Don't be Fooled by Misinformation
Misinformation on the INTERNET abounds when it comes to colloids, clays and chelation. Some of the most straightforward websites on these subjects may be found at:
Basically, a colloid is a substance somewhere in-between a suspension and a solution. When water pours downstream at unusual velocity, particles such as sand, debris and even tiny pebbles are swept up in the commotion and appear to float within the water, even though they are heavier than water itself. This is suspension. However, when particles are so tiny they can become indistinguishably integrated with the water itself, dissolve and do not readily precipitate out once the water settles, they are said to be in solution. Colloids are very tiny molecules and are typically thought of as plant exudates, but in fact come in various sizes. Some are so tiny that they can be admitted through a cellular wall with minerals hitchhiking along for the ride. The value then of having a colloid transport minerals, is that this piggybacking allows the mineral or nutrient the ability to penetrate the lining of the small intestine from which it might otherwise be repelled because of its customary electrical charge, or being too large of an amalgamation outside of a colloid.
Minerals or elements?
Classically, minerals are compounds of a metal and a nonmetal element that have undergone chemistry in the process. Nutritionists may use the term "mineral" imprecisely since it has become a colloquial expression for inorganic substances. Individual elements not comprising minerals may be ions (any element whose otherwise neutral status has been altered by a neighboring atom either stealing electrons away from it--resulting in a positive charge--as a cation, or appropriating another atom's electrons to itself--resulting in a negative charge--an anion). In either event the element then becomes ionic. Free elements in small clusters with their own kind, in other words, not mineralized, are said to be in their elemental or metallic state. Whether ionic or elemental, elements that are unmineralized, unchelated, or not assimilated by a colloid, may be in an unbioavailable form, have low absorption rates--nutritionally speaking, and may even be more likely to be toxic in lower dosages than properly chelated trace elements.
Chelation
Chelation solves this problem. Pro-biotic life produces a mineral referred to as fulvic acid as a by-product of decomposition of organic matter. The fulvic acid in turn responds to surrounding heavy metals and trace elements by hooking them ("chela" in Greek means "claw") onto amino acids in the soil, or suspending them between peptides. These latter substances are not only the building blocks of DNA, but have much to do with how nutrition is derived from proteins and other food and energy sources. The chelation process consequently can be called an organic one because it occurs naturally between inorganic substances and organic ones, rendering the ions and free elements, particularly heavy metals, non-toxic. This is so because they are now bound up into a more complex molecule that requires fresh chemistry to disassociate the component parts. If the chelated mineral/amino acid is trapped within a colloid, so much the better because now it has the transport system, as well as, the transparency to the living organism to be absorbed, yet it is completely safe at the same time. The entire colloid can be flushed to the bloodstream and then to the kidneys and eventually eliminated if unwanted, or individual atoms it contains can be selectively broken off and metabolized.
Montmorillonite Clay
Montmorillonite clay and the humic acid with which it may be associated in stratified deposits, are both known colloids. The first is inorganic and the latter is organic, but both have organic origins and both are capable of retaining alternative forms of organic matter, and chelated trace elements within, or tangent to their structures. This means that an ideal way to acquire the essential trace elements is to find a reliable source of lacustrine (freshwater-formed) montmorillonite that has been laboratory tested and registers a broad bouquet of such elements, preferable in micro amounts. Such is referred to as balance. Most elements have curious antagonisms to certain others, and vice versa, so all this colloidal, chelation mumbo jumbo becomes very important in order that these antagonisms are isolated during intake, yet present to draw upon to counteract potential overdoses. The problem most companies have in producing factory chelated elements is getting the dosages right. There is usually a focus on the macro elements that are easy to find and add. Unfortunately this opportunistic approach means that the trace elements are forgotten or ignored in commercial chelation enterprises. In the case of a living, edible clay, Mother Nature has already done it. The added benefit is that the organism that ingests clay does not have to expend valuable resources to chelate, and so the elements it needs are much more assimilatable since they already come in a bio-available form. The cellular wall is accustomed to amino acids so the "minerals" get acquired with higher efficiency. When they come packaged in a colloid such as clay, any excess is simply eliminated. There are two more substantial benefits to seeking trace element supplementation in clay form. First, is that clay has been known for centuries for its detoxifying and purification properties. Even though it may seem to the uninitiated to be laden with heavy metals, this is merely illustrative of clay's ability to adsord (attach to its exterior) and absorb all kinds of substances, including organic matter and heavy metals. What this actually means is that the clay is unlikely to unload into your system more heavy metals, but to continue to pull out the ones it finds contaminating your liver and other vital organs. It has an affinity for heavy metals, not a propensity to disgorge them. Second, montmorillonite does not contain "silica". Silicon, yes, but not the quartz sand commonly known as "silica." Sand has a different chemical structure (silicon dioxide)--a single silicon atom double bonded to just two oxygen atoms. Whereas, clay is an aluminum silicate, a ratio of maybe five silicon atoms to one aluminum atom each bonded by four oxygen atoms. That is why montmorillonite is edible. This lattice work also allows for better water absorption, hence the freer movement of cations (cation exchange) playing musical chairs as they weave their way around and through the alternating sheets of different mineral combinations to get where they need going.
