This is why some of the mineral supplements sold today are taken from dry seabeds. Minerals are inorganic substances. This means they are not formed by living matter and contain no carbon. All organic material contains carbon and once was part of, or was produced by, living plants or animals. The most common combination is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt.
Major minerals are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, chloride, and sodium.
The trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, iodine, fluoride, chromium, selenium, manganese, and molybdenum. Other trace minerals such as bromide, cadmium, vanadium, tin, nickel, aluminum, and silicon are found in the body but less is known about their usefulness or the amounts required. Authorities feel these latter trace minerals are believed to be received by way of our diet. If there are any disorders associated with these latter trace minerals experts are not aware of them. Lead, mercury, and cadmium are all heavy metals, which can cause severe poisoning and death.