In naturopathy, the primal element earth has been known since ancient times – healing clay, for example, is a true all-rounder for gastrointestinal complaints. It soothes the stomach, absorbs excess stomach and bile acids and all kinds of toxins. It also helps with skin problems and is used in body care. “Dirt cleanses the stomach” – this wisdom from childhood has a kernel of truth. But to call healing clay simply dirt would not really do justice to this natural remedy. Healing earth, clay, clay and other earths have an anti-inflammatory and heat-relieving effect – so they are also used for fever.
Healing earth: greeting from the ice age
Healing clay is made of loess and loess is rock dust, formed sometime between two million and 10,000 years ago during one of the ice ages when glaciers moved over rock surfaces. The meltwater drove the fragments and small particles into the rivers and valleys.
The wind continued to blow these sediments until they were deposited, for example in the Kaiserstuhl region: 30 meters thick here is the loess layer, a light yellow-brown, dust-fine loose rock that consists mainly of quartz grains. Other important components are minerals and trace elements such as:
- Iron
- Calcium
- Copper
- Sodium
- Phosphorus
- Silicon
- Zinc
- Selenium
Healing earth, as you buy it today in the pharmacy or health food store, comes from the deeper layers of the soil and contains no other additives. It is ground out different fineness and has a strong suction power – thanks to its enormous surface: only ten grams make about 60 square centimeters.
Versatile effect of healing clay
The ancient Egyptians used Nile mud to treat numerous skin diseases. Hippocrates recommended it internally and externally. Pastor Kneipp and the “clay pastor” Emanuel Felke successfully used the “healing earth” in numerous therapies.
Healing earth for internal use
Many know and appreciate it for heartburn, because thanks to the clay minerals, the ion exchange is supported and excess stomach acid is neutralized.
In case of digestive problems, flatulence, stomach pain, etc., one should drink circa one teaspoon daily to one liter of water throughout the day. In case of diarrhea, take several teaspoons diluted in water.
External use of healing clay
In contrast to mud packs, healing clay is applied externally cold, such as in:
- Acute inflammations
- Burns
- Insect bites
- Bruises
When applying the cold-stirred healing clay slurry initially occurs a cooling effect, later the tissue becomes warm. Through a healing clay treatment, the excretion of metabolic products through the skin is stimulated and blood circulation is promoted – hence the warming effect.
Warming effect of healing clay
This warming effect is utilized in a wide variety of applications:
- In joint diseases such as rheumatism, the healing earth therapy is used and can contribute here to a decrease in swelling.
- In acne, healing clay frees the skin from fat and sebum, it is better supplied with blood and bacteria are absorbed. At the same time, it gently removes dead skin scales.
- Warm healing clay envelopes can be used for chronic inflammation of joints and muscles – but there is also fango and mud.
Fango: primal element earth without side effects
About the beneficial effects of peloids – so called fango, mud, mud and healing earth – there is no doubt. Fango is volcanic rock; like healing clay, it is full of minerals. Finely ground, purified and moist, it is used as mud to treat aching muscles and joints in the form of hot packs. The tissue is supplied with blood, relaxed and pain is relieved.
Among other things, fango and mud have proven effective for chronic diseases of the urinary tract, but mineral and mud baths also serve as therapeutic support for respiratory diseases and metabolic disorders.