Which would you rather eat?
Silica is grittier, wears out teeth and is very abrasive to the innards. True, it may be used sparingly to deworm livestock, but too much can also cause sand colic, and it contains essentially no nutritional value. It is too hard for the stomach to digest, hence there is no absorption of the silicon which ordinarily would be a good thing to acquire. Beware of products ground into rock dust because they are loaded with silica. In this context you will find lots of discussion of a rock called bentonite. True, in terms of its mineralogy it is about 80% montmorillonite, an actual mineral, not a rock, but what is in the other 20%?--usually either lots of sodium or calcium, or both. Too much calcium can cause constipation and tie-ups of other desirable elements. We already get enough sodium from canned foods, table salt and soda pop. While sodium is a valuable electrolyte as is potassium and chlorine, you can overdo it. The added sodium in bentonite contributes to its superior water absorption capability, and therefore makes it an excellent kitty litter or drilling mud for oil rigs, but bentonite usually has a fair amount of silica in it as well. Fine, put in on the ground to improve soil texture, but feed your kids, livestock and pets, montmorillonite. Fuller's Earth is often another name for a mineral comprised largely of montmorillonite, but heavy on the calcium side. It may also be called attapulgite if it comes from Mississippi or "calcium montmorillonite" if it comes from Arizona. In actuality Fuller's Earth relates more to one its uses as a bleaching or cleansing agent than to its chemical make-up. Of the two, calcium montmorillonite is preferable in nutrition to sodium montmorillonite, both of which are technically bentonites. Montmorillonite is always montmorillonite, and when you are changing the accent on the macro elements associated with it, it is no longer montmorillonite, but bentonite, pyrophylite, nontronite, hectorite, illite or some other kind of "ite." Any mineralogy book worth its salt will clarify this once and for all.
Catalytic properties of certain trace elements
The main reason you want to get chelated trace elements instead of just ions or complicated minerals into your system is: besides being non-toxic they have catalytic properties that enhance the whole metabolism. In addition to remineralizing deprived organisms, certain elements are considered essential, and only need be administered in trace amounts to be helpful. This is because a tiny catalyst can induce thousands of reactions per second that the body could not perform without it, or can speed up reactions to get the job done quicker. Remember food only stays in the small intestine for a certain period of time. So, the stomach has a big job to do if it has to break down proteins with enzymes and co-enzymes, chelate, liquefy and prepare everything to a small enough particle size to get it ready for absorption. Ever wonder while certain pills pass right through your system with little visible wear and tear for the journey? Ideally, the stomach should not be burdened with a lot of specialty work and just be allowed to perform its basic job. If the gelatin on the capsules is too thick or the vitamin tablets are too hard, nutrition is lost because its delivery mechanism never gets broken down enough to be absorbed in the small intestine.
Panaca, Nevada is host to a superior mineral blend, already balanced by Mother Nature's formulation of edible clay containing fulvic acid (water soluble), chelated trace elements, colloidal attributes, and uncontaminated by prions or dioxins. There you will find Window Peak Trace Minerals (named after the geological monument overlooking the quarry) busily at work remineralizing the world, and helping organic growers clean up their soils. For further information you may contact the operators directly at info@chelatedtraceminerals.com or by calling (435) 313-2411. Its montmorillonite boasts 78 elements occurring in nature and is low in sodium and calcium compared to other quarries.
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