‘Kisameet clay' found to have ‘potent antibacterial activity’ against ‘essentially untreatable’ pathogens

In Brief

  • The Facts:

    Overuse of antibiotics over the last 50 years have caused bacteria and pathogens to adapt to resist these methods of treatments. A rare clay has been found to kill these bacteria.

  • Reflect On:

    Antibiotics are being overused and over prescribed by doctors. How can you limit your antibiotic use?

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have confirmed a rare type of clay that has been used as medicine by aboriginals of BC has antibacterial properties that could be used to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria.

The Heiltsuk First Nation’s traditional territory, about 400 kilometers north of Vancouver, Canada, is home to a 400-million kilogram deposit of glacial clay in Kisameet Bay. Scientists believe that this deposit was formed around 10,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age.

The clay, known as Kisolite has been used for centuries by the Heiltsuk First Nations to treat a variety of illness including, arthritis, neuritis, ulcerative colitis, phlebitis, burns and other skin disorders like eczema, acne and psoriasis.

Upon studying this clay researchers have found that it shows strong antibacterial properties against multidrug-resistant pathogens. This has led them to suggest that the clay be studied as a potential treatment for serious infections caused by strains of bacteria known as ESKAPE strains.

“Infections caused by ESKAPE bacteria are essentially untreatable and contribute to increasing mortality in hospitals,” said UBC microbiologist Julian Davies, co-author of the paper published in the American Society for Microbiology’s mBio journal.

Davies also said in another statement that after 50 years of overusing antibiotics, it’s the ancient medicinals and other natural mineral agents that may provide us with new weapons against these multidrug-resistant pathogens.

More Findings

The researchers were able to find that suspending the clay in water killed 16 strains of ESKAPE bacteria samples that were found from various sources such as: St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and the University of British Columbia’s waste water treatment pilot plant.

Researchers also reported that there have been no toxic side effects in human use of the clay. Next up, detailed clinical studies and further toxicity testing.

Antibiotic Resistance

In case you are unaware, antibiotic resistance is something that occurs when the germs no longer respond to the antibiotics that are designed to kill them. Because of this the germs stay alive and continue to grow, even stronger. Bacteria and fungi are always adapting and finding new ways to avoid the effects of antibiotics that are used to treat the infections they cause. Infections that are caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria are very difficult, sometimes even impossible to treat.

Anytime antibiotics are used, they can contribute to antibiotic resistance. Ideally, when antibiotics are needed the benefits should outweigh any risk of antibiotic resistance. However, antibiotics are often misused and over prescribed. According to the CDC around 47 million antibiotic coursed are prescribed annually for various infections that don’t need antibiotics, such as the cold and flu.

Thank You, Mother Nature

Truly amazing that our Earth, our Mother Nature has seemingly has everything it needs to heal and it’s unfortunate that our species is destroying her at an alarming rate. The fact of the matter is that we can’t live without her, but she can live without us and before the possibility of the  planet exploding  we will inevitably be wiped out. The Earth can help us to heal, but are we willing to stop with our destructive behavior in order to help her to heal?

Fascinating how antibiotic resistance is a relatively new issue that we are facing, and yet a clay that was formed 10,000 years ago could potentially hold the “cure” and what we need to overcome this situation, but are we willing to do what it takes to take responsibility for our actions?

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By Alanna Ketler

Hi, I'm Alanna! My journey really began in 2007 when I began to question what was being presented to me, my path led me to Collective Evolution and I joined the team in 2010. Wow, has it been an incredible journey so far! I am extremely passionate about learning new information! I aim to have a voice for animals and animal rights, I also enjoy writing about health, consciousness and I am very interested in psychedelics for healing purposes! I strongly believe that knowledge is power, and the first step to creating change on this planet is by raising awareness. "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." -Jack Kornfield Questions or comments?

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(Source: collective-evolution.com; February 7, 2020; https://tinyurl.com/qms3weh)
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