Subject: Benseal

I went down to a well supply place and bought some "Benseal" which is
supposed to be pure Wyoming sodium bentonite, about 8 mesh. This is
from Baroid, a Halliburton subsidiary. It is grey to bluish, with
some granules being somewhat different colors. Looks like some
kinds of cat litter, with about 1/32 to 1/16 inch chunks. The label
says Bentonite and says that it has some silica in it. When mixed
with a lot of water one can see that it has a small amount of sand
and a few dark, probably organic matter pieces in it, like tiny pieces
of leaves or something. It tastes much like the refined bentonite
thatI had. It doesn't taste "salty" like salt. It is very drying to
the mouth. The dry particles are quite hard and maintain their shape, not crumbly.

I put a glob about 2x3x1/2 inches on my arm for about 40 minutes and
had no reaction from it. Interestingly, where there was a smear of
clay on the skin which dried out, it was slightly redish underneath
when it was washed off. After a time after washing off, the skin
under the main clay pack got very slightly red, and then back to
normal.

I figure this may be OK for baths or packs. At $8.70 for a 50 pound
bag (which the desk clerk quoted appologetically) it seemed to be
nearly affordable ;-))
* Asking for Banseal for alternative health use might get a no from some suppliers. : (

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/eytonsearth/message/110