BENTONITE
Updated: 3 days ago
Bentonite clay is very common in mold detox protocols and popular in the Lyme community.
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WHAT IS BENTONITE?
- Bentonite is a natural clay. Its main mineral is montmorillonite.
- It's a binder. In the gut, it latches onto certain toxins so they leave the body in the stool instead of being soaked back up.
- The clay carries a negative charge, which helps it hold onto certain toxins.
- It comes as calcium bentonite or sodium bentonite. The products below include both.
BENTONITE OPTIONS ON FULLSCRIPT
- Choose a brand tested for heavy metals.
Calcium bentonite clay capsules. The maker says it is heavy metal tested.
Buy here (Premier Research Labs Medi-Clay-FX):
A blend with bentonite, charcoal, zeolite, PectaSol-C, chitosan (from shellfish) and aloe.
Buy here (Quicksilver Scientific Ultra Binder):
WHAT LYME AND MOLD DOCTORS SAY
- Dr. Marty Ross: binders catch toxins in the gut so the body doesn't reabsorb them. For mold toxins, he finds bentonite and activated charcoal bind aflatoxins best, bentonite is the top match for gliotoxins, and it can also help with trichothecenes. If general binders aren't enough, he uses a urine mycotoxin test to pick specific ones like bentonite.
- Dr. Richard Horowitz: in his 2024 published cases of Lyme and co-infections with mold toxins, the mold detox plans included a binder blend with bentonite clay, charcoal and zeolite, taken two hours away from all medicines and supplements. He also rotated between binders.
- Dr. Todd Maderis (Bay Area Lyme Foundation, 2023): the first step with mold is lowering your exposure. After that, binders taken by mouth, like charcoal and clay, catch the mold toxins the body sends into the bile and carry them out.
- Dr. Bill Rawls (2022) starts with gentler support, like glutathione, chlorella and vegetable fiber. He says many people don't need stronger binders like charcoal and bentonite, and it depends on how much mold exposure you have. For some people, especially with high exposure, he says they can be very valuable.
- Dr. Jill Crista, a mold specialist, doesn't start with binders, and she avoids them when someone is constipated. She says binders aren't required to get better from mold, and if you can't tolerate them, you're not stuck. Healing may just take a slower, steadier path.
HOW IT COMPARES WITH OTHER BINDERS
- Each binder grabs different toxins best, so doctors often match the binder to test results or rotate between a few.
- Dr. Ross calls prescription cholestyramine the strongest option.
- Binder chart and more options here:
BINDERS
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL
CHLORELLA
ZEOLITE
PECTASOL C
CHOLESTYRAMINE (CSM)
RESEARCH
- Aflatoxin in people: in a 2022 study in Ghana, 200 children ages 2 to 9 got a refined clay made of calcium montmorillonite (the main mineral in bentonite) or a placebo in their food for 60 days. In the clay group, the aflatoxin marker in urine dropped 60%, while it rose 125% in the placebo group. Blood tests showed no safety problems. The company that makes the clay paid for the study.
- This study looked at aflatoxin from food. I couldn't find studies yet testing bentonite in people with Lyme, mold illness or heavy metal problems.
A note from me: this list doesn't cover everything. Bentonite may offer more benefits than I've included here. I'm sharing the uses that are best known or most studied as of today, from sources I trust. Research keeps growing, and one post can only cover so much.
BEFORE YOU START
- Read the warning on each bottle.
- Timing: binders can also grab medicines, supplements and nutrients. My doctor had me space binders 2 to 3 hours away from supplements, herbals and medication. Dr. Ross says no medicines or supplements from 30 minutes before the clay until 2 hours after. Ask your doctor what timing is right for you.
- Go slow: Dr. Ross adds bentonite a little at a time and holds off on increasing during a flare. Pulling out toxins can make you feel worse at first.
HERX - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
- Constipation: binders can be constipating, and Dr. Rawls notes many people with Lyme already have slow digestion. Dr. Crista and LymeDisease.org stress moving your bowels at least once a day so toxins don't get reabsorbed. My Lyme literate naturopathic doctor had me take constipation remedies right along with my binders.
CONSTIPATION - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
DIFFERENT FORMS OF MAGNESIUM AND SOME OF THEIR BENEFITS
- Water: drink plenty of water with binders. The Medi-Clay-FX label says to take each capsule with at least 4 ounces of water.
- Lead: clay comes from the earth and can carry heavy metals. In a 2020 study, scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the EPA found high levels of lead and arsenic in samples of a healing clay. This is why I say to choose a brand tested for heavy metals.
HEAVY METAL TOXICITY
- Shellfish allergy: Ultra Binder contains chitosan, which comes from shellfish.
CHITOSAN
- Pregnancy or nursing: ask your doctor first.
- Always ask your doctor before adding anything new.
MY EXPERIENCE
I seem to tolerate many binders, but I did not do well with bentonite. Even so, a lot of people find great benefit using it. More about my experience here:
If bentonite doesn't agree with you either, there are many other binders and gentle ways to support detox.
DETOX - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
DETOX BATH
Let us know if you use bentonite and your experience.
RELATED POSTS
MOLD - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
MOLD DIRECTORY
HEAVY METAL TOXICITY - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
STEPS TO OVERCOME MOLD
BRANDS THAT ARE OFTEN RECOMMENDED BY LYME LITERATE DOCTORS AND WHY IT MATTERS
SOURCES
Dr. Marty Ross, Mold Toxin Illness & Tick-borne Diseases (updated 2026)
Horowitz, Fallon and Freeman, case reports, Microorganisms (2024)
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, The Chronic Illness Puzzle: Mold, Metals, Toxins, Infections, with Dr. Todd Maderis (2023)
Dr. Bill Rawls, Lyme & Mold-Related Illness: Who's at Risk and What You Can Do About It, video (2022)
Dr. Jill Crista, Don't Start With Binders (2026)
Dr. Jill Crista, 4 Reasons Your Mold Protocol May Not Be Working (2025)
Nicola Ducharme, ND, LymeDisease.org, What it takes to treat mold and mycotoxin illness (2023)
Kumi et al., clay and aflatoxin in children, Ghana, Global Pediatric Health (2022)
Moosavi, Bentonite Clay as a Natural Remedy: A Brief Review, Iranian Journal of Public Health (2017, older source, still worth reading)
Whiteside et al., National Institutes of Health and EPA, lead and arsenic in healing clay, Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Fullscript product labels: Premier Research Labs Medi-Clay-FX, Quicksilver Scientific Ultra Binder (2026)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
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