This deep dive journey of all things herbal have taken me down many side streets of interest to the overall discussion of natural health. One of those side roads is the heavy metal toxicity that we face. It didn’t take long for me to order some zeolite for our family to start our own heavy metal detox. So I got it ordered and then started a deep study while waiting for it to deliver to my doorstep.

I started my research with learning exactly what heavy metals we face, how we are exposed to them and how they might be harmful to our bodies, our agriculture and wild life. I came upon this manuscript at the National Library of Medicine. If you are as curious as I am, you will find this very interesting.

Basically, there are 5 heavy metals that pose a threat to us due to mining, manufacturing and pollution. Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead and Mercury. Most of these metals pose a high risk to anyone to works in mining, industrial production and manufacturing, moderate risk for those who live near these sites and lower (but still concerning) risk for those who live in rural areas that little industrial or mining activity.

Lead is the most common heavy metal we are exposed to. It wasn’t too many decades ago that lead was used in paint, crystals and ceramics. Those things still exist in our world today creating exposure possibilities. And due to the regular use of lead in these every day goods, lead is inevitably present in our soil and water. Lead poisoning continues to be most common pediatric health issue in the United States today. Lead absorbed by a pregnant woman is transferred to the developing fetus, causing reduced birthweight, preterm delivery, and neuro-developmental abnormalities.

Okay, so now we know what the metals are, and there isn’t much we can do to avoid them. Our bodies can clear out a fair amount of them on its own, especially if you are healthy and well hydrated. But, these metals can build up and eventually start to cause various issues, eventually leading to cancer. We can’t do much to avoid them, so what CAN we do?

The answer is actually pretty easy! We can use various Binders to gather the heavy metal remnants and prepare them so your body can eliminate them. There are 7 types of binders that are readily available to us on the market. (I will link to specific posts about each one as I work through them for thorough information to add to your herb journal)

Chlorella
Activated Charcoal
Bentonite Clay
Zeolite
Fruit Pectin
Humid and Fulvic Acid
Silica

As you study each of these binders keep these things in mind:

Always drink plenty of water - use distilled water to dilute oils or powders for consumption
Start with low doses at a slow increase rate
Cycle your binders for example 3 months of chlorella, 3 months of zeolite.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS

In addition to using binders to detox, these foods are great heavy metal detox options in your daily diet:

Cilantro
Garlic
Wild Blueberries
Lemon Water
Spirulina
Curry
Green Tea
Tomatoes

If you have concerns of heavy metals in your food, consider avoiding these

Rice
Long Living Fish
Alcohol
Processed Foods