, as long as you use the food grade version and make sure it is clearly labeled as such on the front of the packaging. Not just any clay will do as natural clay comes with its own impurities that need to be processed before it is safe for consumption.

How Does Bentonite Clay Work?

Bentonite is a naturally occurring clay that occurs all around the world close to volcanoes. These clays are mineral-rich containing a high amount of calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Some studies suggest that taking bentonite supplements can help reduce cholesterol levels, improve digestion, increase energy, and strengthen bones. However, there isn’t enough evidence yet to prove whether or not bentonite supplements are effective.

From a physical aspect, bentonite clay is an absorbent mineral that works by absorbing oils and dirt from the surface of your skin. The clay sticks to the oils and other substances on your skin and carries them away when you wash it off. Bentonite clay can absorbs toxins and other substances from the digestive tract when you ingest it.

It does so through the exchange of ions. Natural bentonite clay is negatively charged and once it is mixed with water, it will actively seek out positively charged ions within its surroundings. In our case, when we drink bentonite clay we want it to attract positively charged foreign agents and pathogens in our body such as toxins, heavy metals and harmful bacteria. The clay adsorbs them by binding them to itself until they are cleansed out of the body through our gut tract.

The clay can not be absorbed by our body as it merely passes through our gut and eventually gets expelled from the body. In that time, it cleanses our gastrointestinal tract, alkalising it and priming it for a better environment for good gut flora to flourish.

Bentonite clay can also be incorporated into your oral hygiene routine by making your very own bentonite clay for teeth toothpaste — or to be more precise, tooth powder.

RELATED  10 Ways To Use Bentonite Clay For Better Health

Which Bentonite Clay To Choose

The two main types used for body and skincare are sodium bentonite clay and calcium bentonite clay partly due to its abundance and accessibility.

bentonite-clay-detox-drink
Bentonite clay detox drink

Drinking bentonite clay is really beneficial for the body. Bentonite clay is great for detoxing and removing things like pesticide residues, parasites and even radiation from your body.

Sodium bentonite is sometimes known as Na-bentonite. It has similar proportions of calcium and sodium, a medium swelling index, and a basic pH closer to 9, making it an alkaline.

Natural calcium bentonite has a low to negligible percentage of exchangeable sodium and a high to extreme amount of exchangeable calcium, depending on the particular bentonite. It has a very low swelling index and a pH level closer to 7 or 8, making it a more neutral to mild alkaline composite.

Sodium bentonite clay’s natural characteristics make it especially good as a detox drink due to its swelling ability as it expands more than calcium bentonite clay. Calcium bentonite tends to clump up when mixed with water so it is not a desirable version for drinking bentonite clay.

But before you head off to buy some clay, make sure the clay you’re buying is food-grade and edible! It should be mentioned clearly on the front of the packaging.

There are clays out there that should not be ingested – ever! So make sure your clay has been tested and approved for human consumption.

You can read our other article that describes calcium vs sodium bentonite clay in depth.

How To Take Bentonite Clay

Here’s our bentonite clay drink recipe;

Take a teaspoon of clay powder into a large glass of filtered water. Mix well until completely dissolved and cloudy. Ideally leave it to really soak for a while. This water wets and activates the clay making it more effective. I often mix it at night before bed, cover it with a lid and then drink it first thing in the morning.

If you wish to drink it right away, then use slightly lukewarm filtered water to allow the clay to expand prior to drinking it.

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Don’t use metal with bentonite clay, particularly soft metals like aluminium and copper. Nothing fancy, just stick to glass, plastic or ceramic. Make sure to drink plenty of water when drinking bentonite clay.

drinking-bentonite-clay
Drinking bentonite clay

How Often Can I Drink Bentonite Clay?

Having a bentonite clay detox drink once or twice a day is okay, either first thing in the morning, or last thing at night before bed.

Start off with the aforementioned dose that starts you off in small amounts, once a week to allow your body to get accustomed to drinking a lot more water. Bentonite clay is a swelling clay that increases in size and needs lots of water to work its magic. Monitor yourself to ensure you do not get any constipation or adverse effects.

It also depends on what sort of work you do or what you do habitually that exposes you to chemicals that you are worried about. What do you want to achieve by taking a bentonite drink? Is it just basic overall well-being or are you trying to alleviate an issue with your skin and body.

Speaking of which, I will be trying to heal my dermatitis once I get my hands on some food grade sodium bentonite clay. I plan on using bentonite clay externally and internally in addition to my daily skin regime that already includes a plethora of skin creams, serums, moisturisers and aloe vera.

I think some recent family stress and the changes that my body is going through have affected my neck and facial region at an alarming rate.

I will be taking some before and after shots in another article to show if drinking bentonite clay is possible in curing my dermatitis. I can expect this effort to go on for many months before any real results can be shown, as my general practitioner has mentioned my dermatitis is more chronic than originally thought. I can also assume I will be referred to a dermatologist soon for more insight.

drink bentonite clay
Drink bentonite clay

We should also bear in mind that if you consume too much bentonite clay, it may cause digestive issues instead or other more concerning side effects especially in pets and small children.

RELATED  Calcium Bentonite Clay Vs Sodium Bentonite Clay for Skin & Internal Use.

There was an emergency paediatric case that showed drinking or eating bentonite clay in excessive amounts had caused dehydration, a congestion in the gastrointestinal and even electrolyte abnormalities. This case report did highlight that the way it was administered to the child may have worsened her condition but the doctors could not be sure without further research into the matter.

Bentonite Clay Detox Drink Between Meals And Medication

Try to leave at least an hour between drinking bentonite clay and eating or taking medication or supplements. This is because the clay may bind nutritional components in your medicine or supplements and make them unavailable to the body.

Benefits Of Drinking Bentonite Clay Summary

We hope this article has addressed the benefits of drinking bentonite clay or at least has piqued your interest to delve deeper into the subject matter before trying it yourself.

Everybody’s lifestyle and routine are different and that will affect their goals and ideas of overall health and well-being individually. Therefore, it should not only be a question of “Can you drink bentonite clay?” but more of “Why and How To Drink Bentonite Clay” in order to achieve your own personal goal for a better overall health. Here are 10 ways to use bentonite clay besides drinking it.

Through the clay’s ion exchange it can greatly help to lock away harmful toxins and pathogens for our body to eventually expel them. Using bentonite clay for internal and external use may prove beneficial in helping to combat persistent skin and body issues.

In my case, I wish to cure my dermatitis problem that has been plaguing me for months and it is high time to get to the bottom of this.

We should bear in mind that bentonite clay may sometimes have adverse side effects when consumed in large quantities, as mentioned in that case report. Thus, we must start by drinking or eating bentonite clay in small quantities before gradually increasing its usage.

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Eve MayHew

Eve Mayhew is a stay-at-home Mum, graphic designer and wife who takes more of a relaxed and practical approach to her lifestyle. She prefers to live a more stress-free life and enjoys food and drink in moderation by counting her blessings rather than counting the calories or feeling guilty over the odd soft drink or fast food fix every now and then. (Contact Author)