Clay (Bentonite)

The core of Aajonus's objection was that volcanic ash clays contain minerals that were melted at temperatures far exceeding anything the human body or its chemistry can handle. He described temperatures of 2,300 to 3,300 degrees in some passages and 1,300 to 2,200 degrees in others, consistently pointing to the result: minerals fused into forms he called "molten metals," which he treated as analogous to the dangers of the volcanic rock itself that injured him in Hawaii.

When these clays are applied to skin, he believed the molten metal compounds in them entered the wound site or skin surface and caused toxic injury. The scarring he observed was not incidental but direct, meaning the clay itself was producing the scar rather than the underlying condition. He also linked these minerals to pain and to what he called sores appearing in other parts of the body when volcanic ash clays were used, suggesting systemic absorption of the toxic mineral forms rather than purely local damage.

He was explicit that Aztec Secret Healing Clay, a widely sold product, fell into this category. He had recommended it before understanding its volcanic ash origin and then reversed that recommendation categorically after his experiments. He extended the same warning to volcanic clay used as cosmetic face masks or bath additives, noting in workshop discussion that volcanic clay might be acceptable for bathing but not for eating, though his clearest experimental evidence concerned wound application.

Aajonus contrasted the scarring outcome from bentonite with what he found using French green clay and Terramin clay. He described French green clay as one of the alternatives that prevented scarring and pain rather than causing them. Terramin, sourced from an ancient hot spring bed, was his primary recommended replacement for all topical purposes, including burn care, wound poultices, psoriasis relief, and skin detoxification.

He explained the critical importance of keeping any clay moist when applied to the skin, regardless of type. If a safe clay such as Terramin was allowed to dry on the skin, it would draw fats as well as toxins from skin cells, compromising their integrity and creating lesions and often ulcers in the epidermis. He returned to this point repeatedly in correspondence about burn care, writing: "Clay must be kept moist on the skin or it will draw fats as well as toxins from skin cells and compromise their integrity, creating lesions and often ulcers in the cells' epidermis." This principle applied whether the clay was Terramin or any other variety, but the starting assumption was already that volcanic bentonite should not be used at all.

A person reporting that bentonite-adjacent clay had reduced their psoriasis or hives by 80 percent was told that the relief was not genuine healing but cellular destruction. The cells in those areas were no longer reacting because they were no longer alive, or so damaged they could not respond. He framed this as the clay depriving the skin of fat so severely that the cells at the site were killed, removing the irritation not by resolving the toxicity but by eliminating the cells that were experiencing it.

The detailed wound protocols Aajonus provided in his written correspondence illustrate what a correct clay poultice looks like when applied to damaged skin, using Terramin rather than bentonite. These protocols are worth recording here because they define the safe alternative and show exactly what bentonite was not suited for.

For a chemical burn case documented over several weeks of correspondence, his instructions were to apply wet clay as a poultice, cover it with a wet washcloth, place thin plastic over that to prevent drying, and secure everything with an Ace bandage. The minimum application time was 12 hours, with 12 to 17 hours being the stated range. He specified that the clay should be left on for 24 hours at a time during active detoxification, then rinsed off and immediately reapplied. The criterion for continuing clay rather than transitioning to honey and meat was the presence of non-fused dead layers of skin, meaning the body was still discarding and detoxifying industrial chemicals through that skin surface.

He noted that when the wound stung after rinsing, it was because removal of dead tissue had exposed sensitive new skin, but that after airing for several minutes the tissue would firm and seal itself. When the wound no longer stung upon reapplication of clay, this indicated movement from second-degree to first-degree tissue status, meaning 80 percent detoxification had occurred. He described seeing this progression in photographs and used it to time the transition to the next phase of treatment.

He was also asked whether the edible Terramin clay (California Earth Minerals nutritional grade) was superior to the TerraBath clay for topical application. His answer was that it did not matter which was used on the skin, that he found no difference in effect except price.

For a dog with toxic hot spots, he provided a modified clay formula: one ounce of moist clay combined with one teaspoon of dry clay and one and a half tablespoons of raw milk, mixed together and applied to the area, covered with a damp rag and then plastic held with an Ace bandage. The outcome in that case was that the clay proved soothing to the animal.

For a foreign object embedded beneath a callus in the foot, his instruction was to apply lime juice first for approximately 30 minutes to coat the foreign particle, then apply moist clay and keep it moist over the site. He explained that lime juice coats foreign particles, sealing them so they can be more readily drawn out, and that the clay then draws the object toward the surface.

