Zeolite FAQs

• Since Zeolite is a naturally formed rock and therefore “dirt-y”, why would I want to eat it? • I have heard that Zeolite is cancer causing?? • What is the chemical formula of Clinoptilolite zeolite? • What is CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) and what is the significance of this value in terms of Zeolite? • How does powdered Zeolite make contact with toxins in order to trap them? • Does Zeolite cross the blood-brain barrier? • What does Zeolite taste like? • I have heard that Zeolite can take minerals out of the body? • Is Zeolite a nutrient as well as a detoxifer? • Is the pale green color of Natural Zeolite Powder significant? • I have heard that aluminum is bad for the body. So, since Clinoptilolite contains aluminum, why would I want to consume it? That seems a contradiction? • Who is Zeolite good for? • How much Zeolite is recommended to be consumed? • Is Zeolite suitable for children’s use? • What are recommended ways to take Zeolite? • What factors are there to consider when choosing a zeolite supplement?

Question: Since Clinoptilolite Zeolite is a naturally formed rock and therefore “dirt-y”,

and possibly containing many heavy metals, why would I want to eat it?

Answer: A short answer is that this particular dirt is good for you. Actually, eating dirt is a healthy practice. In this regard, Zeolite is an especially good dirt, since its naturally occurring heavy metals are all tightly-bound (and, therefore, will not go into the body) and it supplies silica, calcium and potassium which are good for the body. Also, zeolite removes toxins from the body. A sample analogy for Zeolite is that it is like a vacuum that, although it contains dirty bags and dirty filters, is still able to clean your house of dirt. In giving a longer answer to this question: • The kind of Zeolite we use called Clinoptilolite is GRAS listed (generally regarded as safe). • Our Clinoptilolite Zeolite is exceptionally pure (see its assay and CEC rating). • Our Clinoptilolite Zeolite is free of pathogens. • Our Natural Clinoptilolite Zeolite Powder CEC rating shows that it is exceptionally capable of removing toxins from the body. Tightly bound means that the naturally occurring, aluminum, titanium, copper, iron and other heavy metal components of zeolite, are all tightly bound (not water soluble). Tightly bound means that they are bound in the zeolite crystal, will not leave the crystal and will not go into the human body. Actually, those tightly bound elements are necessary to be there to give the negative electrical charge in the capillary structure. When zeolite goes through one’s digestive tract, the zeolite will capture heavy metals, such as aluminum, lead, or titanium that it encounters. It clears the blood of these heavy metals and other other toxins in the intestinal villi where zeolite mixes with food. Indeed, it cleans the body like a dirty vacuum cleans dirt from our houses. Toxins go into zeolite, but not out!

Question: I have heard that zeolite is cancer causing; so, why would anyone eat it?

Answer: That’s a scare tactic… that is similar to someone saying I’ve heard that beans are poisonous. The truth is that one zeolite has been shown to be cancer causing, just like only some beans are poisonous, while most are edible and nutritious. There are 50 types of zeolite. A fibrous, white colored zeolite known as Erionite is a damaging to cell membranes and highly correlated to cancer. Even though erionite is a zeolite (i.e. it has negatively charged internal tunnels) and has been shown to increase cancer, Clinoptilolite and many other zeolites are not cancer causing. The type of zeolite that is used for human detoxification is called Clinoptilolite. Clinoptilolite is GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) listed by the U.S. government and has been used for a long while (since the Roman Aqueducts) with a history of benefits. Millions of people are currently consuming Clinoptilolite Zeolite, with only beneficial consequences. Clinoptilolite Zeolite has a great capacity to remove toxins, including radiation from people, soil and water. Detoxifying the body is one of the most beneficial practices we can have today because of the toxic world in which we live. The regular use of Clinoptilolite zeolite will help prevent cell membrane damage, which takes one in the opposite direction of cancer.

Question: What is the chemical formula of Clinoptilolite zeolite?

Answer: Although, it is a natural, therefore, varying product, Clinoptilolite’s commonly accepted chemical formula is: (Na,K,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O). That translates into Hydrated Sodium Potassium Calcium Aluminum Silicate, also called Potassium-calcium-sodium- aluminosilicate for short.

Question: What is CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) and what is the significance of this

value in terms of Zeolite?

