VANCOUVER — Researchers at the University of British Columbia have confirmed that a rare clay used as medicine by aboriginals in B.C. contains antibacterial properties that could be used to to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Some 400 kilometres north of Vancouver, on the Heiltsuk First Nation’s traditional territory, sits a 400-million kilogram deposit of glacial clay in Kisameet Bay that scientists believe was formed near the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago.
The grey-green clay, known as Kisolite, has been used for centuries by the Heiltsuk First Nations to treat a range of ailments including ulcerative colitis, arthritis, neuritis, phlebitis, skin irritation, and burns. Locals also use the clay for eczema, acne and psoriasis.
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