Unlike French Green Montmorillonite, French Green Illite is a non-swelling clay. It is sometimes called 'marine clay' due to the quarries being found in the ancient marine beds. This gives Illite a very rich mineral content. It has a better absorption ability than the Montmorillonite - 30% against Maontmorillonite's 20%. Its sorptive properties give it a very powerful drying and detoxifying effect. With its very high sorption capacity, illite acts like a magnet for toxins, so it is the greatest detoxifying remedy available in nature.

Recent research indicates that French Green clays have an ability to bind mycotoxins in the digestive system of animals as well as several bacteria in-vitro. "In experiments, the clay killed up to 99 per cent of superbug colonies within 24 hours. Control samples of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) grew 45-fold in the same period. The clay has a similar effect on other deadly bacteria tested, including salmonella, E. coli, and a flesh-eating disease called buruli, a relative of leprosy which disfigures children across central and western Africa. It has been classed as "an emerging public health threat" by the World Health Organization (WHO)." The effectiveness of the French green clays, which are mostly made of minerals called smectite and illite, was first demonstrated by Line Brunet de Courssou, a French doctor fighting buruli at clinics in Ivory Coast and Guinea." The Independent, 28 October 2007.

A German scientist once described the bactericidal properties of clay: "The curative properties of clay are founded in its special physical characteristics, above all in the distribution of its minute particles. Individual clay particles are smaller than many bacteria. If infected mucous membranes are more or less flooded with clay, the bacteria are completely surrounded by clay particles and are thus separated from their source of nourishment and become imbedded in the inorganic material. Growth and the survivability of the bacteria are thus halted almost instantaneously, and from this explained strikingly speedy abatement of the symptoms of infection and/or symptoms of poisoning in acute infectious diseases of the alimentary canal." Julius Stumpf, Bolus fur medizinische Anwenduno Darmstadt, 1916, p. 19.

Green Illite clay is a superb detoxification product. Its detoxifying properties are explained by 2 main factors:

• Its sorptive capacity is very high, so it draws toxins out of the body very effectively.
• Its negative cumulative ionic charge which helps to attract and bind positively charged toxic waste and eliminate it out of the body.

French Green Illite clay works like a sponge, due to its high sorbency, rather than on an ion exchange level (like montmorillonite). This does not diminish its therapeutic properties which are numerous.

It is difficult to list all the wonderful benefits of French clays - not only because their properties have not been researched as wel as they deserve, but also due to the fact that there is no condition on Earth which cannot be helped with clay in some way, so I will list benefits of clays according to a method of use - internal (drinking) and external. Both clays have similar properties, with one clay detoxifying the body due to its higher sorption capacity (illite), and the other due to its ability to expand and attract negatively charged ions (montmorillonite, altough illite has this ability too, on a smaller scale). Green Illite is favoured by health practitioners worldwide. Jason Eyton speaks highly of French Illite as one of his favourite clays (www.eytonsearth.org).

Due to its high absorbency, French green illite clay is excellent where drying and healing are required at the same time. Such cases include but are not limited to:

• Ulcers, including diabetic ulcers.
• Infected and slowly healing wounds.
• Oily, acne prone skin.
• Teenage acne, spots.
• Cold sores - this clay is a wonderful natural remedy for them.
• Weeping eczema, psoriasis.
• Carbuncles, pustular eruptions.
• Used in a general bath or a foot bath, clays act as a very effective detoxifying remedy. For best results, internal clay use is recommended at the same time.
• Used in an enema/colonic irrigation procedures, it is simply the best colonic cleanser available to us.
• Used as a vaginal douche, it can help with many problems including candida.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Inflammatory conditions connected with discharge of fluids.

French Green illite clay can be used in compresses, poultices, baths, face masks, body wraps, powder applications to weeping ulcers, nappy rash, weeping eczema, fungal infections. They can also be used as tooth powders - calcium bentonite clays are excellent at removing plaque and whitening teeth, due to their bleaching properties (be careful not to over-use it for this purpose, since it can be abrasive and can wear down the enamel). In the cosmetics industry bentonites are used in soaps, toothpastes, face/body packs, and other clay-based products which are beginning to win the consumer over.

Compress

To make a compress, mix some clay with warm water to make it quite runny. Spread over a piece of cloth. Apply on an affected area. Cover with a compress paper, wrap up in a warm cloth. Leave on until the clay dries out. Apply on aching joints, muscles, in the area of organs affected by an illness.

Poultice

A poultice has a much more powerful effect than a compress, since it requires a lot more clay per application - 0,5-2cm thick, and it works as a mass, drawing up toxic waste into itself. The electromagnetic charge is stronger too. So the overall effect is more powerful. It is especially good for applications on an affected area, or simply where a stronger action is required. Apply a warm poultice over the area, cover with grease-proof paper and a warm cloth. If an area is hot and inflamed, a cold poultice application is recommended to relieve the heat and reduce the inflammation.

