Description
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is the remains of microscopic one-celled plants (phytoplankton) called diatoms that lived in the oceans & 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 thousands of years old. This means, diatomaceous earth has an unlimited shelf life provided you keep it dry.
Diatomaceous earth is mined, milled, and processed into a myriad of types for a large variety of uses. Filtering & filler are two main uses but diatomaceous earth also ends up in paints, cosmetics, drugs, etc. Because the milling produces different sized & shaped particles, it is important not to use the filtering type for agricultural purposes.
Pool filter grade diatomaceous earth has been heat & 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 & around your household.
Diatoms (DE) are the grass of the oceans & lakes. Just as grass is the staple food of earth animals. Diatoms (algae) are the food of the ocean or fresh water grazers. Magnified 7000x, diatomaceous earth looks like spiney honeycombs.
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is mined from the purest of deposits. Out of 600 deposits in the U.S., only 4 of these deposits rate in purity by FDA standards to be labeled as “Food Grade.”
View More Information
Human consumption of DE varies and can be anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to multiple tablespoons, once daily. The manufacturers recommended feeding rate is 1 heaping tablespoon daily.
It is best to slowly acclimate, any signs of constipation from a given dose, back off of that dosing slightly.
For parasite removal it is important to consume enough to allow wall to wall intestinal “coverage” during normal digestion. This dose will vary per individual.
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
Cattle, Dairy Cows & Hogs | |
| 1/2 - 1 cup in daily ration |
It is best to slowly acclimate, any signs of constipation from a given dose, back off of that dosing slightly.
For parasite removal it is important to consume enough to allow wall to wall intestinal “coverage” during normal digestion. This dose will vary per individual.
Internal feeding of food grade diatomaceous earth helps eliminate most internal worms, though possibly not all. It’s also excellent when fed daily to keep down odors, since food grade diatomaceous earth is a drying agent & is eliminated from the body, exactly the way it went in, it helps reduce manure odor.
If fecal counts are not zero for worms & ova after feeding DE for 30 days, increase the daily dose. Feeding too small a dose of DE will not give desired results. Increasing the dose, even if greater than the above recommendations, will not harm anyone.
Apply in well ventilated space & wear appropriate protective PPE during application.
Avoid getting diatomaceous earth in the eyes at all cost. In the event of an accident thoroughly flush the eyes until all debris is clear. DE is drying to the eyes, so do not put it out when you or your pets are down wind of it.
Diatomaceous earth has great absorption properties which can dry the skin. You may want to use gloves for extensive handling as well as temporarily remove pets during application time.
Beware heavy use on carpets, the fine particulate may clog general vacuum cleaners. Shop-vac style vacuums may be used for larger cleanups without issue.
Difference from Acid Solutes. Purity of the Diatomaceous Earth was confirmed by MALDI mass spectometry, indicating that the material is virtually free from any other form of contamination.
MALDI is a technique in which the matrix is used to assist ionization of molecules on the surface of the material, caused by a blast from a UV Laser. This analysis confirms purity and suggests that even the above listed trace elements are not readily ionized and volatilized from the surface.