Answer: Cation Exchange Capacity, or CEC, is a way to measure the capacity that a particular zeolite has to capture cations (positively charged particles such as lead, ammonia, etc.). After all the marketing hype is done, the only thing that really matters is the relative capacity of Zeolite to detoxify (or remove cations) from blood and cellular cytoplasm. CEC is measured in the laboratory by putting a test substance (such as ammonia, which is a strong cation) in water solution, adding zeolite, then removing the zeolite through filtration and measuring the remaining test substance (cation, again, typically ammonia) that was not removed from the water. The less of the test substance that remains in the water after treatment with zeolite), the higher it’s CEC rating (or toxin pulling power). At 220 MEQ/100 grams, our Natural Zeolite Powder has the highest CEC rating of all zeolites on the market.

Question: How does Natural Zeolite Powder make contact with toxins in order to trap

them?

Answer: Natural Zeolite Powder makes contact with the blood as it passes through the villi of the small intestines. Intestinal villi are actually “mixing chambers”, and there are millions of them in one’s intestines. It is in this mixing chambers that food particles have intimate contact (by mixing with the blood). Blood enters the the villi so that the blood can pick up food particles and and carry them throughout the body. The blood circulates back out of the villi (after having come in to get food), but the zeolite does not go into the bloodstream. While the zeolite is going through the alimentary canal and villi along with food particles, fiber, water, wastes, etc. the zeolite captures whatever toxins were in the blood and intestinal tract and then continues its path through gastrointestinal tract. Eventually, the zeolite (laden with the toxins it has trapped) exits the body in one’s stools.

Question: Does Zeolite cross the blood-brain barrier to cleanse the brain?

Answer: Our Natural Zeolite Powder stays in the gastrointestinal tract and never enters the bloodstream. But, our liquid, Zeolite product, Zeoheal™ enters both the blood stream and also crosses into the blood brain barrier as well as into individual cells to clean them.

Question: What does Zeolite taste like?

Answer: It has a slightly chalky taste.

Question: I have heard that zeolite takes nutrients out of the body.

Answer: The truth about zeolite is that it CAN take nutrients away. But, it isn’t likely, if used as directed. And the truth is that virtually any food or supplement can hurt you if you take too much. Just like it is possible to drink too much water, or eat too many nuts or berries, or take too much Vitamin C, or do too much exercise (anything good can be overdone) it is possible to take too much zeolite and the of taking too much can result in a loss of nutrition from your body. Here’s how that could happen: • Zeolite will capture any positively charged ion, but it has a preference for high valence elements, such as mercury, cadmium, lead, ammonia, etc. • If you eat too much zeolite, and it cannot find preferred toxins to trap, it will trap lower valence minerals, such as free calcium, potassium, etc. • As Zeolite goes through the gastrointestinal tract, it constantly exchanges the cations (positively charged elements) that it encounters for which it has a higher affinity (i.e. the ones that have a higher valence or atomic weight). • It will keep doing this exchange process any time it encounters a positively charged atom that has a higher valence than what is currently trapped in its pores. • So, when zeolite finally exits one’s body (in the stool) it will contain within its cages the highest valence atoms that it encountered during its transit through the gastrointestinal channel, which includes toxins from the blood since it has contact with the blood (as it passes through the villi). • What this means in practice is that if you eat more zeolite than you have toxins in your body, the zeolite will capture minerals and carry them out of the body. For this reason, we recommend that you do NOT eat more than 2 teaspoons in one serving. An interesting way to tell if one is consuming the right amount of zeolite is by the smell of one’s urine and stool. If there is an ammonia odor, then, most likely, one can safely eat more zeolite, but if there is no ammonia odor, then the zeolite is probably already being consumed at a high enough rate to have removed existing toxins (since zeolite’s preference for ammonia is at the bottom of its preference list), and taking more zeolite would remove nutrients.

Question: Is Zeolite a nutrient as well as a detoxifer?

Answer: Some people might call Zeolite a nutrient because it can deliver silica, calcium and potassium to the body. However, Zeolite’s primary contribution to health is detoxification. Please note that that added fulvic/humic/iodine mineral and amino acids in ZeoHeal™ are highly nutritious.

Question: Is the pale green color of Natural Zeolite Powder significant?

