Are Clay and Herbs Safe During Pregnancy and Lactation?

Nutrition, Detoxification and a Mother's Intuition

None of our products have been tested or approved for pregnancy, so we cannot make claims. Other cultures, however, use both herbs and clays specifically to improve the health of the unborn and infant child.

Several of our clients have chosen, on their own, to use several of our products during pregnancy and during lactation with success. The majority of what goes into our formulas are nutritives and adaptogenic herbs, thus are milder and safer than medicinal herbs with very specific purposes.

Earthen clays and superfood greens are nutritives that far exceed the nutritive value of "prenatal vitamins" commonly suggested. At the same time, it is important to "know your herbs" since some herbs promote menses, whereas most do not. Some are simple nutritives, others support specific organs and glands. Clay minerals provide building blocks for the construction of bone, muscle, organs, glands, nerves, hormones, enzymes, DNA, RNA, amino acids, proteins, etc.

In Ayurveda clay is recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers to build strong babies. Certain herbs are suggested to ease childbirth and support healthy lactation. Best to work closely with knowledgeable practitioners who understand both herbs and your specific requirements.

Many herbs have also not been tested for use during pregnancy, so the typical disclaimer of not to use them is offered in place of proven results.

One advantage to our formulas has to do with the small amounts of any herb in each formula due to the complexity of each herbal formula. Herbs tend to balance each other resulting in a circulation of energy without any strong push in a single direction. The more herbs in a formula skillfully assembled, the more balancing it tends to be, thus less likely to trigger an excessive action in any one direction, such as menses or laxative action. Again, it is important to work with a local practitioner familiar with your unique condition.

Toxic Loads & Detoxification

The toxicity levels in humans are at an all time high today due to environmental toxins, medical treatments, recreational experiences, and processed foods. The genetic influences in both the mother and the father affected by toxins during their lives prior to conception compound the problems of environmental & lifestyle toxins taken on by the child through the mother and following birth.

These predispositions, unique to the world of the last 100 years or more, add greater caution to the traditional usages of most clays & certain herbs known to catalyze detoxification (like chlorella and other high density nutrition herbs or algae).

As a mother detoxes from chemical overloads, the child will certainly pick up some of the detox in the mother's milk or during pregnancy (the child has already been receiving whatever toxins are in the mother's system from the moment of conception). Thus, the importance of clay baths on a regular basis cannot be overemphasized, so as to reduce such toxic loads gently and safely in a way that is the least likely to affect the unborn or nursing child.

The Value of Clay Baths as a Gentle, Effective Cleanse

Clay baths attract toxins from the skin, lymph & blood with less stress on the body than if the toxins are removed via the liver, kidneys & lymph without clay baths. 

The skin is the largest detox organ of the body. The lymph is the body's sewage system. Clay in bath water attracts toxins to itself through the skin, so a gentle removal takes place continuously over all submerged areas of the body at once.

Once the toxins are out of the body and absorbed by the clay, there is no longer a danger to either the mother or child. Clay baths are an excellent way to naturally reduce lymph, blood & skin toxicity in a gradual, gentle manner.

In Cases of Heavy Chemical Exposure

In those who have a history of long term chemical, heavy metal, or hormone replacement exposure, or if the mother is on prescription meds, clay baths for both mother & child may be preferable to internal consumption of clay so as to stir up the least amount of toxins in the blood. 

Clay baths are the safer alternative until detoxification is sufficient to support normal benefits from the consumption of a clay. 

In such cases, it is generally recommended to start with the smaller amounts of clay & salts in the bathwater, then build up gradually over time to greater quantities of clay by saving clay on the bottom of the tub (after the third bath) and adding an additional small quantity with each new bath. Adding sea salts or Black Beauty to the clay bath accelerates the removal of toxins from the body due to the increased number of electrolytes in the bathwater provided by the salts.

In place of the internal use of clay in such cases, it is suggested to switch to our Ancient Mineral Blend, which is not detoxifying, but still provides a broad spectrum of mineral nutrients in a naturally occurring form, and is therefore generally safe with meds.

The Importance of Mineral Nutrients for Pregnant & Lactating Mothers

Minerals are essential to life and are required in the construction of the human body. Minerals are also the building block of numerous metabolic compounds necessary for the body to function properly.

The Periodic Chart of minerals, metals & gases are the foundational building blocks for everything physical. Most of these are found naturally occurring in clay, humic earth, herbs, seaweeds, and algae.

Only earthen mineral sources are safe for both you and your child. Vitamin and mineral formulas are just pieces of Nature thrown together, thus severely incomplete, generally unwise, often toxic, and typically unbalancing to both mother & child. 

Herbs & clays are Nature's original food source for building health and promoting physical well being. Nature builds nutrients and qualities into herbs & clays that perfectly match the needs of the complex human body.

The Value of Bitter Herbs for Gentle Cleansing of the Liver & Blood 

Using bitter herbs (Digestive Bitters) supports the body's natural bile production from the liver which, in turn, can provide a safe, gentle relief from toxins stored in the liver or drawn from the blood. 

The function of bile is to digest oils & fats. Bile is also used by the body to encapsulate and isolate pathogens & toxins drawn out of the blood by the liver, allowing them to pass through the system naturally. This process also reduces detox reactions in that the toxins are encapsulated in a bile coating preventing interaction with tissues of the body.

The Complex World that We Live In & A Mother's Intuition

The world of childcare today is fraught with complexity, so I understand a mother's concerns. There are many factors that you must consider to decide on any one path.

Clay is one of Nature's most useful and powerful ways to increase health and build strong bodies, but it must be taken, or not taken, based on a number of factors in each instance.

Clay baths are generally safe for both mother and child and serve to detox more gently and safely than an internal detox approach. Clay baths also increase mineral absorption and hydration through the skin.

However, not having a comprehensive background of each unique situation, we cannot make specific recommendations. The information above is provided only to give mothers some parameters from which to decide for yourselves what you feel is best. Work closely with knowledgeable practitioners who understand both herbs and your specific requirements.

In all instances a mother's own intuition is her most accurate guide, for Nature build's into mothers a natural protective mechanism that lends accurate insight through intuitive feelings. 

A mother will know more about what is good for her child in a flash of intuitive sensing than most practitioners will be able to discern through multiple testing procedures. Nature built this intuitive mechanism into the human being, knowing of course, that in most instances we would not be able to afford to wait for science or extensive testing procedures to be performed in order to make a wise decision.

Remember the wise adage, "Trust Nature, question science and medicine". It does not mean ignore science & medicine, just trust first in Nature's original provisions, and reserve final judgement for yourself. 

Keep in mind, the human body was derived from the natural world, the "dust, or clay, of the earth". Clay, and things grown in the earth, are the body's most natural sources for food and medicine.

Also bear in mind, that wisdom, common sense & intuition are best applied in all instances. Seek knowledgeable professional guidance when needed, but in the end, make your own decision.

I hope this helps sort out some of the variables at this important time of your two lives.