Debbie said, "how do you know how much to take and is there a die-off to deal with? this is a whole new thing to me."
The following is an excerpt from a website discussing DE. It covers the basics, including human use. There is more info about pet, garden and livestock use on this website that is very good. I buy DE from a local nursery very cheaply. "Food grade diatomaceous earth has many uses. The information below will tell you some of the differences in grades of diatomaceous earth, along with information on how to use food grade diatomaceous earth. "Natural Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is the remains of microscopic one-celled plants (phytoplankton) called diatoms that lived in the oceans and lakes that once covered the western part of the US and other parts of the world. These deposits are mined from underwater beds or from ancient dried lake bottoms. "Diatomaceous earth is mined, milled, and processed into a myriad of types for a large variety of uses. Filtering and filler are two main uses but diatomaceous earth also ends up in paints, cosmetics, drugs, chemical insecticides, etc. Because the milling produces different sized and shaped particles, it is important not to use the filtering type for agricultural purposes. "Pool filter grade diatomaceous earth has been heat and chemically treated and will poison an animal or human who ingests it, so it is always of utmost importance to only obtain food grade diatomaceous earth to use in and around your household. "Food grade diatomaceous earth is EPA approved to be mixed with grains to control mealworms and other pests and has been exempted from tolerance requirements as an inert, inactive ingredient in chemical pesticides. Diatomaceous earth is EPA approved against indoor and outdoor crawling insects. Diatomaceous earth is USDA approved as an anti-caking agent for animal feed. Diatomaceous earth is FDA approved for internal and external use and has a rating of Food Chemical Codex Grade. "INTERNAL PARASITE CONTROL: Food grade diatomaceous earth makes a very effective natural insecticide. The insecticidal quality of diatomaceous earth is due to the razor sharp edges of the diatom remains. When diatomaceous earth comes in contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery diatomaceous earth absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration. "Food grade diatomaceous earth has been used for at least two decades as a natural wormer for livestock. Some believe diatomaceous earth scratches and dehydrates parasites. Some scientists believe that diatomaceous earth is a de-ionizer or de-energizer of worms or parasites. Regardless, people report definite control. To be most effective, food grade diatomaceous earth must be fed long enough to catch all newly hatching eggs or cycling of the worms through the lungs and back to the stomach. A minimum of 60 days is suggested by many, 90 days is advised for lungworms. "Food grade diatomaceous earth works in a purely physical/mechanical manner, not chemical and thus has no chemical toxicity. Best yet, parasites dont build up a tolerance/immunity to its chemical reaction, so rotation of wormers unnecessary. "Daily recommended food grade diatomaceous earth feeding rates: Kittens - 1/2 teaspoon Cats - 1 teaspoon Puppies - 1/2 to 1 tsp. Dogs under 35 lbs. - 1 teaspoon Dogs over 35 lbs. - 1 tablespoon Dogs over 100 lbs. - 2 tablespoons Cattle, Dairy Cows, & Hogs - 2% of dry feed ration Chickens - 5% in feed Goats & Sheep - 1% in grain Horses - 1/2-1 cup in daily ration *Humans - 1 heaping tablespoon daily "*Some recommend to dose humans by mixing food grade diatomaceous earth in a glass of water before bed or first thing in the morning, well before breakfast, to allow diatomaceous earth time to move through and absorb toxins from ones digestive tract without interfering or absorbing nutrients from foods or liquids. Some report great results consuming 1 tsp. in a glass of water prior to each meal, 3x/day." http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html I personally stir a teaspoon of DE into 3 or 4 oz of water or juice and glug it down. It has almost no taste, and does not upset my stomach. I have found various Naturopathic doctors who recommend from one tspn per day to one tspn per meal. Since it is not toxic, you don't need to be paranoid about how much to use, but a tspn before each meal seems to be entirely adequate to do the job. The info file I send to whoever requests it contains further info about DE. Terry Chamberlin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Address Off-Topic messages to: [email protected] The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
