Lately, I have started trekking in Himalayas regularly. When in USA I did all my treks DIY style. Driving to trailhead, carrying the pack, tent, sleeping bag, food, stove, fuel everything on my own! Well, that is a different world. Trekking with an operator is kind of new to me. Just like booking a package tour. Sounds like 'Sahib style', where everything is done by others and I have to just walk. Tents ready by the time we reach the campsite of the day, hot chai and snacks, hot water, hot tasty breakfast and dinner, yummy desserts, basic medical check up, kind and attentive staff to listen to all the fuss! Sounds great huh?

Well, Chadar is a very popular trek and you will find tons of information on web. But, surprisingly people are not prepared enough for the trail. Most of the times trekkers underestimate nature and overestimate themselves. All is well that ends well. If not, no one is to be blamed but ourselves!! With my own experience I would like to say few things ...

The formidable River

Chadar trek was on my list since 2013. I used to read blogs and envy people. This year somehow I made it happen in the fear that this amazingly wonderful and breathtakingly beautiful trek might become a history in a couple years! I was so excited about trekking this winter highway that I went silent :) The flight from Delhi to Leh was packed with trekkers. The cold desert of Ladakh invited everyone with wide open hands.

Kedartal, as the name indicates its Lord Shiva's lake. The legend says Shiva created this lake as a contribution to River Bhagirathi. The lake is believed to be the origin of Kedar Ganga, a tributary to Bhagirathi which joins the river at Gangotri. But, in that landscape you happen to see Kedar Ganga originating from a glacier which feeds the lake too!

"Earth laughs in flowers" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

And her this laugh takes twelve years to bloom! Well, I am talking about Neelakurinji- a flower endemic to Southern Western Ghats which blooms every twelve years. Like many others I too was very curious to witness this enigmatic beauty of the rolling hills of Munnar carpeted with bluish purple flowers. Sometimes reality bites! Well, I saw the blooms but no carpets, more tourists in bright colored clothes than flowers! The recent torrential rains, floods might have to be blamed for the damage to the soil, shrubs and the buds. 

Clay is a smart material that has innumerable virtues! It is at the same time anti-inflammatory and healing, antiseptic and disinfiltrante, exudant and exorcisante. Even better ! With microbes, parasites, bacteria and viruses, it's eradication!

It should be known that there are special precautions absolutely essential to respect for this form of therapy:

Three weeks before any clay absorption, it is imperative to remove olive oil and paraffin oil.

Fifteen days before any absorption, all table oils, butter and cream must be reduced.

Eight days before any absorption, you must remove all the charcuteries fat sauces. From the first to the last day of clay taking, you must drink, outside meals, a liter and a half of natural mineral water, and this systematically every day of your cure.

If you have never absorbed clay , you must go through a trial period to avoid adverse effects. This cure will last 6 days.

It's simple: take superfine clay (white for the trial period and your first cure, white or green for the following treatments).

Put in the evening before you go to sleep a teaspoon of clay powder in a glass of pure mineral water. Do not take carbonated water. Shake well for two minutes, without stopping.

 The next morning, when you wake up and on an empty stomach, drink a third of the maximum amount of clay water. Take care not to move the glass too much so that the deposited clay does not disperse in the water you drink.

A cure must last for a maximum of 20 days.

The first twelve days, drink your clay water (as explained above).

The last eight days, you will have to drink not the clay water, but the clay water, that is to say that the last eight mornings, you will have to stir the water and the clay then drink the contents glass. Plan immediately after absorption something you like. Indeed, this miracle substance unfortunately has a very unpleasant taste in the mouth!

In addition to the trial periods, never do more than two cures of clay a year (40 days in the year).

The best periods are the beginning of spring and the end of autumn.

You should know that it is normal to feel some disorders during the first ingestions: intestinal colic, constipations, cold sweats or flushing, dizziness, tinnitus. But if you respect the dosage, it does not matter. Drink water, remove fat, chocolate, dates, soft drinks.

As for the contraindications, there are three: if you have a treatment in progress other than a homeopathic treatment; if you have high blood pressure and spasmodic or atonic constipation.

Pregnant women are strongly advised not to use clay in any way, at ANY MONTH OF PREGNANCY.

