10 AMAZING ZEOLITE BENEFITS & SIDE EFFECTS

What if you get a “miraculous liquid” that can purify your drinking water, enrich the soil for fertility, and even remove nuclear waste? What if the same liquid can detox your body thoroughly, enhances your gut health, minimises free-radical damage, boosts your tendency to beat infections, and many more? Well, zeolite can be called that miraculous liquid. Let's learn more about it, even it's not-so-magical aspect.

What is Zeolite?

Zeolite is a highly complex mineral structurally and is formed due to the subsequent reactions that occur when volcanic lava comes in contact with sea-water. This process takes thousands to millions of years to create this super mineral. As per scientists estimates, the first zeolite minerals were formed over 300 million years of time.

“Zeolite” is a single name given to around 240 unique structures that occur in 40+ forms in nature. Its most common types are:

• Clinoptilolite
• Analcime
• Mordenite
• Natrolite
• Chabazite
• Stilbite

Historians say that ancient Romans brought zeolite in use for building bridges during the B.C. period. Then in 1756, a Swedish mineralogist “Axel Cronstedt”, named it and highlighted its competencies for the first time. He described it as hydrated aluminosilicates that have alkaline nature and crystalline structures. It is a conjoint two greek words, i.e. “zéo” which means “boiling” and “líthos” which means “stone.” Since, this mineral compound releases a lot of steam on heating, watching this, it was named “boiling stone”.

Quick Glance

Proponents:

• Promotes rapid healing
• Provides thorough detoxification
• Supports gut health
• Supports recovery from diarrhoea
• Super antioxidant action
• May lower blood cholesterol levels
• May enhance the brain and the liver tissue health
• Protects and cleanses the skin tissues

Sceptics:

• Causes lung damage on inhalation
• Interferes with the absorption of certain drugs and nutrients
• Poor preparations are contaminated with heavy metals
• May be carcinogenic in some forms

Amazing Health Benefits of Zeolite

1. May help in controlling bleeding

Unmanageable bleeding is becoming the 2nd leading death in case severe injuries and accidental traumas. Various animal studies suggest that zeolite (clinoptilolite) in combination with clay (CoolClot) may help in significant reduction in bleeding time when applied topically. However, by promoting the early wound healing, it can also help in managing uncontrolled bleeding.

2. Detoxification from heavy metals

Zeolite enhances the elimination of certain harmful heavy metals from our body including arsenic, aluminium, lead, mercury, etc. 30 drops of this mineral compound a day may help in significantly raising the levels of such harmful metals in the urine. Various studies done on mice modals, it assisted lead elimination up to 91%, resulting in  protecting the brain from associated oxidative damage caused by this heavy metal. In other studies done on animal models, suggested that clinoptilolite promotes aluminium detoxification and prevents it from reaching the bloodstream.

Onb the other hand, cadmium is also a harmful heavy metal that can potentially cause anaemia and impairment of various organ functioning. A study with cadmium-poisoned pigs, suggested that zeolite prevents anaemia and protects the liver. 

3. Elevates mood & prevents brain damage

Brain cells are very sensitive to certain heavy metal poisonings. These harmful metals can cause irreversible damage to neurons and pave paths to anxiety, anger, depression, and concentration issues. This mineral compound may help in detoxification of lead, aluminium, mercury, arsenic and many more, thereby relieving above-mentioned mood disorders. 

4. Suppressing alcohol effect

It was seen that in 12 healthy alcohol drinkers, clinoptilolite helped in reducing blood alcohol levels up to 43%. It even prevented alcohol absorption when consumed with the alcohol. A study of 25 volunteers who consumed zeolite in the morning after having alcohol at night, reported improvement in hangover symptoms by 40-50%.

5. Detoxification of fungal toxins, nitrates, and various radioactive elements

It potentially detoxifies aflatoxins that may contaminate various eatables and endangers our health, particularly the liver. It also helps in eliminating toxins and various dangerous radioactive elements efficiently from our body.

6. Enhances gut health

“Leaky gut” is the common name of the condition that denotes the leakage of various toxins, microbes, and inflammation causing molecules directly into the bloodstream. This may cause chronic fatigue, depression, autoimmune diseases, and etc. Zeolite supplementation may help in the tightening of the intestinal wall, thereby preventing the leaking. It also protects intestinal epithelial cells from toxic effects of ammonia and helps in repairing the damage caused by the same.

7. Suppresses oxidative damage

Zeolite molecules carry positive charge. Therefore, these molecules bind with negatively charged free radicals, rendering them ineffective to cause any kind of oxidative damage to the cell walls. 

8. Helps in relieving acid reflux and associated stomach ulcers

In the conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), acid reflux may damage the esophageal lining very badly, thereby causing heartburn and other associated symptoms Clinoptilolite form of this mineral compound very effectively relieves the heartburn and discomfort by 45-55%. It also helped in healing stomach ulcers caused by NSAID or naproxen.

9. Helps in maintaining oral hygiene

The mouth rinses made with zeolite very effectively reduces the dental plaque formation, candida growth, or acid formation. It also helps in combating bad breath.

10. Helps in protecting liver cells

The antioxidant action of zeolite may help in providing liver protection to a great extent.

Side Effects of Zeolite

• Although no significant side effects have been reported to date, lung inflammation may occur when it is inhaled. 
• It’s capability to bind with heavy metals enhances its concern regarding poisoning from poor and contaminated zeolite supplements. 
• It is said that this mineral compound may interfere with the absorption of certain drugs and nutrients.
• However, this mineral compound has a high affinity to keep those toxins trapped. Some animal studies have suggested its potential to cause gut inflammation. 
• Certain zeolites like erionite can be cancerous.
• One must consult his/her healthcare practitioner while giving it to children, pregnant or breastfeeding females. However, it should be avoided in such cases.

Choosing Best Zeolite Supplements

While purchasing zeolite supplements, one must go for only 100% natural dietary supplements of it. The question arises here is which supplement we should purchase: powdered or liquid zeolite supplements?  The answer lies in the size of the particles of formulation. The particle sizes in the liquid formulation are usually around 2 microns (nanosized) or even less. These nanoparticles have potential to cross the blood brain barrier easily and provide a thorough detoxification of our body including brain. While most of the powdered supplements of this mineral compound that contain comparatively larger particles, have the ability to detox only gut. Moreover, being smaller in size, liquid zeolite particles get readily absorbed in the bloodstream in comparison to the powdered one containing larger particles. 

The crux of the discussion is that if you want to live a toxin free life with a healthy gut, then zeolite is the apt solution for you.