Clay minerals are alumino-silicates that are relatively abundant in nature and materials derived from them are usually of low cost. The chemical and biogeochemical properties of clay minerals are of interests to researchers. Several nanostructured clay hybrid materials resulting from ion exchange and covalent bonding have been synthesized for environmental use, like removal of inorganic pollutants, herbicides, and pesticides from solution. Clay minerals and derived materials possess diverse biological properties. They play a vital role in microbial inhibition that is driven by different factors such as pH, presence of metals and metal ions and accompanied by several mechanisms. Biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of clay materials have grown in recent years due to interests of researchers in finding low cost alternative materials for problem solving in the field of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences. In these fields, clay minerals and their derived materials are often used as dietary supplements, widely applied in drug formulations and delivery systems, dermatology, pelotherapy or fangotherapy. Clay minerals are also ingested to soothe intestinal tracts and to remove toxins. This review discusses comprehensively the bioactivities, biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of clay minerals and their derived materials.