The Ancient History of Healing Ash & Clay in Scriptures

By Liana Werner-Gray

Over 17 years ago, when I was at rock bottom in my health, a naturopath introduced me to bentonite clay. I didn't know it then, but I was about to start a healing practice that's actually thousands of years old… one that even shows up throughout Scriptures.

The more I've learned about the history of clay and ash as healing tools, the more it's blown my mind. Long before "detox" was a wellness buzzword, people were turning to the earth itself — literal dust, ash, and clay — for cleansing, healing, and restoration. Genesis tells us we were formed from the dust of the ground and given the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Even the prophet Isaiah described us as clay being shaped in the hands of a potter (Isaiah 64:8). 

And in one of my favorite passages, Jesus heals a blind man by making mud from dust and saliva and placing it over the man's eyes — and the man's sight is restored (John 9:6).

I don't think that's a coincidence. I think it's a reminder that the earth was never separate from healing. It was designed to be part of it.

An Ancient Practice, Not a New Trend!

Ash and clay as healing and purifying tools show up across the ancient world, not just in Scripture — the Egyptians used mineral-rich clays for skin and detox purposes thousands of years ago, and purification rituals involving ash appear throughout ancient texts. Sitting in ashes, in Scripture, was even a physical posture of humility and turning back to God (Genesis 18:27, Jonah 3:6).

Genesis 18:27 — Abraham, standing before the Lord to intercede for Sodom, calls himself “dust and ashes.” It’s an acknowledgment of creatureliness before divine holiness — he’s approaching God not as an equal but as something formed from the ground itself.

Jonah 3:6 — the king’s ashes (and sackcloth) are a physical enactment of that same lowliness, but turned toward repentance. Ashes visually recall dust — mortality, humility, “I am not above judgment.”

So when I started using bentonite clay, drinking it, bathing in it, and putting it on my skin, I was tapping into something ancient — something that goes back to the very beginning.

Why Clay Became Part of My Healing

When I began using bentonite clay, my body was overwhelmed — a golf ball size tumor, parasites, exhaustion, inflammation… Clay became one of the most important tools in turning that around. It's mineral-rich, formed from ancient volcanic ash, and when hydrated, it takes on a natural negative charge that allows it to bind to toxins and impurities and support the body's own elimination pathways.

Here's how I still use it today:

• Drinking it — 1 tsp mixed into a glass jar of filtered water (never use metal utensils, it weakens the clay's binding properties)
• Clay baths — about 1 cup added to a warm bath, soaking 20–60 minutes
• Face masks — mixed with water or apple cider vinegar into a paste, left on 10–15 minutes
• Clay pastes — applied directly to areas of the body needing extra support
• Oral care — as the base in natural toothpastes like Redmond Earthpaste & there latest Leaf toothpaste. 
  
  

Why I Trust Redmond Clay

The clay I personally use and trust is Redmond Clay, straight from ancient volcanic ash deposits in Utah. I’ve been drinking it and using it since 2010. It's food-grade, minimally processed, and free from unnecessary fillers or chemicals — which mattered so much to me during my healing journey, and still does today. I've been to the Redmond clay fields in Utah myself, and standing there, seeing where it actually comes from, gave me such a deep appreciation for how pure and untouched it is. It's exactly the kind of real, earth-sourced ingredient that The Earth Diet has always been built around.

Final Thoughts

Clay and ash have been used for healing since the very beginning — long before wellness trends, and long before I ever discovered it for myself. Scripture reminds us we were formed from dust, and that even Jesus used the earth itself as part of a miracle. There's something powerful about knowing that a tool as simple as clay carries that kind of history.

For me, using Redmond Clay isn't just a wellness ritual — it's a small daily reminder of where we came from, and how much healing the earth still has to offer us. Never forget: before pharmacies existed, our ancestors turned to the earth for healing — nature was medicine long before pharmaceutical drugs ever were. Bentonite clay worked for our ancestors — and it still works today.

With love,

Liana

P.S. Click here for 15% off your next Redmond purchase. And keep in mind it's always better to buy straight from a company's website to support them as much as possible. But I do understand for some Amazon is just more convenient.

*This is a sponsored blog