Health Integrative Health Natural Medicine

Zeolite: Nature’s Ancient Detox Mineral

Research shows that this ancient volcanic mineral also supports the immune system and has anti-inflammatory as well as anti-tumor properties.

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Zeolite: Nature’s Ancient Detox Mineral — (Fotosr52/Shutterstock)

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP

4/17/2024

Updated:

4/24/2024

0:00

Zeolite comes from the Greek words “zeo,” meaning to boil, and “lithos,” meaning stone. Zeolites are a family of natural minerals formed over millions of years by the reaction between volcanic rock/ash and seawater. This chemical reaction creates a unique porous, honeycomb-like structure with a strong negative charge that can bind to positively charged toxins, such as heavy metals, and remove them from the body via stool and urine.

Heavy metals with a positive charge include lead, aluminum, mercury, copper, cadmium, and nickel. Although aluminum is not heavy enough to be classified as a “heavy metal,” its toxicity leads to its inclusion on some lists of toxic heavy metals.

According to a review titled “Zeolite Clinoptilolite: Therapeutic Virtues of an Ancient Mineral,” published in Molecules in 2019, zeolite clinoptilolite “is an excellent detoxifying, antioxidant, and anti‐inflammatory agent.”

“At present, many positive effects are recognized due to the capacity of natural occurring zeolite clinoptilolite (ZC) to adsorb and therefore remove harmful substances like heavy metals, ammonia, or other small molecules in the gastrointestinal tract of humans,” the review reads.

Industrial Applications for Zeolites

Because of their unique structure, zeolites are used in various industries as chelators, drying agents, and filters. They are used in commercial water management systems to remove heavy metals from the water supply and in airplanes to maintain oxygen supplies.

The most abundant and well-studied naturally occurring zeolite is clinoptilolite. This zeolite has unique ion-exchanging properties in water and, as a result, is used in various industries because it can sequester toxic pollutants from sewage and other liquid wastes.

Zeolites were even released into contaminated seawater after the Fukushima nuclear disaster to trap and cleanse radiation particles and were used to decontaminate water and the environment after the Chernobyl disaster.

Zeolite Clinoptilolite

Jeff Hoyt is a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and owner of Zeolite Labs, and he provides education through his company, The Zeolite Coach. Choosing the correct one is crucial, he told The Epoch Times.

Zeolites for Detoxification

“Zeolite is a unique binder in that it works through a swap mechanism opposed to just grabbing everything it comes across,” Mr. Hoyt said. “Naturally occurring in its cage-like structure, zeolite contains essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium, which it swaps for heavier, toxic elements such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead, etc. If it didn’t have those minerals then it wouldn’t be a selective binder and would grab on to essential nutrients.”

Although there are sometimes concerns that detoxification may remove important elements the body needs to function correctly, this swap mechanism keeps zeolites from removing elements the body needs.

Research has found that the use of clinoptilolite is safe, even after long-term use.

“Importantly, while great danger exists in removing the physiologically important electrolytes from the serum in a classical detoxiﬁcation process, this has not been observed in clinoptilolite trials both in humans and animals, where no substantial changes in physiologically relevant trace elements or vitamins were observed even after long-term administration,” a 2018 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology reads.

The same study mentions a clinical study in which 102 men with heavy metal contamination experienced a decrease in the concentration of heavy metals measured via hair samples after supplementing for 30 days with zeolite clinoptilolite.

“This decrease in harmful metal concentrations was a result of the clinoptilolite detoxiﬁcation function and probable restoration of the body mineral metabolism homeostasis,” it read.

Another study published in Nutrition and Dietary Supplements found that using an activated clinoptilolite to increase the excretion of toxic heavy metals through the urine in 22 healthy men safely and effectively removed toxic heavy metals and did not cause the loss of physiologically important electrolytes.

Other Potential Health Benefits/Conditions Treated

Research suggests that zeolites have other health advantages, including benefiting the immune system and helping oxidative stress, improving the microbiota, and having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties.

“A lot of people notice increased mental clarity and reduced brain fog—just being able to think better,” Mr. Hoyt said. “And a lot of times, that happens really quickly. And I think that is just because you’ve got all this circulating toxicity.”

Another benefit Mr. Hoyt sees is in the immune system.

“Traditionally, when people think of immune support, they think of nutrients to help optimize their natural immune function, or they'll use some immune regulator or modulators like beta-glucan or mushroom extracts—which all stimulate the body to better attack things,“ he said. ”But zeolite has the opposite approach in that it removes the underlying cause—it removes the toxicity so the body doesn’t need to use as many resources.”

Toxicity and Contraindications

Zeolites can come from natural and synthetic sources, and each can undergo various processes that change how they work and their effectiveness. Some of this processing includes cleansing the zeolites of impurities and reducing their particle size.

Natural zeolites come from the earth and contain naturally occurring metals. There have been some concerns that these metals can be absorbed by the body and lead to toxicity. However, the unique structure of zeolite—as long as its structure is intact—is not bioavailable and does not break down in the body. It simply moves through the body while attaching itself to toxic elements and is flushed out, removing them safely.

When taking zeolites:

Find zeolites purified and processed for human consumption to ensure their safety (not ones intended for industrial use).
Find a natural, purified clinoptilolite, as it is the type of zeolite that has been studied for human health.
Consider using zeolite powders, which generally contain a much higher dose than liquid zeolites, making them a better detox option.
Use a high-quality product (you can request third-party testing for some extra peace of mind).
Ensure you are using the correct dosage.
Work with a qualified practitioner who can help you with all of the above while supporting you through the detoxification process (this is vital).

Final Thoughts

Toxic exposure has become a natural consequence of daily living. Toxins’ prevalence in the water we drink, the air we breathe, the medicines we take, and the foods we eat (to name just a few) can damage our health and lead to disease. If not flushed out regularly, these toxins can build up over months or years, have negative consequences, and impede our external efforts to improve our health.

If you are interested in detoxing or improving your general health, zeolites are worth looking into. Just be sure to work with a qualified practitioner to help guide and support you through the process, and ensure you use a quality product and the correct dose to maximize your results.