Thousands of years ago small creatures inhabited the earth. These creatures lived and died in the sea and in doing so became the superheroes of today. They created one of the world’s wonder products.
Called diatoms, these microscopic sea creatures lived and died by the millions, leaving behind tiny skeletons that accumulated on the sea floor. Over the millennia, the seas dried up and the skeletal deposits became one with the land. Modern mining methods unearthed these buried skeletons and the world was introduced to the miracle of diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth (nicknamed DE) deposits are refined in two ways: as a finely ground food grade powder and a coarser ground filtration powder that is only used in swimming pool filtration systems and should never be used in any other application . Food grade DE has unlimited uses. DE filtration should only be used for pool filters. Food quality DE is a natural desiccant.
Food grade diatomaceous earth is a finely ground white powder and is endowed with super powers. It is often called ground or shell flour. DE is FDA and EPA approved.
Filtration Diatomaceous earth is used for swimming pool filtration. Pool DE is a coarsely ground product and is UNSAFE for use other than in filtration systems. It should NEVER be used otherwise. The DE pool has large crystals that are too sharp for daily use.
Food grade Diatomaceous earth is used for:
1) AGRICULTURE – In agriculture, DE is used in the storage of cereal crops and in the maintenance of livestock. In harvested cereal crops it is used in two ways. It is added to stored grains to kill and prevent insect infestation and in milled grain crops, such as flour, it is added as an anti-caking agent. The tiny skeletal parts of DE do not stick together and are an excellent means of controlling caking. For livestock maintenance, DE is fed to cattle and improves the overall health of the animals. ED is believed to clean both the intestinal tract and blood vessels of waste buildup, providing general health benefits.
2) INSECT CONTROL – For insect control, diatomaceous earth is second to none. It is safe and effective. DE is created from the shredded skeletons of microscopic creatures. These crushed parts, with microscopic sharp edges, scratch the outer layers of the insect’s skeleton, causing death. The insects are not killed by DE, but rather die from dehydration caused by the scratches on their shells and the drying quality of the DE. It happens gradually, working slowly but effectively. The remaining powder remains viable and will kill any insect that gets into it while the powder is there.
One of the benefits of diatomaceous earth is that it does not contain chemicals. Insects cannot develop tolerance to DE as they do to all chemical pesticides, and DE continues to kill as long as it is in place.
DE is also non-toxic. Chemicals can be harmful to more people than their intended target. Chemicals can harm or kill plants, animals, birds, and even people. The toxic side effects of the chemicals make DE the preferred choice for insect control. Also, if DE is fed to cattle, it passes through the digestive system and kills flies and their larvae that hatch in fresh manure.
Diatomaceous earth will also kill insects on plants and is an excellent choice for houseplants, containers, or garden use. Sprinkled on plants, it will attack insects but will not harm the plant itself and if the plant is consumed by animals or humans, it will have no harmful effects.
3) SOIL MANAGEMENT – Diatomaceous earth is used as a desiccant and dries wherever it is used. In agriculture it is used to dry chronically wet areas. It will dry urine in kennels and stables or in damp places around water tanks, but has toxic effects. It also has odor absorbing qualities, making it the choice in barns or chicken coops.
4) HEALTH – For health reasons, DE is fed to cattle (most commonly dairy cattle) and improves the overall health of the animals, but it is also consumed by people for the same reason. ED is believed to clean both the intestinal tract and blood vessels of waste buildup and provide health benefits.
5) HEAVY METAL DETOX – Heavy metals are also reduced using DE. It is a natural means of detoxifying heavy metals from the body. DE absorbs metals and removes them from the body in a non-toxic manner.
6) CLEANSE OF WORMS AND PARASITES: Worms and parasites infect all living mammals and can be very debilitating. Animals are routinely sprayed with chemicals to kill these parasites, but often the chemical drugs used are more toxic than the worms. Humans are reluctant to talk about parasites believing themselves to be free of them, but all humans at one time or another have had “worms”. Diatomaceous earth consumed regularly will kill parasite and worm infestations in the same way it kills insects. The fine powder scrapes and cuts the worms/parasites killing them and then helps eliminate them from the body. DE only works on intestinal parasites. Heartworms and brainworms die ONLY in their larval stage while in the digestive system.
7) CONTROL OF FLEAS AND TICKS – For pets, diatomaceous earth is a wonderful product. It is an extremely effective and safe way to control fleas, ticks and lice. Many animals and birds suffer severe allergic reactions to traditional chemical flea and tick (and lice) products that result in terrible suffering and even death. Used routinely, shaking a little DE on the animal or on a bird will control infestations. If the animal licks their fur or ingests some DE, it won’t harm them. Fed to the animal, DE controls worms and parasites and also controls the odor of feces.
Diatomaceous earth was created from microscopic creatures with superpowers. It is a multi-purpose, non-toxic, chemical-free and environmentally friendly powder that helps and protects our world today. Diatomaceous earth can be hard to pronounce, but it should be on everyone’s lips.
Diatomaceous earth, these little creatures really are nature’s superheroes!
