If you’re interested in heavy metal detoxification, you may already know that zeolite is a critical player in this process.
Cellular studies have found that zeolite successfully bonds to and removes heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, and lead. This makes it a beneficial addition when attempting to filter out toxic loads of these harmful substances.
However, zeolite has other health-promoting benefits besides heavy metal detoxification, and it’s time we explored them. This article looks at 5 health-promoting benefits of zeolite and whether you should look at adding this natural volcanic mineral to your daily healthcare routine.
What is Zeolite?
Zeolites are microporous minerals containing hydrated aluminosilicate minerals. The most common commercial use for zeolite is as an adsorbent (the adhesion of molecules from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid to a surface) and catalyst (substances that increase the rate of a chemical reaction).
If you were to look at a zeolite under a high-powered microscope, you would see that they have a three-dimensional shape and look like four geometric balls stacked into a cube, connected by small cylinders. This shape is known as a tetrahedral.
Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, a Swedish mineralogist, conceived of zeolite after watching rapidly heated material produce vast amounts of steam adsorbed by the heated material itself.
Inspired by this phenomenon, Cronstedt named the material zeolite, which breaks down into two Greek words: zéō, meaning to boil, and líthos, meaning stone.
Where Can You Find Natural Zeolites?
Zeolites are naturally occurring minerals most commonly formed when layers of ash and rock that are created after volcanic eruption react with alkaline groundwater. Zeolites also form in shallow marine basins.
The leading producers of natural zeolite are China, South Korea, Japan, Jordan, Turkey, Slovakia, and the United States. According to a 2016 study, it was reported that together, these countries account for approximately three tons of mined zeolites.
That said, naturally occurring zeolites are very rarely pure. Due to uncontrolled environmental factors, natural zeolites can be contaminated with other minerals, quartz, or metals. Because of this, naturally occurring zeolites are not favored for commercial applications.
Mass production of zeolites began as a response to the need for purity. In a lab environment, zeolites can be synthesized for uniformity and purity.
Because zeolites are made up of silica and alumina, scientists can produce versions that may never be found in nature. The International Zeolite Association Structure Commission gives a three-letter designation for every new zeolite that is synthesized.
What Are The Top 5 Zeolite Benefits?
Now that we know what zeolites are and where we can find them, it’s time to explore some of their many health benefits.
1. Eliminates Toxins
Despite our attempts at a clean and healthy lifestyle, toxins still find their way into our bodies. Toxins can be found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and many other seemingly innocuous places. It’s essential to be on the lookout for warning signs of toxic overload.
Zeolites attract and capture these toxins and help our bodies get rid of them. To that end, zeolites effectively combat harmful free radicals, toxic metals in our essential organs, and carcinogens.
Left untreated, harmful free radicals, heavy metals, and carcinogens can impair cellular and organ function and contribute to the cause of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
2. Strengthens Key Systems
Three of the essential systems in your body are greatly strengthened when you add zeolite.
Harmful free radicals can enter our bloodstream through the air we breathe. Once in our blood, our circulatory system carries them to our vital organs, including our hearts. This increases our risk of heart disease and stroke, the former of which is the leading cause of death of both men and women in the United States.
As mentioned, zeolite seeks out and captures these free radicals making it possible for your body to eliminate them before any long-lasting harm.
In addition, zeolite can help optimize your immune system. On its own, your immune system deploys white blood cells to help neutralize and kill viruses, bacteria, pathogens, carcinogens, and antigens. Zeolites function similarly to white blood cells and offer added support and strength to your immune system.
This final system is often overlooked when we think of health and wellness but is nonetheless essential. Your digestive system is one of the first defenses against harmful toxins. A robust stomach lining and healthy intestinal walls can reduce the ability for toxins to pass between your digestive system and your bloodstream.
Adding a zeolite supplement can help increase the integrity of your gut and intestinal linings allowing for easy absorption of the good minerals and the excrement of harmful toxins.
3. Restores Your Body’s pH Balance
A healthy body is a balanced body. Unfortunately, many of the foods we consume can throw this balance into disarray.
Many foods found in ordinary American households are highly acidic. White bread, rice, pasta, and processed foods are acid-forming.
Even environmental pollutants like pesticides and air pollution can contribute to your body’s acidity without you knowing. When you top that off with any additional stressors you may face, your body quickly becomes an inhospitable environment.
While some foods can help neutralize the acid levels in your system, it's unlikely that anyone eats enough leafy greens to accomplish this on their own.
Zeolites provide alkalizing minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. When introduced into an acidic environment, zeolites exchange their good minerals for harmful toxins and help to restore balance.
Most importantly, zeolite positively affects your kidneys, which are the organs that maintain your body’s natural pH.
