Researchers are always looking for alternatives to traditional antibiotics — especially in this day and age of resistant “superbugs”. Last week, it was compounds in alligator blood. This week? It’s mud.
Scientists from the Arizona State University Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology are looking at anti-microbial minerals in mud. Why? Because mud and clay have a long history of use in healing. Ancient people around the world used mud for wound healing, skin soothing, and more. These days, mud and clay are mainly cosmetic products… but that may change within the next few years.
The Arizona State University team looked at twenty different mud samples from around the world. Researchers analyzed the chemical make-up of each clay, then tested the anti-microbial agents against different bacteria. Three out of the twenty could significantly reduce bacteria growth or even kill bacteria samples entirely. These three amazing samples handled E. coli, salmonella, and antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus.
What’s next? The Arizona State University team is using electron and ion microscopes to examine how the clays interact with the bacteria on the cellular level. Hopefully, such a close study will explain just why these three particular clays are so successful.
We’ll probably see clay-based topical treatments on the market long before a new antibiotic pill is available. Creating an ingestible medicine is a much longer and more complicated process than converting the useful stuff in mud into a cream.
In the meantime, you don’t need to go digging in your garden the next time you develop a rash — your mud might not have the right stuff. Even mud samples from even a hundred yards apart can be radically different. And even though some mud may contain amazing bacteria fighting compounds, unprocessed dirt right from the ground can also harbor toxic minerals and dangerous bacteria.