Diatomaceous Earth for Humans: What You Don’t Know
Diatomaceous earth is quickly gaining popularity as a health food product for human consumption and many people do experience various positive results.
However, there are currently NO food grade diatomaceous earth products that are registered with the appropriate organizations to be sold as a health product for human consumption (although it may appear otherwise). This is due to the fact that there has not been enough testing done on the product to prove that it is effective or safe.
Testing, especially for long-term effects, is very costly and companies have been unable to provide the necessary scientific research requirements to attain certification for distribution as a health product.
There are many sites out there that provide long lists of the benefits that food grade diatomaceous earth can provide to humans and it may seem as though they have scientific proof and are licensed to sell their DE as a health product however be aware of the fine print.
On any site claiming human health benefits and selling diatomaceous earth for the purpose of human consumption you will find a disclaimer that points out that the product is not actually approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is only technically considered to be unofficial information for research purposes.
This is not to say that diatomaceous earth does not provide these health benefits. In fact, with enough funding and scientific research diatomaceous earth could possibly be approved for human consumption and prove to be very helpful in maintaining the health of both humans and animals.
Please use your own discretion and utilize various research methods when choosing to consume food grade diatomaceous earth. Do not be fooled by sites that claim to have a product that is registered for human consumption, as the information they provide is not scientific but rather a collection of testimonials.
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can de hurt you if inhaled?
February 2, 2012 at 2:28 pm
Hi Lee,
I cannot speculate as to whether or not all DEs are safe, as some do contain varying amounts of crystalline silica. Crystalline silica can be harmful if too much is inhaled over a long period of time (such as working in a coal mine for 30 years).
Red Lake Diatomaceous Earth, however, contains less than 1% crystalline silica and therefore if a small amount of RLE dust is inhaled it will not create any health effects. As it is not good to inhale large amounts of any dust, individuals should take precautions from breathing large amounts in.
February 3, 2012 at 9:28 am
I agree with Eric
No profit equals no testing
Pharmaceutical companies would actually suffer imensly if the public was aware
of this natural non toxic substance
The sale of DE should be regulated for uninformed buyers to insure that pure FOOD GRADE DE is distinguished from the DE sold for gardening etc which contains harmful chemicals
I myself have been painstakenly researching DE
I will buy it based on this research
But ,,,the danger is someone is going to go to a garden center or feed store and buy something that could potentially harm them….because of the lack of purity and added substances
So far it looks pretty good to me and I am close to actually ordering
January 23, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Yes, it is very important that individuals who will be using DE for insect control and animal consumption purchase Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (also referred to as Food Chemical Codex Grade) and not pool grade. Pool grade can be very dangerous if inhaled or ingested.
While the DE does not need to be pure (and white in color) to be effective for these purposes (for example, Red Lake Earth is a natural blend of diatomaceous earth and calcium rich montmorillonite and in fact, provides more benefit to animals than pure DE, as it contains various micro and macro minerals), individuals do need to be sure that there are not chemicals added to the substance they are buying.
January 24, 2012 at 8:44 am
Margaret, I have been using DE myself for years and have quite few people also using it. I can assure you we have not died or had any harmful effects from it! I have diabetics that had sugar readings in the 600s maintaining under 200. We have seen drops in cholesterol up to 38 points in as little as 3 weeks, with much higher drops from people that have been using it longer. I am patiently waiting for some of the newest users to report their cholesterol numbers at their regular scheduled check ups. Blood pressures have dropped, marked increase in overall energy and health has bee reported to me. I do not sell or in anyway shape or form benefit from telling you this, it is personal experience and I am sure the reason more research is not being done is because the big pharmaceutical companies stand to lose a tremendous amount of money!
February 14, 2012 at 6:18 pm
It’s almost guaranteed such testing will never be done. It would cost in the millions to do so and there is no way the product can be patented. It’s enough to know that humans have been ingesting it for decades without any reported harm. And, fwiw, it’s not actually “earth” but the hard hulls of a tiny algae from millions of years back. Loaded with silica.
October 5, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Eric is right, it is very unlikely that any significant testing will ever take place. It is said that if the cells of the human body have the correct amount of silica in them, then cancer can’t grow in them. Well, I don’t know if that is correct, but I’ve been having my teaspoon full in my yogurt for years, I have no health issues and whether it is helping me or it’s all in my head, either way I will be spooning up tomorrow. I have livestock that have been eating it all of their lives and I now have cattle as old as 17, horses ranging in ages from a yearling to 27 years old. I’ve feed it to puppies as young as 3 days old, I HAVE been actively using it for over 20 years, so if someone decides to start a research program I’m there!
February 14, 2012 at 6:27 pm