# Bentonite Clay



## Redline (Aug 12, 2012)

Hi there,I'm new to the forum and have been suffering what I now know as IBS-D for about 6 years. My symtoms are typically very loose bowel movements several times mainly in the morning accompanied by bad wind. The bowel movements settle down after lunchtime but the wind is still there. I have tried a number of different solutions to this over the years none of which helped long term. Diarrhea medication works for me but I'm very concious that it has long term side effects and I would rather save it for times when I have a bad attack.A couple of things that I have found however, that have worked for me and knowing how terrible a thing this is for people I wanted to share my experiences. I understand each persons situation is different but if this helps one person then its all good.Anyway, to the subject at hand. I have found peppermint oil tablets work really well to control wind. They have a huge stablalising effect on my bowel. There seems to be no side effect with the exception of the fact that if you do end up needing to go within a couple of hours after taking them it feels like you have had a menthol suppositoryBut the real success for me has been bentonite clay. This is a great binding agent and as far as I can tell is completely harmless. I've been using it for a bit over a year now and am an absolute fan. I take it each morning with water and I may go use my bowel a couple of times but it is much firmer and after that, no more all day until the next morning. Because of its absorbtion properties it also helps with the wind. I honestly feel like a new person with it. The only downside is you need to experiement a bit to get the right dose. I started off with 2 teapoons but ended up on about 6 teaspoons in water each morning. It doesnt really have a tast but make sure you mix it well. If you don't get the dose right it can bind you up quite bad and be painful as it creates like a plug, so increase doses gradually.I would be interested in anybody elses experience with this or any tips anyone may have for me.Thanks for reading.


----------



## terrykeithsmom (Aug 29, 2016)

YES! I have found clay to be very binding and healing for my IBS-D as well!


----------



## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

I use bentonite a bit and find it reduces my bowel movements just slightly. From the sounds of it it works very well for you two. I might try raising my dose!


----------



## Akn1965 (Jan 13, 2017)

What is its side effects if we can't maintain proper dosage?


----------



## Lorelei56 (Apr 7, 2014)

I had success with bentonite clay for a while. It worked until it didn't. I have read recently that it sweeps all the bacteria out of your colon, good and bad. So you probably need to take some probiotics with it, which I didn't do while I was on it. But yes, clay is my go-to if I have to travel. Kaopectate used to be partially comprised of kaolin clay before they changed formulations.


----------