As mentioned, zeolite helps to detox the body from harmful heavy metals. Since heavy metals can negatively impact your kidneys, zeolite can help keep you in top form by eliminating the risks to this vital organ.
4. Improves Your Overall Mood and Brain Health
Now, more than ever, Americans face enormous stress in their daily lives. As we know, stress can negatively impact our moods, cause us to feel angry or depressed, and in extreme, prolonged cases, contribute to heart disease and cancer.
It’s easy to assign symptoms like anger, depression, or persistent fatigue to stress; however, another cause may be worth considering.
Heavy metals found at a toxic level have been known to attack our brain cells. Brain cells are highly susceptible to lead, mercury, aluminum, and others. Fortunately, zeolite binds to these heavy metals and aids in detoxification.
Once toxic heavy metals have left your body, you may feel increasingly positive more often.
Scientists are exploring the connection between the brain's excess protein and iron stores to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. While research on these connections is still ongoing, we can proactively protect our brain health using zeolite.
5. Acts as a Powerful Antioxidant
Did you know that your body naturally produces free radicals? While not all free radicals are as harmful as you may have been led to believe, an excess of free radicals can stress your body’s day-to-day function.
Excessively high free radicals can create what’s called oxidative stress. This is when oxygen molecules inside your body split into lone oxygen atoms or free radicals.
Oxidative stress can lead to premature aging and, over time, contribute to several other illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, and other serious ailments.
There are several ways to control oxidative stress. For some, a course of antibiotics can help eliminate excess free radicals and reverse the damage caused by oxidative stress. For others, adding a zeolite supplement may prove beneficial.
This is because zeolites function much the same as our antioxidant network. Our body’s antioxidant network targets free radicals and destroys them before they cause any further damage.
With excessive free radicals, our antioxidant network cannot keep up the job at hand. Zeolite provides some relief measures and performs many of the same tasks already occurring in our bodies.
Additional Zeolite Benefits Worth Exploring
Wondering what other benefits may come from this remarkable mineral?
Using zeolite may also help improve or alleviate the following ailments:
- Allergies and asthma
- Symptoms associated with diabetes
- Improved blood clotting
- Dental health, specifically plaque reduction
- Treatment for urinary tract infections
- Relief of brain fog
- Faster healing of wounds and incisions when used topically
- Relief from intense cravings for sugar, fast foods, and carbohydrates
Zeolite is also commonly used in water treatment and purification. Its pore density can absorb significant quantities of pollutants and replace them with something else due to its ion exchange capabilities.
In addition to being an excellent filter for drinking water, Zeolite can remove ammonia, filter toxins out of swimming pool water, and even be used as a carrier in biological waste treatment.
How Can I Add a Zeolite Supplement To My Routine?
Many zeolite supplements are on the market, but not all are created equal. If you’re looking to add a zeolite dietary supplement to your routine, the best version to pursue is liquid zeolite.
Powdered zeolites tend to be full of environmental toxins that are accumulated during the mining and extraction process. These toxins will not necessarily be added to your body upon consumption, but they will hinder zeolite’s capacity to remove additional toxins from your body.
Finally, powdered zeolite has a gritty texture and doesn’t dissolve well in liquid. Most users of powdered zeolite will find themselves choking down a gritty drink before it has time to separate, which is not a pleasant experience.
To reach its full potential, zeolite must undergo a liquid purification process. This process eliminates the environmental toxins found in the powdered form for an optimal detox experience.
Liquid zeolite can also target smaller toxins in the body due to the size of zeolite particles that are stabilized in a liquid suspension (typically less than a micron or one-millionth of a meter). A liquid zeolite can reach toxins stored throughout your body rather than just your gut.
Potential Zeolite Side Effects
When appropriately used, the side effects of zeolite are minimal. However, there are still some that you may want to be on the lookout for.
Zeolite can dehydrate your body, so it is crucial to maintain liquid consumption when using this supplement. Some users have also reported muscle pain, headaches, and rashes during the early stages of use.
In addition, zeolite may also interfere with the efficacy of certain antibiotics. For instance, studies have shown that zeolite can remove iron from supplements.
As with any new supplement, you must consult your doctor to determine if it is best for you. Together, you can come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
Zeolite: A Health-Promoting Mineral
Our bodies are complex and fascinating systems that often require reinforcements in the form of vitamins and minerals for optimal function. After all, we cannot manufacture minerals in our bodies. We rely upon external factors such as foods and drinks to deliver these minerals to our protective systems.
Since we can not always eat healthfully or control the environmental pollutants we are exposed to, adding a supplement to our daily routine can help restore our protective systems when needed. Zeolite is a mineral that can significantly impact our overall health and wellness and is relatively easy to employ.
The benefits of zeolite are clear. Try adding a zeolite supplement to your wellness routine today.