Answer: Hmm... not really. Red, black, brown, green or white... all Clinoptilolite zeolites are useful for detoxifying the body. However, a good general statement would be that a colored zeolites will work better (because they will have a higher CEC rating or toxin capturing power) than a totally pure, translucent zeolite. A completely pure zeolite would be translucent like glass and would have less toxin capturing power than a colored zeolite. The majority of zeolites are gray or brown in color. The color of zeolite is imparted by the particular minerals that are part of the zeolite deposit, iron, copper, titanium, etc. and is not significant (except to those who write marketing copy — who may say their zeolite’s color is the best one). Zeolite color is the result of how light is reflected when it strikes the zeolite. This color is the result of the particular combination of minerals and silica making up the zeolite. Interestingly, zeolite gets its toxin attracting power color from the structure of silica and minerals within the zeolite rock. Those minerals are essential for zeolite to work. The various combinations of minerals can create red, blue, green, brown, black colored zeolites. But, instead of trying to judge by color (outward appearance) which is not very scientific, we simply say to judge by CEC rating. CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) rating is what is significant in regard to zeolite (the power of a particular zeolite to pull toxins out of solution). CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) means how powerful is the “toxin pulling and trapping power” of zeolite, i.e., how much toxic material a zeolite can pull out of water solution (or out of the human body). That is a real measure of zeolite worth, not color. Here’s an analogy. If a group of men all claimed to be the strongest, instead of believing their stories of strength (or brightly colored outfits), a better way would be to invite them to a weightlifting contest. The one who lifted the greatest weight would be the strongest, not the one with most impressive stories (marketing copy) or physique (outward appearance). So, CEC rating is what you want to know, not marketing hype. We have heard of one zeolite vendor stating that a green color of zeolite means that ingesting that particular zeolite would poison you with copper. This is utter nonsense, possibly designed to scare you away from any zeolite but that particular vendor’s zeolite. Heavy metals are captured by zeolite, not released. That is a basic fact about zeolite. If you don’t believe that, then you don’t understand zeolite’s ability to remove toxins from the body. Our Zeolite rock/ore is 95%+ Clinoptilolite zeolite, while most zeolite ores are only 50 to 70% pure zeolite. Clinoptilolite, itself, is translucent like glass. The metals in the zeolite crystal are tightly bound and do not come out of the zeolite when mixed with water or when eaten. Those metals are essential to the electrical attraction of the zeolite (which is what captures toxins). Ranchers, who have the most practical experience with zeolites, believe that green zeolites are among the most effective in producing healthy animals. This has not been addressed through studies, just the rancher’s account sheets showing their profits. But, the bottom line is that you shouldn’t believe in the color, just the CEC rating.

Question: I have heard that aluminum is bad for the body. So, since Clinoptilolite

contains aluminum, why would I want to consume it? That seems a contradiction?

Answer: Eating inorganic, free aluminum or aluminum salts isn’t a good idea, but the aluminum in Zeolite is not free. Therefore, it will not be digested or otherwise enter the blood. It is tightly bound in the zeolite crystalline structure. As a matter of fact, if Zeolite encounters aluminum ions or other heavy metal ions in the body it will trap them and carry them out of the body. Consider that many people daily eat salt, which contains two terribly poisonous substances, sodium and chlorine. Sodium by itself can kill you and chlorine by itself can kill you. Yet, we eat salt without fear because of the way salt is put together. The same principle applies to zeolite. It is put together in a way that is going to benefit you, not hurt you.

Question: Who is Zeolite good for?

Answer: We recommend Zeolite for all of the following: plants, animals and people. Zeolite makes greener lawns and healthier plants, animals and people, both by increasing nutrition and especially by trapping harmful substances so that they do no damage. For instance, with plants, Zeolite prevents the uptake of arsenic and even radiation from the soil. As an example, after the Chernobyl reactor accident, the Russian government spread hundreds of millions of pounds of zeolite on the ground to trap the radiation. As a result, the foliage in this area has blossomed as never before. However, as always, we always encourage people to discuss their plans with a health professional who is treating you as a unique individual. We are not health care professionals, and more importantly, we are not your health care professional, and therefore cannot be responsible for your health decisions. Even if you were considering exercising, drinking more water or eating more fruits and vegetables, things that are commonly believed to be good for virtually everyone, there are dangers in the uniqueness of each individual. What is good for 999,999 out of 1,000,000 people might be bad for you. That’s why you would do well to discuss your health plans with a health care professional who knows you individually.

Question: How much Zeolite is recommended to be consumed?

