9. Provisioning, Recycling, and Trade of Clay

Natural clay to be used in the field of health and well-being, whether used as it occurs at its natural site, or after extraction from the deposit, is submitted to a refining processing in order to concentrate the finest grain fraction (enriched in clay minerals sometimes associated with organic compounds and finely grained carbonates, potentially the most interesting components in therapeutic or cosmetic terms). In the first situation clay in the form of paste (after being mixed with mineral water, e.g., seawater) is used at its natural site or at a nearby site as mud in mud therapy treatments, or as small pieces chewed and ingested, or even ingested after being dispersed preferentially in potable water providing argillic water. Processed clay is available on the market in two main states: powders (used in pharmaceutical formulations) and paste (used in peloids to be applied, for instance, at spa resorts after undergoing more or less complex manipulation and maturation), and in both states a microbiological check-up is necessary to assure sanitary safety. This sanitary safety is also required when recycling previously used clay paste.