Being The Gut Detective, I especially like using products that can benefit everyone’s gut health.
Diatomaceous Earth is certainly such a product.
Yes, it does have a weird name I know, but it’s actually a natural product made up of fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms. Sounds strangely disgusting right? Trust me though, this innovative ingredient care of mother nature is very easy to digest and it has many amazing benefits for your gut.
Diatomaceous Earth helps heal and repair the gut, leading to vibrant health. It’s no wonder then that it’s one of my favourite products in my clinic.
Let’s learn more, shall we?
What is Diatomaceous Earth?
It’s a bit of a mouthful and some people simply refer to it as DE. But Diatomaceous Earth is natures ancient way of nudging you to good health via your gut.
Diatomaceous Earth is made of single-celled honeycomb structured algae organisms with silicon exoskeletons called diatoms. It is basically a type of algae mineral that is rich in silica. This aquatic superfood has some clever actions to clear your gut of unwanted toxins and organisms, whilst enabling all the good stuff to proliferate.
Light microscope photo of the diatom species are shown below:
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth may help improve your gut health in the following ways:
– detoxifies
– cleanses intestinal walls and digestive tract
– kills parasites and bugs
– increases mineral absorption
– reduces gas and bloating
It is also a helpful ingredient for stimulating collagen and bone strength and so helps with strong hair, nails, bones and skin.
In its food grade form, it comes in a fine, white powder that is easy to digest and absorb.
Because it is rich in silica it is providing the body with one of the compounds that, along with oxygen and carbon is essential for all life.
As we know, the gut is the seat of human health and immunity is generated there. It makes sense that a gut cleansing and protective substance such as this would help stimulate the immune system.
How Does Diatomaceous Earth Work?
It is a fine, white powder and because of its microscopic honeycomb structure (see below), it gently sloughs away toxins, bacteria and parasites from the gut. It literally makes microscopic cuts through the bodies of parasites but is gentle and safe for the human body.
It also contains a strong negative charge which allows it to mop up and eliminate toxins, parasites, fungi and more as it moves through the digestive tract.
Diatomaceous Earth pulls mucus from your gut, the mucus that is caused by eating toxic food. This mucus is what causes vitamin deficiencies and disease and Diatomaceous Earth does a fantastic job at pulling it from your gut allowing your body to become healthy once again.
Let’s have a closer look at the specific benefits. Here are four ways Diatomaceous Earth can help improve gut health:
1. Detoxification
Using this wonder powder is a much simpler and less time-consuming way to detox than other expensive plans.
Silica works in a similar fashion to anti-oxidants by scavenging free radicals. It acts as a detoxifier for the blood due to its negative charge which soaks up free radicals and toxins. You can also do a heavy metal detox as it eliminates aluminium from the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).
It cleanses the GI tract by absorbing toxins and other nasties and eliminating them.
As it detoxifies it also infuses your body with minerals as it is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
It’s a pretty perfect way to kick start your wellness journey with an easy detox.
2. An Alternative for Killing Parasites and Bugs
Parasites and bugs are becoming more common in the Western and developing world. Some suggest this is due to global warming, with climate change making it easier for parasites to proliferate.
Common parasites are intestinal worms, but some lesser-known ones are protozoan parasites such as Blastocystis Hominis and Dientamoeba Fragilis. Common symptoms include diarrhoea/constipation, abdominal pain, excess gas, bloating, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea and fatigue.
These hard to treat parasites hide in the folds of the bowels and are resistant to front line antibiotic treatment usually used for parasites, such as Flagyl (metronidazole).
These parasites cause symptoms similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and can last for years.
In order to treat them properly, you really need a combination of 3 heavy-duty antibiotics and sometimes you need more than one course of them too. But, the problem with this treatment is it makes for a very unhealthy environment in your GI tract afterwards, due to the good bacteria being killed along the way also.
These drugs basically bomb the parasites out of existence and they often make you feel nauseous while taking them.
Diatomaceous Earth may help kill these bugs instead. As mentioned before, the powder attracts protozoa, bacteria, toxins, fungi, viruses and heavy metals and eliminates them. It cuts up parasites rendering them dead and gone.
Taking food grade Diatomaceous Earth will make your bowel a much healthier place, and unlike taking antibiotics, it will ensure a healthier environment that is less likely to be reinfected with parasites.
Just be sure to take it medium to long term in order to treat the bugs.
3. Waste Elimination
Diatomaceous Earth helps to move faeces more effectively through the bowel, alleviating constipation. It also helps you stay hydrated.
4. Bloating and Gas
Once your digestive system is detoxified using DE, it is free from bad bacteria that cause bloating and gas issues.
Some people also find that taking DE first thing in the morning curbs their appetite throughout the day, helping them control how much they eat. It also reduces cravings for carbohydrates and sugar which contributes to bloating issues and hence can also help you to lose weight.
Different Grades of Diatomaceous Earth
Before I get into how to use DE, it’s important to know that diatomaceous earth is commercially sold in several different grades. These grades classify your DE and can let you know if it has undergone any treatment to alter its natural state. Here’s a list of four of the most common grades of DE:
- Pure Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth: This is a 100% natural, unaltered DE that has simply been mined from the earth and packaged for your use. This is the only grade you should only be ingesting.
- Crawling Insect Control DE: This is technically the exact same product as the one above. However, it’s not usually 100% natural food-grade DE since it can contain additives.
- Pool Grade Diatomaceous Earth: Unlike food grade DE, pool grade diatomaceous earth is dangerous to eat or inhale. This is DE that has been treated at temperatures in excess of 1000°C or 1832°F to change its state to mostly crystalline silica. This increases its effectiveness as a pool filter but makes it unsafe for any other use.
- Other DE Blends: There are other types of DE that are sold as food grade but aren’t pure DE. Red Diatomaceous Earth typically has a natural clay added to it.
How to Take Diatomaceous Earth Safely
Directions: Take about one teaspoon of food-grade DE with water once a day. DE is nearly tasteless, but if you don’t like its mildly gritty texture, try taking it in juice, yoghurt, or a smoothie. Some people even put it in their tea and coffee! But you can have it with food if you want to.
Over the next few weeks, you can slowly raise your DE dosage from one teaspoon to two teaspoons, taking one in the morning and one teaspoon at night. The dose can be lifted to a tablespoon per day if needed.
Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout each day to keep your system hydrated.
For best results use on a continual daily basis, accompanied by drinking at least 2 litres (8 glasses) of water per day.
Important: It can be taken along with medication since it won’t affect the way your medication works as it’s a food, not a medicine. It is safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding also too for the same reason. However, if you are concerned, you should check with your health professional before trying it.
A simple and effective way of ingesting DE is to use a powder like the Supercharged Food – LOVE YOUR GUT Powder. It has been approved by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
For more information about Diatomaceous Earth and how to improve your gut health, reach out to me.
*If you’ve got this far – thank you for reading and I look forward to bringing you more information in the future.
Now, enjoy some basic information by Dr Eric Berg about Diatomaceous Earth…
