Mud has long been used for facials and bathing the entire body during spa treatments. Now a study shows it may not only be beneficial for relaxation purposes, but may also contain germ-fighting properties as well.

The study, conducted by researchers in Arizona, revealed anti-microbial minerals found in mud samples, that could one day be used in topical products to treat "superbugs."

 "For hundreds of thousands of years, clays have been used for wound-healing and even gastrointestinal problems," noted study co-author Shelley E. Haydel, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at the Arizona State University Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology in Tempe. "And there are a lot of people out there who already use mud therapeutically, without really knowing how it's working."

"And now we're seeing effectiveness in the lab, from a microbiological standpoint," she added. "So now, the question is: How can this translate into something practical?"

After collecting 20 clay samples from around the world, Haydel's team used different bacteria to test the mud's antimicrobial properties. Three clays were discovered to kill or significantly reduce the growth of the tested bacteria. The team hopes that in the long term, medications made from mud could be turned into pills, but warn that the process to do so is "long and involved," and likely years away. Topical products are easier to create, and therefore will likely be developed in the near future.

» Yahoo News