In one exchange Aajonus addressed Pacific Clay from Corona, California, which Glen Ivy Hot Springs was known to purchase. He said that clay was fine for baths and poultices but that Terramin was for internal consumption. This distinction clarifies that his concern about volcanic clay in topical use was specifically about bentonite and volcanic-origin material, not about all commercially available clays. A non-volcanic red clay used to make bricks could still be acceptable as a poultice, even if he would not recommend ingesting it.

His stated position for anyone uncertain about a clay's source was to verify whether it came from a volcanic deposit. Any clay from a clean source that was not from a volcanic deposit he considered acceptable. He summarized this in a 2013 exchange: "Any clay from a clean source that is not from a volcanic deposit is OK."

For skin mask and beauty use, Aajonus described a thin paste of sun-dried powdered clay mixed with raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in a ratio of one teaspoon clay to one and a half tablespoons vinegar, or alternatively clay mixed with one fertile raw egg, or clay mixed with one tablespoon fresh raw papaya juice with half a tablespoon of good mineral water. He recommended rotating among these three preparations rather than using the same one each time, stating that alternating apple cider vinegar, then egg, then papaya was healthiest for skin. The papaya mixture he specifically noted as helpful for removing scars such as acne.

For this application the clay recommended was Terramin or Terrasilk, not bentonite. The Terrasilk variety he described as the finer-mesh product, better suited for facial masks and toothbrush use because it was less abrasive than the standard nutritional grade.

For personal body washing he described mixing Terrasilk clay into a coconut cream preparation used as soap, applying it to the entire body while standing in the bath, and rinsing off. He specifically kept the clay mixture out of his hair because it made hair too dry, reserving the clay portion for body use and using the clay-free coconut cream mixture separately for the scalp.

In discussions about using clay as toothpaste, he explained why clay must be combined with butter or coconut cream rather than used alone. Applied without oil, clay would abrade the enamel, scratching it and causing grooves that would weaken the tooth over time. He compared the proper technique to a jeweler polishing a gemstone by mixing clay with oil to create a polishing compound rather than applying abrasive alone. Coconut cream was his preferred carrier for this application over butter. The Terrasilk variety was again the preferred choice for dental use because of its finer particle size.

He reported using this clay and coconut cream toothpaste formulation with approximately twelve to fifteen people over nine months, tracking results with periodontal pocket depth measurements. One person with pocket depths measuring eight and nine millimeters had those reduced to two to two and a half millimeters within two and a half to three and a half months of consistent use.

When discussing bath preparations for municipal water containing chloramines, fluoride, and other contaminants, Aajonus mentioned clay as one possible addition alongside milk, vinegar, sea salt, and coconut cream. He said the milk primarily neutralized fluoride through its calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium content, while clay addressed heavier compounds including copper, iron, and uranium that would be locked by the clay rather than by the milk. He suggested approximately two tablespoons of clay for baths if the municipal water was more contaminated than typical.

He cautioned against using clay with a heater in a recirculating bath system, noting that it would cake onto the heating element and render it inoperable. For half-cup bath additions he referenced a level tablespoon of Terrasilk in bath water alongside the other bath ingredients.

For hives or extremely itchy skin, he specified adding half a cup of sun-dried clay or cornstarch to a bath containing a blended mixture of tomato or melon with butter and coconut or olive oil, soaking for twenty minutes to draw toxicity from the skin.

Aajonus was asked about several named products over the years. His positions, drawn entirely from these source passages, were as follows.

Aztec Secret Healing Clay: categorically rejected as volcanic ash bentonite, full of molten mercury and radioactive material, not to be used topically or internally.

Terramin (California Earth Minerals): his primary recommendation for both topical and internal use, from an ancient thermal spring bed in the Mojave Desert mined at a depth where temperature never exceeded 92 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

Terrasilk: the fine-mesh sifted variant of Terramin, preferred for facials, toothbrush use, and eating; not as preferable for bath use where the coarser nutritional grade was acceptable.

Sacred Clay (pyrophyllite): appeared to be from the same thermal spring category as Terramin; he did not have confirmed temperature data for its original thermal pool and suggested contacting the manufacturer to ask.

Living Clay Detox Clay Powder: he indicated he would like to see updated testing done on it; in one exchange he cited concerns that both Terramin and Living Clay had been shown to contain mercury, lead, and cadmium in testing, and he acknowledged uncertainty about how those metals would behave in intestinal conditions. He did not endorse Living Clay as a substitute but did not issue a flat prohibition.

Pacific Clay from Corona, California: acceptable for baths and poultices, not for internal consumption.