clay has been used for its nutrition , cosmetic , and antibacterial properties for thousands of years . its small particle size , large surface area , and high concentration of ions have made it an interesting subject for pharmaceutical research . the main problem with the medical use of these agents , today , is their heavy metal toxicity . , there are specific processes for these agents , which might reduce the chance of heavy metal toxicity . armenian bole is a type of clay that has been used to treat a wound . before in vivo studies of this clay , its safety should be confirmed . in this work , we investigated the effect of washing process as mentioned in itm books regarding the presence of pb , as , and cd in 5 samples using atomic absorption spectrometry . in all studied samples , the amount of pb and cd was reduced after the itm washing process . the amount of as was reduced in 3 samples and increased in 2 other samples . these agents should not be used before special treatments such as the washing process . in this study , we observed the effect of washing process on reducing the amount of heavy metals in armenian bole samples . in two samples , as these heavy metals sediment according to their density in different layers , the sample layer on which the spectrometry is performed could have an effect on the results .
background : clay has been used for its nutrition , cosmetic , and antibacterial properties for thousands of years . 
 its small particle size , large surface area , and high concentration of ions have made it an interesting subject for pharmaceutical research . 
 there have been studies on scavenging foreign substances and antibacterial properties of clay minerals . 
 the main problem with the medical use of these agents , today , is their heavy metal toxicity . 
 this includes arsenic , cadmium , lead , nickel , zinc , and iron . 
 iranian traditional medicine ( itm ) introduces different clays as medicaments . in this system 
 , there are specific processes for these agents , which might reduce the chance of heavy metal toxicity . 
 armenian bole is a type of clay that has been used to treat a wound . before in vivo studies of this clay , its safety should be confirmed.methods:in this work , we investigated the effect of washing process as mentioned in itm books regarding the presence of pb , as , and cd in 5 samples using atomic absorption spectrometry . 
 we washed each sample ( 50 g ) with 500 cc of distilled water . 
 the samples were filtered and dried at room temperature for 24 hours.results:in all studied samples , the amount of pb and cd was reduced after the itm washing process . 
 the amount of as was reduced in 3 samples and increased in 2 other samples.conclusion:in itm books , there are general considerations for the use of medicinal clay . 
 these agents should not be used before special treatments such as the washing process . in this study 
 , we observed the effect of washing process on reducing the amount of heavy metals in armenian bole samples . in two samples , 
 washing caused an increase in the amount of as . 
 as these heavy metals sediment according to their density in different layers , the sample layer on which the spectrometry is performed could have an effect on the results .