Montmorillonite has properties such as water swelling, adsorption, charging, and ion exchange, and is currently widely used in various fields, making it a truly versatile soil. Montmorillonite is used as a drug, and its pharmacological effects mainly come from its adsorption properties and gel properties. In clinical practice, montmorillonite is mainly used to treat diseases such as diarrhea, certain inflammations of the digestive tract, and ulcers.
Medicinal montmorillonite mainly includes powder, granule, gel, suspension and other dosage forms. The drug was first registered and listed in France as a powder in 1975, with the trade name of "Smecta". China approved the import of "Smecta" in 1990. The montmorillonite can form a hydrated gel after encountering water, which has strong adsorption, can combine with the mucus in the digestive tract, cover the surface of the damaged mucosa, and form a protective layer, which lasts for more than 6 hours, so it needs to be administered many times a day. In fact, montmorillonite can cover the surface of the entire digestive tract, absorb pathogenic bacteria and their toxins through electrostatic action and gel structure, and excrete them with feces, such as rotavirus, pathogenic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Montmorillonite can reduce neutrophil infiltration and monocyte activation to exert anti-inflammatory effects. Montmorillonite can also activate coagulation factors VII, VIII, and XII, playing a role in gastrointestinal hemostasis. In addition, montmorillonite has many effects such as supporting intestinal microbiota, reducing bicarbonate secretion, increasing the reabsorption of chlorine and magnesium, and inhibiting abnormal intestinal secretion.
In clinical practice, montmorillonite can be used for acute and chronic diarrhea in adults and children, and as an adjuvant therapy for pain symptoms caused by esophageal, gastric, and duodenal diseases. Because it is not absorbed into the bloodstream and can be excreted with feces, it has high safety. Adverse reactions include constipation, dry stools, etc.
It must be taken under the guidance of a doctor.