Zeolites are rare natural minerals of volcanic origin, arising out of four elements: earth, fire, water anid air. They are a product of several millennia of chemical process and natural reaction between vulcanic ash condensate and ocean water in specific geological conditions. Zeolites are minerals which have started to apear 100 million years ago, when volcanos emerged from the seas, splitting continents, creating mountains and forming present-day appearance of the planet Earth. During the eruption of volcanos, liquid lava and thick ash, in contact with sea water formed hard aluminosilicate lava, from which, thousands of years later, zeolite formed. Variations of temperature, geographical locations and other conditions had effect on millennia long chemical reactions between volcanic ash, lava, water and air, which made many zeolites hava numerous differences in composition.
There are many subgroups of zeolite, which is used u in different purposes in science, idustry, agriculture and building because of it’s characteristic properties of strong ion exchange. Subgoup called clinoptilolite, which has crystal molecular lattice was traditionally used as natural cure in human medicine. Zeolite clinoptilolite has cage-like structure with strong negative charge, which attracts and adsorbs heavy metals, dangerous carcinogenic toxins, organic poisons and other harmful supstances. The beginning of zeolite medical application was based on it’s exceptional biophysical properties and ion exchange property, which enable simultaneous process of remineralization and efficient natural detoxication.
For contemporary medical use zeolite clinoptilolite is subject to a unique process of tribomechanical micronization and activation which multiplies its medicinal properties. Zeolite is 100% natural mineral that the human body recognizes as its own substance. It is absolutely safe and non-toxic, no lethal or toxic dose, no adverse contraindications, side effects or interactions with other pharmacological or phytopharmacologic substances. Zeolite is not addictive, does not settle in organs and is fully eliminated from the body.
What is activated zeolite clinoptilolite?
Activation of zeolite clinoptlolite is achieved by specific technological process of micronization to nanoscale particles, which are generally smaller than cells of human organism. Nano particles contained in one gram of micronized clinoptilolite have a total area of 50,000 m2, and interspersed with 50 million km of filter microchannels. Goal of this method is micronization and activation, which allows known mechanisms of action of zeolites as well as the capacity of its action in this technological procedure to impressively multiply.
The activation process if clinoptilolite zeolite is fine micronization of nanoparticles, wherein the method also performs the activation of nanoparticles. Thereby no change in the chemical composition is caused, but changing certain physio-chemical properties enhances the electrostatic charge, the ion exchange capacity, specific surface area, the liquid absorption capacity, and the interior of the crystal structure of water is released. Significantly, the crystal ball during the activation process gets superficial cracks and becomes active in its inner layer. Micronization increases specific surface area of minerals, in this way increasing its overall size, and thus the ion exchange capacity. Nano-particles carry nutrients into the cells, then remove residual products of metabolism from cells, and release free water to the cell that is located within the crystal lattice, improving membrane potential and it’s tightness of harmful agents, and regulate aicd-alkali status.
The development of science, especially medical science of the 21st century is largely determined by the development of nanotechnology and topics of activated zeolite are becoming more relevant as they touch the area of nanomedicine.
Impact of clinoptilolite as dietetic supplement in animal feeding
Quotes translation: Book of zeolite science and technology: “Application of zeolites in medicine”.
Effect of clinoptilolite as dietary composition in fattening animals, authors: Krešimir Pavelić and Mirko Herrmann, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb
”Dietary supplementation with clinoptilolite diet is beneficial in fattening animals. In pigs fattened with clinoptilolite diet, they have increased weight and were less prone to diseases than pigs fed a normal diet. The animals have shown increased appetite, and regular and proper digestion, and also increase the proportion of meat in relation to fat. Clinoptilolite actively adsorbs ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and merkapante, and has a strong deodorizing effect. Also removes toxins and creates changes in the enzymological and immunological reactions.
Cases are made of zeolite application in animal breeding industry. 27 days old piglets were fed during 4 weeks of natural clinoptilolite with a 2% share of the food, corrected with concentration factor, which contributed to the trend of faster growth and more favorable ratio of fed-gained. Even when the diet was later added to the nutrient solution, piglets have continued throughout the period of the experiment to show clearly enhanced growth and more favorable ratio of fed-gained.
