Peloids

A peloid is a natural substance that is a mixture of inorganic and organic substances in different proportions. Thanks to this broad definition, they are divided into two basic groups, namely muds and humolites.

Mud[edit | edit source]

Unfortunately, mud does not have a large presence in the Czech spa industry, as there are not many natural resources like, for example, in our eastern neighbors. By mud we mean mainly inorganic matter with an admixture of dead bodies of algae and plankton.

We further divide mud into:

simple mud,
thermal mud, when the inorganic component is formed by dissolving rock in spring water,
sulfuric mud that contains a high proportion of pure sulphur.

Humolites[edit | edit source]

By humolite we mean a mixture of mainly organic substances with at least a 30% proportion of humic substances. Humolites are didactically divided into bogs and peats..

Bog[edit | edit source]

It is created mainly by the smoldering of reeds and various grasses. The moor is also the most common peloid found in the territory of our republic, e.g. Františkovy Lázně, Lázně Bělohrad, Lázně Bohdaneč, Třeboň, Bohdaneč.

Peat[edit | edit source]

Peat is created by rotting and washing peat moss. Peat pH is 5–6 in fresh peat, with further storage the peat becomes more acidic pH 1–3. During further processing, the peat is ground and mixed with water.

Peat is divided into:

highland peat, often referred to as simple peat, is created above water,
bog peat is formed under water, contains admixtures of various elements, e. g. Fe, Ca, S.

Application of Peloids[edit | edit source]

total bath, immersing the patient in a tub with peloid and water in a certain ration,
poultices,obklady applied to a given segment of the body inside an envelope with a heated mixture of water and peloid or the peloid itself (mud) is spread on the patient´s skin.

Effects of peloids[edit | edit source]

Peloids have extraordinary thermal effects, they slowly and gently warm the organism, they do not only act on the surface, but also warm the deeper organs. We must not forget the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.

References[edit | edit source]

Literature[edit | edit source]

JANDOVÁ, Dobroslava. Balneologie. 1. edition. Praha : Grada, 2009. ISBN 978-80-247-2820-9.