Clay is a natural product, but it is not a reason to use it in overdose! Respect the daily doses and do not think that prolonged use is better for your health.

The therapeutic use of clay in humans corresponds very exactly to the instinctive need to recharge, as this beneficial earth brings to our body everything it needs in minerals, metalloids to rebalance our cells.

Dental Problems: First, start using a clay toothpaste . But in case of caries, in addition to the general brushing of the dentition, fill the dental cavity with compact clay that you have obtained by insufficient addition of water to your clay powder.

 Splinters of wood : Small boo, but oh so unpleasant. It is often reluctant to be incised when the small piece of wood can not be caught. The solution: dip your finger in a hot bath of clay water. This bath will soften the flesh and allow the absorbent effect of clay to remove the troublemaker, naturally and without incision!

Hay fever: Pollen and dust from cereal cutting are inhaled through the nose and become lodged in the mucous membranes. Their mere presence causes an automatic rejection reflex to expel them, hence sneezing. Rinse the nose several times a day with clay water. Then, as soon as sneezing stops, use clay water. Apply also a thin layer of clay, hot, warm or cold on the wings of the nose. It's up to you to choose according to your sensitivity and your reactions to these applications.

ANTISEPTIC and CICATRISANTE : natural antiseptic: "it does not have the disadvantages of certain chemical antiseptics that kill microbes by damaging the cells that make up our tissues" (Dr. Valnet). This property would come mainly from the silicic acid content of the clay. It plays a role of astringent, purifier and accelerator in the regeneration and in the reconstitution of damaged tissues.

BACTERICIDE : very effective in the treatment of diseases such as enteritis, colitis, colibacillosis, pulmonary or parasitic diseases, intestinal parasites, worms ... Very effective also in the treatment of purulent wounds by eliminating pus, attracting suppuration, disinfecting and purifying the body.

ADSORBENT POWER : from the verb to adsorb: to fix by superficial penetration. Clay adsorbs bad odors. It is, for example, this power which "probably explains the conservation of eggs in the extreme Eastern fashion; everyone has heard about the "rotten eggs" of the Chinese. They are not rotten eggs but eggs that have been preserved in the clay soil "(Dr. Valnet).

ANTITOXIC : for the same reasons as bactericidal and antiseptic.

DEGREASING and COLORLESS : Roman whitewashers trod the linen in clay water: fuller's earth. In the USA we use fuller's earth for the treatment of petroleum products: we have not tried yet to stop oil spills ...

ABSORBENT POWER : hydrophilic. Its absorbency extends to gases and also to smell and smell, so to fumes that stink too much.

This absorbency is used in many conditions, including those due to intoxication, poisoning, and diseases of the digestive system.

Its high silica content indicates this especially in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, aging, and degenerative conditions.

The importance of magnesium, iron, calcium, in therapy, can explain the role of clay cures in cases of asthenia, demineralization, cancerous conditions, anemia.

Its bactericidal and antiseptic action, as well as its absorbing power, enable it to neutralize the bad taste of the water of the cities when one is obliged to drink it. 
Clay can also be used to sterilize drinking water in case of epidemic or simply doubt.

Its absorbent and adsorbent powers will be used effectively in the maintenance of rustic tubs or toilets.

PREPARATION : powdered clay is poured into a container (avoid crystal, plastic and metal), it is diluted in water until a soft but thick paste, well - worked modeling clay. One can also have a permanent container where the clay rests covered with water.

CATAPLASMS : make them 1/2 to 2 cm thick. and a surface a little larger than the treated area.

Cold: on inflamed areas or lower abdomen; renew them as soon as they have become hot (about 15 to 30 minutes in general). If there is a persistent sensation of cold, it should be replaced by a lukewarm application. The poultice can also be made with a wet clay of an appropriate decoction or infusion.

Warm or warm : on the liver, kidneys, bladder, bones. The poultice should be applied directly to the skin, possibly with a gauze or muslin                                   

COMPRESSES : certain bruises, varicose veins, at least at the beginning of the treatment, apply the application of compresses before moving to poultices or plasters. To prepare the compresses, it is enough to wet the clay to turn it into a liquid paste, then to dip in it a piece of cloth which one will drain before using. The compresses or poultices will be kept in place, according to the regions treated, of course, by means of a band, a belt of fabric or even a bandage in the form of a cross.

