Diatomaceous Earth - Natural Insecticide and Dietary Supplement?

[jatwell]

I don't post a lot, but this is one of my favorite forums out there.  There are always very good conversations here.

I came across this product when searching for something non-toxic for my brother who has a flea issue and just had a baby.

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/human-use.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9533930

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthre ... EOUS-EARTH

It seems like a wonder product and is very cheap so it may not get a lot of press because of it.  Has anybody used this as a dietary supplement?  I know there have been a ton of great posts on diet and supplements by Gumby / MG / etc.

Lowering Cholesterol, regrowing hair, eliminate joint pain and kill insects?

[WildAboutHarry]

Diatomaceous Earth (don't know if it is food grade or not) gets a Prop. 65 Warning from California.  Silica, you know.

[Tortoise]

When I was a kid, we used diatomaceous earth in our swimming pool filter. It was white powder going in, brown sludge coming out.

That's the only experience I have with the stuff.

[Reub]

Why pregnant women crave dirt:

http://theweek.com/article/index/213694 ... n-eat-dirt

[smurff]

Diatomaceous earth is fine to use as long as it is food grade.  If you spray it in the house, wear a dust mask.  DE is fossilized shells that have been ground to powder.  It's primarily silica.  It works by leaving microscopic scratches the surface of the insect's exoskeleton.  The insect eventually dies of dehydration.  It takes about a day or two for this to happen, but it has to get on the insect somehow, usually by walking in it.

Stay away from the crystallized grade--the kind used to for filtration systems.  Crystallization makes the particle edges the equivalent of evenly broken glass shards, so they can fit together tightly for filtration.  It can damage your lungs, even breathing in a little bit.

[WildAboutHarry]

Not to worry about taking too much -  any excess silica not needed by the body is naturally eliminated through the kidneys and intestines... but we must find our own comfortable levels.

I don't think silica is very soluble, so not much going out via the kidneys.  Most things ingested that are not absorbed are eliminated via the intestines. 

Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, mild abrasive in products including toothpaste, mechanical insecticide, absorbent for liquids, matting agent for coatings, reinforcing filler in plastics and rubber, anti-block in plastic films, porous support for chemical catalysts, cat litter, activator in blood clotting studies, a stabilizing component of dynamite, and a thermal insulator.

Sounds delicious

The reason that we have diatomaceous  earth deposits is that the stuff is not soluble, so it accumulated in vast deposits on the sea floor.  Same thing with calcium carbonate (limestone), calcium phosphate, and a host of other biominerals.

As an insecticide DE is probably fine, relatively non-toxic when used properly, and probably mildly effective.

However, what is the mechanism of action in promoting human health?  How is eating very, very small pieces of glass supposed to be healthful?