Stop Using Clays

Stop Using Clay on Your Skin and in Your Mouth

Mother Jai is always concerned with providing natural products made from raw ingredients collected from the Earth. What we did not consider was the amount of pollution people have accumulated in the environment where these raw ingredients are collected from. So we now know that even ‘food grade’ bentonite clay or montmorillonite is full of heavy metals and pesticides absorbed from the environment. These harmful chemicals are then easily absorbed by the body when the clay is used. Originally the clay was useful and healing but because of what humans have done to Earth, that is no longer the case.

The testing done on products made by Mother Jai with ‘food grade’ Bentonite Clay showed 79 parts per million of lead. More than 100 times the allowable amount in foods. Other samples of ‘food grade’ Bentonite clay have tested at 39 parts per million which is still sixty times the amount the body can process in a day.

Mother Jai wants to protect her customers and has chosen to remove bentonite clay from all products. The evidence is just too strong to ignore.

Mother Jai now blends toothpowder and mudd mask with food grade Activated Charcoal.

Here is some evidence from the FDA –

The FDA focused on “Bentonite Me Baby,” a brand of powdered clay sold at stores including Target and Sally Beauty Supply. The label says it can be used as a facial or hair mask, or for ingestion. However, laboratory testing found that the product has a lead concentration of 37.5 parts per million (ppm). By comparison, the FDA says that lead levels above .05 ppm in fruit juice “may constitute a health hazard.”

What are the dangers and side effects of Bentonite clay?

#1. Toxic When Consumed

Despite the clay being one of the finest way to get a clear skin through cleaning the body system. It also internally detoxify the body to eliminate internal toxins believed to cause blemishes on the skin and quick aging. So, is it true that a Bentonite clay detox contribute to certain harmful impact? One of the main motives for applying this clay as an agent of detoxification is its capability to eliminate heavy metals from the body system. But, in the process of doing so, the mud can cause you intestinal distress. The remedy of this adverse effect of clay ingestion is drinking a lot of water since it may help pass out of your body system the dangerous compounds.

#2. Damages the Digestive System

Taking this mud is reported to clog up users’ lower intestine. If the situation gets out of hand, a surgical intervention may be required to save the victim’s life. The prospective of nutrient deficiencies is also claimed to the adverse effect of ingesting this clay. Your digestive system, teeth, and gums also can take a hit.

#3. Renders the Body More Exposed to Metal Impurities

Many bentonite products retailed in the market today are not naturally produced hence may contain certain toxic elements. Most of them have high levels of lead and arsenic. The presence of arsenic increases the danger of having lung, bladder, and skin cancers. The lead, on the other hand, can negatively affect your cardiovascular system and kidneys. It can also harm a young child’s central nervous system. Thus, a baby is put at risk if a pregnant mother consumes this clay. Summarily, the side effects of the Bentonite clay detox that you are likely to experience while taking it to rid your body of unwanted toxins and cleanse it include:

• Joint stiffness and pain, which when combined with muscle pain, are symptoms of negative impact of the toxins deposited in the muscle and joint fluids being eradicated from your body.
• Muscle tiredness and pain
• A minor side effect of this clay is headaches

The above mentioned side effects are shared among people attempting to detoxify their body externally.

How much lead are we talking about?

The FDA report found that bentonite clay contained up to 37.5 micrograms of lead per gram. Mcg/g is same as parts per million (ppm). With an average oral dose of bentonite clay being 2 Tbsp. (0.72 ounce or 20.4 grams), this means your oral lead dose could be as high as 765 mcg.

Other companies, worried about the public being aware of lead in their products, have argued that we already consume high amounts of lead in common foods:

• Fresh collard greens: 30 micrograms of lead (50x higher than prop 65 stipulates)
• Dry roasted mix nuts: 20 mcg of lead
• Brussels sprouts: 15 mcg of lead
• Sweet potatoes: 16 mcg of lead
• Spinach: 15 mcg of lead

The amount of lead present in the commonly used amount of bentonite clay is less than half of the lead found in spinach. To make the most direct comparison, if you assume an average serving size of 100 grams, spinach would likely have no more than 0.3 mcg total lead per serving as opposed to 765 mcg from clay.

How much lead is safe?

“There is no safe threshold for lead exposure,” according to a literature review on lead in psychiatry.

The World Health Organization states, “There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe.”

The Centers for Disease Control concludes the same: “No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead exposure often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized.”

OK, so none is safe, strictly speaking. In foods, since lead absorption varies tremendously from food to food, the FDA sets limits on different food categories. Most are below 0.1 ppm.

Why is lead a big deal?

Lead is one of the most thoroughly studied toxins and has been a bane to humans for millennia. Credible scientists have even blamed lead in the water as one of the principal causes behind the fall of Rome.

In kids, it creates behavioral problems, lower IQ, hyperactivity, hearing loss, seizures and growth delays. Kids and babies are less able to naturally detoxify lead from their bodies than adults.

In adults, lead can also slow our brains and affect mood symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Lead can cause vague symptoms like fatigue, numbness and tingling, digestive issues and joint pain. Growing evidence suggests that it can also be the culprit behind high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney damage, infertility in males and females and some cancers.