Geochemistry and mineralogy of soils eaten by humans

Aufreiter, Susanne; Hancock, R. G. V.; Mahaney, William C.; Stambolic-Robb, A.; Sanmugadas, K.

doi:10.3109/09637489709028575

Cited by 129 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Both benefits and risks of the use of edible clay are particularly well reported: Prasad et al (1961), Key et al (1982), Danford (1982), Hunter and De Kleime (1984), Vermeer and Ferrell (1985), Ziegler (1997), Aufreiter et al (1997), Wiley andKatz (1998), Mahaney et al (2000), Woywodt and Kiss (2002), Saathoff et al (2002), Hooda et al (2002Hooda et al ( , 2004, Kwong and Henry (2003), Izugbara (2003), Nchito et al (2004), Tayie (2004), Trivedi et al (2005), Abrahams et al (2006), Tateo et al (2006), Kikouama et al (2009a, b), Abrahams (2010), Young (2010), Ekosse and Jumbam (2010), Kikouama and Baldé (2010), Njiru et al (2011), Ekosse and Ngole (2012), Environ Geochem Health Mwalongo and Mohamed (2013), Lambert et al (2013), Nyanza et al (2014) and Owumi and Oyelere (2015), some of them being briefly shown hereunder.…”

Section: Edible Clay: Benefits and Risksmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Soil or clay ingestion known as geophagy is a behaviour commonly observed among peoples on all continents (Laufer 1930;Hunter 1973;Vermeer and Frate 1979;Hunter and De Kleime 1984;Johns and Duquette 1991;Reid 1992;Abrahams and Parsons 1996;Aufreiter et al 1997;Grigsby et al 1999;Mahaney et al 2000;Tateo et al 2001;Saathoff et al 2002;Nchito et al 2004). …”

Section: Geophagy (Or Geophagia)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Healing and edible clays: a review of basic concepts, benefits and risks

Gomes

2017

Environ Geochem Health

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The use of clay by humans for medicinal and wellness purposes is most probably as old as mankind. Within minerals, due to its ubiquitous occurrence in nature and easy availability, clay was the first to be used and is still used worldwide. Healing clays have been traditionally used by man for therapeutic, nutritional and skin care purposes, but they could impart some important health and skin care risks. For instance, clay particles could adsorb and make available for elimination or excretion any potential toxic elements or toxins being ingested or produced, but they could adsorb and make available for incorporation, through ingestion or through dermal absorption, toxic elements, e.g. heavy metals. Edible clays, a particular case of healing clays, have been traditionally used by man for nutritional and therapeutic purposes. Geophagy, the deliberate soil eating, earth eating, clay eating and pica (medical condition or eating disorder shown by individuals addicted to eat earth substances), has been observed in all parts of the world since antiquity, reflecting cultural practice, religious belief and physiological needs, be they nutritional (dietary supplementation) or as a remedy for disease. This paper pretends to review historical data, basic concepts and functions, as well as benefits and risks of the use of healing clays, in general, for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes, and of edible clays, in particular, for therapeutic purposes.

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Section: Edible Clay: Benefits and Risksmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Geophagy (Or Geophagia)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Healing and edible clays: a review of basic concepts, benefits and risks

Gomes

2017

Environ Geochem Health

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“…In a way, the clay support can be regarded as mimicking fruit tissue, which is quite reasonable because soil is a natural inorganic source responsible for the plant growth. Some clays, such as montmorillonite and kaolinite, are even used as dietary supplements in many rural areas to improve energy and stamina, reduce arthritis, and so forth (23), thereby attesting to the positive interactive effects of clay with biological systems.…”

Section: +mentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Reviewed: The Prospects of Clay Mineral Electrodes

Zen¹,

Kumar²

2004

Anal. Chem.

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Because of clay's unique properties, clay mineralchemically modified electrodes (Cm-CMEs) are very suitable for many chemical sensor applications (1-4). A successful chemical sensor must have good sensitivity, selectivity, speed, and longevity. In economic terms, inexpensive, abundant materials and cheap and easy preparation methods certainly make clays attractive. In green chemistry terms, environmentally friendly analytical protocols and devices, negligible waste, and nontoxic materials make clays of considerable interest to the analytical community. The ultimate goal is to properly utilize the high cationexchange capacity (CEC) and intrinsic catalytic properties of clay minerals to construct versatile chemical sensors. This article describes basic preparation and characteristics of Cm-CMEs in several important chemical sensor applications.

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“…eating earth samples (soil) by humans, is documented all over the world and may serve as a source of supplemental elemental nutrients, an adsorbent of plant toxins, a means to adjust the pH of the digestive system, or is used in a medicinal context (Aufreiter et al, 1997;Oliver, 1997). In Germany, a therapeutic soil (healing earth) is consumed for general health benefits, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%