Clay, or more precisely, certain clay typologies, have been used traditionally by humans for therapeutic, nutritional, and skin-care purposes though they may be responsible for some relatively rare but significant health and skin-care risks. For example, clay particles could adsorb and make available for elimination or excretion any potential toxic elements or toxins being ingested or produced, but they could also adsorb and make available for incorporation, through ingestion or through dermal absorption, toxic elements, e.g. heavy metals. Geophagy has been observed in all parts of the world since Antiquity, reflecting cultural practices, religious beliefs, and physiological needs, be they nutritional (dietary supplementation) or as a remedy for disease. Some clays and clay minerals are employed widely in both the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries as active compounds/agents and as excipients. In the biomedical field, some clay minerals such as halloysite and montmorillonite are known for their effective role as carriers for the control and sustainable delivery of active drug molecules, and in the biomaterials field some clay minerals are used for scaffold, hydrogel, foam, and film production. Constraints, both chemical and microbiological, on the use of clay-based products for therapeutic and cosmetic topical applications are generally imposed by sanitary regulations, and some solutions are proposed herein to control and reduce such restrictions. Particular emphasis is placed here on peloids and pelotherapy, as well as on manipulated and modified peloids, and specifically on tailored peloids or ‘designed and engineered’ peloids, and their derivatives, bactericidal peloids and ointments. As far as the so-called ‘killer clays’ are concerned, their pre-requisites, mechanisms of action, and disinfection role are also enhanced. Podoconiosis is an environment-related or geochemical disease that occurs in tropical highland areas, and is caused by long-term exposure of bare feet to volcanic, red-clay soil and affects some people, particularly those working in agriculture in some regions of Africa, Asia, and South America.

粘土，或更准确地说，某些粘土类型，传统上已被人类用于治疗、营养和护肤目的，尽管它们可能会导致一些相对罕见但重大的健康和护肤风险。例如，粘土颗粒可以吸附并使其可用于消除或排泄任何潜在的有毒元素或被摄入或产生的毒素，但它们也可通过摄入或通过皮肤吸收吸附并可用于掺入有毒元素，例如重金属。自古以来，世界各地都观察到食土现象，反映了文化习俗、宗教信仰和生理需求，无论是营养（膳食补充剂）还是作为疾病的补救措施。一些粘土和粘土矿物在制药和化妆品工业中广泛用作活性化合物/试剂和赋形剂。在生物医学领域，一些粘土矿物，如埃洛石和蒙脱石，以其作为活性药物分子控制和可持续递送的载体的有效作用而闻名，在生物材料领域，一些粘土矿物用于支架、水凝胶、泡沫和电影制作。对用于治疗和美容局部应用的基于粘土的产品的使用的化学和微生物限制通常是由卫生法规施加的，并且本文提出了一些解决方案来控制和减少这些限制。这里特别强调球体和球体疗法，以及操纵和修改的球体，特别是针对定制的球体或“设计和工程化”的球体及其衍生物、杀菌球体和软膏。就所谓的“杀手粘土”而言，它们的先决条件、作用机制和消毒作用也得到了增强。Podoconiosis 是一种发生在热带高原地区的环境相关或地球化学疾病，由赤脚长期暴露在火山、红粘土中引起，并影响一些人，特别是在非洲一些地区从事农业工作的人，亚洲和南美洲。