Answer: We recommend one to a maximum of 5 teaspoon servings spread out during the day depending on a person’s “estimation” of their toxic load and depending on how one feels at a particular dosage. Zeolite can cause constipation in higher doses. Since there is no known toxic level of zeolite, one could even take more zeolite than five teaspoons. Some people take up to ten teaspoons a day for a period of time (with a lot of extra water to avoid constipation). A possible gauge other than how one feels for determining a dosage could be the urine and stool smell. A bad smelling stool means ammonia is present in the stool. So, when the urine and stool becomes odorless, the zeolite dosage is just about perfect.

Question: Is Zeolite suitable for children’s use?

Answer: Yes. In fact, the Russian government gave zeolite to large numbers of children to detoxify them from radiation following the Chernobyl reactor meltdown. It is well known that by birth children have already absorbed a large amount of toxins from their mothers while gestating and continue to do so while nursing. We do recommend, however, waiting until a child is at least a year old and eating solid foods. We also recommend using smaller serving sizes than for adults, such as 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon for larger children.

Question: What are recommended ways to take Zeolite?

Answer: Any which way. We recommend consuming Zeolite in virtually any format - baked into cookies or bread, mixed in breakfast cereal, added to morning coffee, mixed in beverages of any type. Mixed in cookies was how zeolite was used to remove radiation from Russians who were contaminated after the Chernobyl incident. Zeolite ability to remove toxins is not disturbed by cooking or baking. Please note that “starting slower” is ALWAYS better. We recommend starting at 1/2 to one teaspoon per day and increasing slowly from there. Click here to see our recommend usage instructions.

Question: Manufacturers of liquid zeolites claim that their zeolite suspended in liquid is

superior to a powdered zeolite. What are the differences between liquid zeolites and

Zeolite?

Answer: So, let’s review the differences. 1. An important difference between liquid zeolites and Zeolite is that liquid zeolites typically cost hundreds of times more than Powdered Zeolites, gram for gram. 2. A second difference is that liquid zeolites are usually claimed to be “cleaner” because they have gone through ultra purification processes. Ultra clean sounds very nice to modern day people, especially to women. 3. A third difference is that liquid zeolites often have such small zeolite particles that the particles will enter the bloodstream and go into the brain as well. In regard to # 1, above, probably it doesn’t matter what the cost is, if one values his or health highly enough. Powdered zeolites are much less expensive, but they only clean the blood stream and intestines not the individual cells and brain. In regard to # 2, powdered zeolites typically undergo only a minor amount of filtration and cleaning. On the other hand, liquid zeolites are often treated at high temperature and chemically treated to clean the cages of any heavy metals they might have picked up over eons of time. In general, this cleaning is to be considered just as important as using a brand new filter bag each time you vacuum your house. If you don’t use a brand new bag each day, in vacuuming, then you can understand that zeolite doesn’t have to be absolutely purified, it just has not trap toxins and not release them into the body. As long as it does that, that’s all that is needed. In regard to # 3, this can be important to consider. Two thought processes exist: 1. The first one is that it is better to only clean the blood from the intestinal villi without introducing zeolite into the blood (so that there is no possibility for damaging the kidneys which would have to filter those particles back out of the bloodstream). Small zeolite particles can get into the blood stream, but large particles cannot. So, those who decry zeolite going into the blood stream want large particle sizes (Sieve size 30) like the Natural Zeolite Powder we offer. 2. A second thought process is that it is important for zeolite to be small enough to enter the blood stream, enter individual cells and cross the blood brain barrier (to clean the brain). This is why we have ZeoHeal™. It does this.

Question: What factors are there to consider when choosing a zeolite supplement?

Answer: To our way of thinking… they’re all good. Don’t overly worry about which one, or perhaps use both a powdered zeolite and a liquid zeolite. Our bottom line is that taking virtually any zeolite is better than taking none. Beyond that we look at benefit per cost ratio. With Powdered Zeolite you get more zeolite in a single, teaspoon-size serving (5 grams of zeolite) than you get in an entire month’s supply of liquid zeolites. You get a higher capacity to remove toxins. Normally, that is better. For instance, in the animal husbandry industry, calves put on weight faster and have better coats when they are fed zeolite. Dairy cows that are fed zeolite live longer than other cows. So, just get going with a zeolite. In the end, your body will be cleaner and your health better. It’s kind of like worrying about which kind of apple you’re going to eat today. You can think about it, study for a long time, or just buy and eat, and try different ones on occasion, and spend your time in other things than deliberating your choices of apples, or zeolite.