Someone asked a while back about the Bentonite Clay in our Luminosity Herbal FaceWash and Tooth Dirt and whether the clay had lead in it. I didn’t have a proper answer in the moment, cuz I honestly didn’t know and hadn’t heard that such was a problem. Although, I did say that I know lead is a naturally occurring element in many plant-derived substances of the earth. It’s at a low level, but it’s there, and it’s not in toxic amounts.
But I did a little digging anyway. The Bentonite Clay we use in our products comes from the United States. It is Certified Kosher, and it also meets the standards of the National Formulary for use in a variety of applications including powdered preparations. It lists the active compounds (see link below). We have ordered this particular clay from the same company for the last 10-15 years. We’ve used it on wounds that were infected, wasp and bee stings, brownie spider bites that were necrotizing, and even taken it internally at times, and have had no problems with it.
In aromatherapy we have a term we use for oils we have tested with our senses: organoleptic. If an essential oil is organileptically sound, it means we’ve used that oil for ourselves and it’s physically effective and works in the body as it should. If such process works for oils, it can be used for other things… like bentonite clay for instance. We use every one of the products we make, and having had no issues, we feel safe to continue using them. Besides, to use it as a poultice on the skin (which is basically what our FaceWash is) or in Tooth Dirt that you spit out, one isn’t ingesting it, making it even more safe, I would say.
With that said, there’s a phenomenon I’ve seen in natural circles for many years. It’s called “money”. Big Pharma cannot patent herbs or natural substances. It’s against the law. So they make a villain of whatever doesn’t further their agenda. They want you buying their remedies and cures and not looking to natural things that don’t make them money. So, they talk down whatever herb or natural remedy that cuts into their profits.
I’ve seen them do this often over the years; with herbs, essential oils, healthy food, colloidal silver, etc. They jump on any bad thing in the news that happens regarding natural cures and make it seem like it’s the fault of the herb, oil, food, etc. when something goes wrong. However, if you dig far enough into it, you most often find that it’s a one-off case or a case where the person was abusing and misusing.
Colloidal Silver is a good example. There’s always been all this hype about silver turning you blue. Which it does. But again, if you dig into the story, the people it happened to were literally consuming quarts and gallons of it. If it’s used as it should be, as if it were an antibiotic 3x a day and only for 10 days at a time, then there’s no problem at all. I’ve heard of the same thing happening with herbs such as ginseng, Indian blood root, and with essential oils such as tea tree and lavender. Other natural substances too such as dmso and with food items like raw milk, eggs, butter, or coconut oil.
Another example of late is Erythritol. It’s being vilified in the news and treated as a bad guy. It’s worth pointing out though that it’s naturally occurring and the ‘powers that be’ can’t make money off of it. So they talk it down and say it’s bad so people will be afraid of it. Then they tell you that chemically derived, artificial sweeteners such as sucralose or aspartame are better for you. Yes, it’s true some folks have digestive reactions to sugar alcohols. It will always be true that it’s good to start small and let your body adjust to any new thing.
So does all this mean I’m saying you shouldn’t consume anything and everything ‘they’ say is bad because they’re always wrong? Of course not. ‘They’ may be right about some things. What we need to do is start exercising our ability to question, think and research for ourselves though. Not everything in this world, the natural and well as the chemical, is always as it’s portrayed.
To bring this back to Bentonite Clay, my gut is kinda leaning towards thinking maybe the same “money” phenomenon might be what’s up there. Scaring people by saying there’s lead in it. Or perhaps just one brand had higher levels and they use that to make everything questionable. 🤷♀️ Bottom-line for us though: that Kosher Certification coupled with our uneventful organoleptic use of it for the last years, speaks volumes to me of the safety of the clay in our healthy products. So.. brush on, people, brush on.✌
https://www.herbco.com/p-1002-bentonite-clay.aspx
Mary Beth Wine, CCAT,NHC
The purpose of Jordan’s Crossing Herbal Connections is to promote the sharing of information about healthy, natural products and dietary supplements. JCHC’s views and opinions are INFORMATIONAL ONLY and are not intended to constitute medical advice. If you are sick, injured or pregnant, please consult a licensed health care professional.