Bath

A bath has a more general, less concentrated effect than a poultice or a compress. In cases of large amounts of clay being used, there may be problems with water drains afterwards. However, for this to happen, the clay solution would have to be rather thick. I normally keep stirring the water while it is being drained to avoid such problems. For a bath, take 500g-1kg of clay, mix it in warm bath water and stay in it for up to 30 minutes, or until the water starts cooling down. I personally prefer the Rapan clays for baths, because due to their saline nature the effects are so much more pronounced, that I can feel them while still in the bath. Never re-use clays/ clay water, since the point of using clay is to remove toxins, and re-using it would mean bringing the toxins back.

Face Mask

Basic face mask recipe: 1 tsp of clay + water to form a spreadable paste. Apply and leave to dry. Wash off, apply moisturiser. Clay masks can have other ingredients added, depending on the skin type and purpose of the mask. Calcium Bentonite masks have a natural bleaching effect, and are used when aiming to reduce blotches, pigmentation, etc. They are also excellent at restoring the natural pH of the skin and cleansing it. Acne/spots is another skin condition which benefits from clay applications. Since bentonite clays are great detoxifyiers, they leave the skin cleansed, pink, fresh and revitalised, generally looking younger.

Body Wrap

Body wrap is another very useful application for French Green clays. It is a luxurious and thoroughly therapeutic treatment, especially with powdered seaweed added to it. Mix the clay with seaweed powder (50/50), add water to form a spreadable mass. To do it at home, prepare a place to lie on first, and a warm room. Lay down 1 or 2 warm blankets, with a plastic sheet on top. Cover yourself with the mixture of clay and water, or clay, seaweed and water, lie down on the plastic sheet, cover yourself with the remaining half of the blanket. Make sure you remain warm throughout. Stay under the blanket for 15-30 minutes. Wash off in a shower or a bath. For a salon application, follow the normal procedure for a body wrap.

Body Powder

Use dry Green clay powder (especially Illite) on weeping eczema, ulcers, Athlete's foot, any sores and wounds which need desinfection and healing.

Tooth Powder/ Mouth infections

Great for the gums, preventing the formation of plaque and mouth ulcers. If an inflammation of the gums or a mouth ulcer occurs, take some clay into your mouth and keep it there for a while (10-15 minutes). Do not swallow - rinse the mouth with warm water. Repeat the procedure frequently, until the inflammation goes away.

I have come across many sites selling French Green Clay as such, without specifying whether it is a montmorillonite or an illite. I think that since these two clays have certain differences in their chemical makeup and structure, they need to be described separately, although their therapeutic properties are similar.

Green clays consist of curative volcanic ashes which are found near ancient volcanoes, 20-50 meters below the ground surface. Therefore, it contains only natural material treated mechanically, without any chemical additives. They are rich in magnesium and trace elements. They detoxify, restore mineral balance and act as an absorbents. There are two types of Green clay used in natural medicine - Montmorillonite and Illite. Montmorillonite is part of the smectite group of clays and is named after a French region Montmorillon where it was first discovered, and Illite, named after the state Illinois, USA, where it was first found in 1937. Both clays take equally important places in the restoration and maintenance of health. However, as mentioned earlier, there are certain differences:

Following information has been offered to me by the manufacturer of the French clays who are based in the South of France.

Illite is found in certain regions in the North of France and in the Atlantic basin. Montmorillonite is found mainly in the South of France.

Illite is is a highly absorbent clay (30% - it absorbs 30% of water), so is drying, and has a relatively low remineralisation power (8%). It is used in cases where detoxification and decongestion is important. Illite contains less magnesium than Montmorillonite. Montmorillonite of the South of France enjoys the sun 260 days per year. It lies in the Mediterranean basin and is rich in magnesium. Its sorptive properties are less than those of the Illite (it absorbs 20% of water), but its remineralisation properties are very high - 70%.

Ion/ cation exchange capacity, alongside their sorptive properties, is one of the main factors of clays. In fact, each type of clay exchanges mineral elements with the environment they are in and has a certian coefficient of absorption which varies from one clay to another. Montmorillonite has 60-70 Meg/g absorption coefficient, while Ilite has 6-8 Meg/g coefficient. This fundamental property is used in natural treatments to neutralise toxins, poisons, as well as to bring to the body the minerlas it needs to stay healthy. Magnesium plays a particularly important role in health maintenance taking part in about 350 reactions in the body, and is part of the ATP (the energy molecule). Without sufficient magnesium we develop all sorts of problems. Green mopntmorillonite clay is high in magnesium.

Note: All information on this website is for informative purposes only. With all respect for everyone's right to choose methods of treatment and remedies, you are strongly advised not to resort to self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Do consult a doctor if you have an undiagnosed condition. If you are on a life-saving medication, please consult your doctor before using clays or any other alternatives. Since clays can absorb/bind substances, they can interfere with medicines.