CLAY SHIRT : dip a shirt in clay water, as for compresses, and wear it on the skin and then cover with a garment to maintain heat.

DURATION OF APPLICATION : varies from case to case, of course, from 1 to 3 hours, sometimes all night. If there are any unpleasant sensations (cold or pain for example), remove the poultice, and do not start again until 12 or 24 hours later. In case the poultice dries too quickly, it should be quickly replaced by another one. When the poultice or compress is removed, the particles that still adhere to the water should be removed by a simple wash (cold or warm water).

RHYTHM OF APPLICATIONS : it varies obviously according to the affections to be treated and the reactions of the patient. In cases of abscess or suppuration, poultices should be renewed every two hours, day and night if necessary. For the night we can replace the poultice with a simple compress to renew only once or twice.

In the lumbar, lower abdomen, abdomen and liver regions, these applications can cause various reactions. It is therefore better to limit them to one poultice per day, lasting from 2 to 4 hours. You can eventually leave the poultice all night.

Do not perform multiple simultaneous applications. In case the poultices are prescribed in several places (abdomen and lung, for example), observe an interval of three hours on average between the different applications.

Refrain from clay applications during menstruation, in case of uterine affections;

Discard the clay after use because it contains toxins. Wash the cloths, gauzes and strips that have been used,

Do not apply on the stomach, chest and kidneys too close to meals.

NB- We have already told you above, but do not forget that the clay triggers a set of processes ranging from cleaning and drainage to remineralization and revitalization. It can be seen therefore at the beginning of its use, as for other active medicinal means, an aggravation of the affection, apparent aggravation and which, moreover, does not intervene necessarily (enlargement of a wound, a ulcer, new pain): it does not matter, it is necessary to continue, it is the organism which first assimilates the remedy.

We will always start with light poultices, thin (1/2 cm maximum) or even simple compresses, and it is only gradually that we use poultices up to 2 cm; for the duration of application we will also spend from 1 to 2 hours maximum up to 4 hours. All this in cases where the clay is well supported.

POWDER : The clay can be used in dusting and very well replace the talc which is not absorbent. For babies, as for children and adults.

On slight superficial abrasions of the skin and even deep wounds, the sprinkling of clay retains an excellent antiseptic and healing action. The use of clay for healing does not guarantee a perfectly invisible wound, but at least as successful as those resulting from other methods.

The clay will be used in the same way in cases of crevices, eczema, benign ulcer and for certain eruptions.

MASKS OF BEAUTY : Without ever knowing it, and, very often, the masks of care marketed contain clay. We will make a serious economy by simply using a clay paste made as already mentioned above.

This preparation is spread thinly over the entire face and kept as long as it remains moist, which can vary from 15 to 30 minutes. Remove it with lukewarm water. Once a week, such a mask can only do good. It will cleanse the skin and help treat small diseases (acne, facial eruptions, rosacea), such as wrinkles ...

On the other hand, the powdered clay mixed with olive oil, gives an effective softening cream in all cases of dermatitis.

VAGINAL INJECTION & LAVEMENT : Dose the clay water at the rate of 3 to 4 tablespoons of clay per liter of water; warm it a little. Effective in cases of white discharge, metritis, colitis, intestinal parasitosis too.

MUD BATH : Not everyone has a pool of clay at home, but you can easily take a bath of clay by mixing about two kilos of clay in a normal bath, stored in a tub specially reserved for this purpose, can be used several times, simply adding warm water.

We can install (if we have the place) a bathtub reserved for this purpose with an independent flow, allowing the easy recovery of clay water.

The duration of the clay baths will be 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning, then 15 to 20 minutes. We will take them twice a week for a month. Cure to repeat after a one month stop.

Very effective, especially in cases of arthritis, rheumatic or bone diseases, and, of course, anemia. Local baths can be practiced for, for example, rheumatism of the hands or feet.

MARINE SALT : The quality of clay can be improved by preparing it with sea salt salt water. In fact, unrefined salt has always been important in the treatment of various ailments. Its richness in magnesium, bromine, iodine, copper, phosphorus, calcium, etc., intervenes directly in the treatment of certain deficiencies.