Zeolite is a type of rock that is formed in crystals. It is formed in nature when a volcano erupts and the hot lava and volcanic ash hits sea water. When this happens, the lava and ash are cooled very quickly and harden. The rock-like structure that forms is called a zeolite and it forms with a very unique property. Zeolites are one of the very rare negatively charged particles. It also forms with many channels and caves, very similar to a honeycomb.
There are also synthetic zeolites. These are zeolite structures that scientists make in the lab that have the same characteristics as natural zeolites. According to Wikipedia on zeolite “as of November 2010, 194 unique zeolite frameworks have been identified, and over 40 natural zeolite frameworks are known.”
Uses for Zeolite
Zeolite has been used in detergents, and this market is ever expanding as zeolites will not impact the environment in the same way that phosphates do.
Because of their ability to sop up heavy metals, zeolites have been used to help clean up radioactive spills. Zeolites trap radioactive heavy metal particles.
Zeolites have been used in kitty litter because they absorb ammonia and odors so well, and they have been added to livestock feed because they trap aflatoxins that can cause illness.
Zeolites have also been used in pool and air filtration, and in municipal waste water treatment centers.
Source: Benefits of Zeolite
Zeolite in nutritional supplements:
Recently there has been huge interest in zeolite for health. Most commonly, a type called clinoptilolite. Clinoptilolite, like all zeolites, has a slight negative charge, while heavy metals and many toxins have a positive charge. This allows the particle to attract the heavy metals and bond to them.
The second characteristic of the clinoptilolite is that it has chambers within the structure. When the particle attracts heavy metals it draws them deep into the cage-like structure and holds on tight.
In this way, some people feel that zeolite is ideal to take with a chelation agent and could be a replacement for traditional drug chelating agents like DMS. Clinoptilolite removes heavy metals, and because of the property that allows it to draw the metals deep within the cage, it does not liberate the heavy metals into the bloodstream where they can attach somewhere else in the body and cause further health issues.
There has been an explosion of zeolite supplements flooding the market over the past 2 years. There are certainly many choices now, which can be broken in to two major categories. First there are the zeolite powder supplements. These supplements are available as a loose powder that you mix with water and drink, or in capsules for convenience. Then there are the liquid products, which are really just zeolite powder suspended in liquid.
These supplements can also be found with all kinds of different additives that a manufacturer may feel enhances the effect of the product.
It is important, when choosing the right product for your health, that you use a zeolite that is mined for human consumption. There are very few mines that are relatively unexposed to the elements, and therefore start out as a cleaner, safer product. Most mines are meant for industrial applications.
Shelley Penney is a retired registered nurse with a continued, insatiable thirst for health and wellness information. Although Shelley hails from traditional medical training, she is always searching for ways in which the natural world of healing herbs, foods and supplements can intersect with traditional medicine and benefit us all. She has spent the last few years learning about zeolite for detox.
Visit Shelley at www.ShelleyPenney.com
