Many people confuse naturally occurring alum with the synthetic aluminium chemicals such as aluminium chlorhydrate or aluminium zicarnium, the two most common active ingredients in conventional deodorants.
There is a significant difference between naturally occurring alum and synthetic aluminium compounds. Naturally occurring alum is a large molecule which kills bacteria that is on the surface of the skin. Due to its size, it is generally not absorbed through the skin. It works by killing the bacteria which is the cause of body odour therefore one will continue to perspire, a healthy process since it is eliminating toxins in the body, but there will be no body odour.
Naturally occurring alum has been used for thousands of years in South East Asia and those societies do not experience Alzheimer's and other illnesses common in our society today. In South East Asia, naturally occurring alum has a long and colourful history of use. Alum has been used for centuries as a crude form of water purification in remote villages, where there was no other way of purifying drinking water.
At one time the United Nations recommended putting an "alum rock" in remote village water systems to eliminate common bacteria. The literature also suggests that naturally occurring alum was used as an anti-bacterial for minor cuts and scrapes because of its prevalence. With sixty-five percent of the Earth's crust made up of naturally occurring alum it was readily available for common everyday use.
The synthetic aluminium chemicals—aluminium chlorhydrate and aluminium zicarnium are generally marketed as anti-perspirants and are designed to block the pores from breathing. The long-term use of anti-perspirants may be, many believe, one of the causes of rising rates of breast cancer in women in our society today. We of course, cannot make claims that anti-perspirants cause breast cancer, but there's a large and ever growing body of evidence that makes logical associations between toxin build-up and cancers and other Western Society type diseases.
Toxicologists we've spoken with believe that anything considered large molecularly is not absorbed into the skin because of its size. Naturally occurring alum is a large molecule and simply not very easily absorbed in to the body. Toxicologists suggest that aluminium build-up has more to do with what is taken internally such as the foods we eat and cooking utensils used. Most common kitchen cookware is made with aluminium and many foods consumed daily, such as baking soda, pickles and most ant-acids (Tums, Rennies etc.) contain aluminium.
We believe there is a significant difference between alum in its natural state and synthetic chlorhydrate and other synthetic compounds. The skin is our largest organ – it's our first line of defence and our last avenue of elimination, so we need to be careful about what we put on it. If you want to keep this vital organ as pure and free from bacteria and chemicals as possible, one sure way is to use natural, organic products both inside and outside.
By Lamorna
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