Ancient clay remedies-possible new area for podiatric research?

U.S. scientists are investigating the efficacy of a French clay that
was used for thousands of years to kill several kinds of
disease-causing bacteria. "There are very compelling reports of clay
treating infections, but that's anecdotal evidence, not science,"
said Arizona State University-Tempe Associate Research Professor
Lynda Williams. Williams and Assistant Professor Shelley Haydel are
coordinating three teams of U.S. researchers - from ASU, the U.S.
Geological Survey and the State University of New York-Buffalo -
under a two-year, $440,000 grant from the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Williams said people for thousands of years used clay to heal
wounds, soothe indigestion, and kill intestinal worms. Although the
practice has declined today, the recent increase in drug-resistant
bacteria has prompted scientists to look at the ancient remedies to
determine their efficacy. "We're beginning to generate the first
scientific evidence of why some minerals might kill bacterial
organisms and others might not," said Williams.

Source: News Daily, United Press International (October 2007)