Clinoptilolite has also increased excretion of nitrogen in the feces and reduced the excretion of nitrogen in the urine. It showed no effect on the stability of the protein. It follows that the clinoptilolite as a dietary supplement for growing pigs altered excretion in the urine without affecting the stability of the protein.
16 weeks old chickens from three different litters were fed with 135 g of protein per kg, and with and without 50 g clinoptilolite per kg. The sterile river sand was replaced by clinoptilolite in a controlled diet to keep food isoenergetic. Significant changes were observed when feeding clinoptilolite, especially in the number of hatched eggs per hen, shell thickness, the efficiency of feed utilization in digestion and humidity of excrement. Between treatments no changes in digestion were observed; weight, age of first laying hens, fruit weight, food intake, and the level of absorption of radioactive amino acids lysine and methionine in the bloodstream.
Clinoptilolite as a supplement to diet significantly reduces the harmful effects of aflatoxin because of its strong absorption properties of aflatoxin and zearalenone. It is estimated that clinoptilolite as a dietary supplement in the values of 1.5% and 2.5%, reduces the harmful effects of 2.5 mg of pure aflatoxin in broiler chicks. Aflatoxin treatment significantly reduced serum pure protein, protein, inorganic phosphate, uric acid, cholesterol, hematrocite, red blood cells, the average physical volume, hemoglobin, platelet count and monocytes and increases the number of white blood cells and neutrophils.
The addition of clinoptilolite in aflatoxin-diet significantly reduces its harmful effects and should be helpful in the treatment of aflatoxin in poultry. Clinoptilolite as a supplement to the diet of 50 g per kg significantly reduces the harmful effects of aflatoxin in growing Japanese quail 10-45 days of age. Aflatoxin reduces food intake and body weight from the third week onwards, and the addition of clinoptilolite to diet significantly reduces negative effects of aflatoxins related to the amount of food intake.
Zeolites could have some influence on the properties of the egg. Clinoptilolite from Greece increased the weight of egg whites and yolks. The beneficial effect of clinoptilolite on the weight of the egg and the egg is independent of the age of the chickens and the type of diet.
Clinoptilolite shows a significant preventive effect in reducing radiocesium-137 in male chicks exposed to contaminated feed. Reducing radiocesium in meat varied from 60-70%, and edible organs more than 50%.” (Unquote)
Detoxication
Zeolite as a mineral of negative ion charge acts in the body biophysical and not chemically or pharmacologically, and naturally, effectively and selectively detoxifies the body of positively charged substances, heavy metals, radioactive metals, herbicides, pesticides, nitrosamines, aflatoxins, radioactive substances, UV radiation, ammonia, nicotine, alcohol, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, birth control pills and long-term medication, and other organic and chemical toxins. In the process of organism detoxification zeolite also eliminated: the excess of acid and alkalizing the body in order to prevent disease, and acidic environments: candidiasis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach pain and intestinal inflammation etc; eliminates excess glucose and prevents diabetes mellitus and complications of diabetes; adsorbed virus components and prevents the replication of viruses: herpes, hepatitis, influenza, reduces oxidative stress and eliminate its harmful implications for the organism as a whole. Zeolite at cell level releases nutrients and essential minerals that continue to have a positive effect in the body, and so remineralises and feeds the organism.
Zeolite also releases the free water which is inside the crystal lattice, enhances cell membrane potential and its impermeability to harmful agents, and regulates the acid-base status.
Characteristics
Natural zeolite has about 276 species, and considering the morphological structure they occur in three basic forms: fibrous, leafy and crystalline. Zeolite clinoptilolite, which has a crystalline molecular structure is suitable for human use.
Zeolites are rock, microporous silicate minerals by composition aluminosilicates, which usually contain one or divalent cations: Na, K and Ca. As natural hydrated crystals with well-defined structures containing AlO4 and SiO2 tetrahedra linked together by oxygen atoms. Aluminum silicate molecules of ancient volcanic ash have formed a solid three-dimensional structures, such as honeycomb, which are extremely important for explaining the medicinal properties of zeolite clinoptilolite.
Zeolite in medicine
Activated micronized zeolite clinoptilolite is used as the most effective natural detoxifier and is taken as a preventive, but also as supportive medical therapy in many health problems and disorders. On the justification of the use of zeolites as supportive therapy many traditional and contemporary anecdotal experience suggest, scientifically based and evaluated in hundreds of available scientific and clinical studies.
