Minerals from French Clay Cure Deadly Drug-Resistant Bacteria

It has always been believed, but never proven that French clay can kill several varieties of bacteria that cause diseases. Today, a researcher at Arizona State University at Tempe is leading a study to show why certain minerals kill certain bacteria.

French clay has been shown to kill Mycobacterium ulcerans, or M. Ulcerans, which is so epidemical in Africa. It also treats Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is responsible for deadly infections that are difficult to treat. Furthermore, it has been known for thousands of years that people have used clay for healing wounds, helping indigestion, and killing intestinal worms. Scientists are starting to look further into ancient remedies to see what exactly they do and how they work because their encounters with germs that are resistant to drugs are a serious problem.

Lynda Williams, associate research professor at Arizona State University at Tempe in the School of Earth and Space Exploration is leading three teams of researchers in studying healing clays. The other two teams are from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and The State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo).

Laboratory tests conducted at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute have already shown that French clay, one type of clay, kills bacteria responsible for Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PRSA), and E. coli. It also kills Mycobacterium ulcerans, which is a germ related to leprosy and tuberculosis. The germ causes Buruli ulcer. The bacteria produce a toxin that destroys the immune system, skin, tissues, and bones.