{"id":3558,"date":"2010-08-19T08:48:18","date_gmt":"2010-08-19T07:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=3558"},"modified":"2010-10-12T09:27:28","modified_gmt":"2010-10-12T08:27:28","slug":"muza-gondwe-glorious-nutritious-red-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2010\/08\/19\/muza-gondwe-glorious-nutritious-red-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Muza Gondwe: glorious nutritious red earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MuzaI watched her from the kitchen window. Clawing away at the crusty anthill in the backyard. She cupped the red earth in her hand and threw it into the back of her mouth. She chewed, sucked, and then swallowed, satisfied.\u00a0 I was twelve years old and growing up in Zambia. I had a western upbringing which convinced me my pregnant aunt was indulging in some occult behaviour. But now I am older and wiser or at least more knowledgeable and know the name of this practice –\u00a0geophagia<\/a>: \u201cthe practice of eating earthy or soil-like substances such as clay, and chalk.\u201d Depending on who you ask, it can be considered an eating disorder, a culturally acceptable practice, or a response to famine. It is common in parts of Africa, India, and southern parts of USA. It was first documented in medicine in 370 BC in ancient Greece and Rome by Hippocrates:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a pregnant woman feels the desire to eat earth or charcoal and then eats them, the child will show signs of these things.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Geophagia is also common in the animal kingdom and is well documented in birds. Scientists speculate this behaviour confers an evolutionary advantage.\u00a0 However, despite human beings from Homo habilis<\/em> to Homo sapien<\/em> eating dirt for over two millions years the benefits and harms are still much debated.<\/p>\n

Eating soil-substances<\/a>\u00a0may provide essential nutrients like sulphur and phosphorous. For pregnant women<\/a>\u00a0in India and Africa, fine red clay may diminish nausea possibly by coating the gut and absorbing toxins.\u00a0 Clay eating during pregnancy may also provide supplemental calcium, the demand for which increases during pregnancy to form the fetal skeleton.\u00a0 It has also been associated with iron-deficiency anaemia and pica<\/a>, a medical disorder characterised by persistent and compulsive cravings to eat non-food items e.g. clay, soap, mucus, ash. During a famine, eating earth may suppress the appetite and fill the stomach which ironically has also been observed in people suffering from anorexia. In South Africa<\/a>, it has\u00a0been used for\u00a0a rather interesting purpose \u2013 to lighten the skin (which supposedly these black women think makes them more attractive). In Haiti, they go as far as working the clay mud into a \u201cbon bon de terre\u201d (Earthy treats) that unfortunately have little nutritional value and are associated with health problems.\u00a0 In America and Italy, clay was added to acorn bread<\/a> to reduce the toxicity of tannins in acorns, as well as to improve the overall nutrient value of the bread.<\/p>\n

There are some risks to eating earth, for example consumption of contaminated soil, intestinal obstruction, and ingestion of harmful parasites. Children are particularly susceptible to worm infestations. Europe long ago did away with this practice but in Africa, it is still thriving in villages and in cities, or at least where you can find a tree or anthill with doti (dirt).\u00a0Despite the possible side effects, my pregnant aunty\u00a0was less irritable and less queasy after her indulgence. She also gave birth to a healthy, happy boy.<\/p>\n

Muza Gondwe<\/strong> is a science communicator from Malawi who is keen to engage Africans with science. She is currently on a fellowship at the Centre of African Studies on the Public Understanding of Science in Africa, working on a project titled African Science Heroes.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I watched her from the kitchen window. Clawing away at the crusty anthill in the backyard. She cupped the red earth in her hand and threw it into the back of her mouth. She chewed, sucked, and then swallowed, satisfied.\u00a0 I was twelve years old and growing up in Zambia. I had a western upbringing […]<\/p>\n

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