Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
There is no question that people who eat unprocessed soil are at risk for several
signifi cant health problems (exposure to harmful levels of chemical elements, expo-
sure to soil pathogens, intestinal blockages, etc.). There is, however, a lively debate as
to whether there are other health benefi ts derived from geophagy. Reinbacher (2003)
uses the term “geopharma”--eating Earth as a medicine for this facet of geophagy.
Several hypotheses have been proposed for the health benefi ts of geophagy. The most
commonly cited benefi t is that the soil provides essential nutrients. In Africa and else-
where, pregnant woman commonly eat red clays. The iron in these clays that may off-
set iron-defi ciency associated with the pregnancy. There is a question as to whether the
iron in these clays is bioavailable. The calcium in soils and minerals are also believed
to aid in lactation of nursing women (Abrahams, 2005).
Reinbacher (2003) suggests that eating clay may augment an insuffi cient food sup-
ply, thus staving off the feeling of hunger (Figure 2). He cites workers in Germany
who used “stone butter”, talc, on their lunch sandwiches. There are also reports that
ingesting clay may cure certain diseases. He cites the example of people in Cameroon
who eat baked clay to cure hookworm.
There is general agreement that ingestion of clays can cure certain stomach disor-
ders such as stomachaches, acid indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. Kaolin and smec-
titic clays are the principle ingredients in some of the most commonly used products
for treating stomach disorders. There are many topics (Knishinsky, 1998, for example)
that advocate eating clay as a safe and effective way to detoxify, aid digestion, relieve
nausea, treat allergies, soothe ulcers, counteract poisoning, and so on.
An unusual source of an essential element was recently identifi ed. Residential coal
combustion that can cause severe health problems (Finkelman et al., 2002) may help
to prevent iodine defi ciency disorders (IDDs) in northwestern Guizhou Province, P.R.
China (Wang et al., 2008). The coals from this region have anomalously high iodine
contents (~8 ppm versus ~1 ppm for the world average). The IDD is rare in the north-
west part of the province where coal is plentiful and people use it to cook, heat their
homes, and dry crops hanging from the rafters. In the southeastern part of the province
where wood is the primary fuel, IDD is endemic. Inhalation of iodine volatilized by
the coal combustion and ingestion of foods enriched in iodine by drying over the high-
iodine coal fi res may be providing suffi cient iodine to ward off the goiter, cretinism,
and mental retardation caused by IDD.
PHARMACEUTICALS AND HEALTH CARE PRODUCTS
Most people would readily agree that “minerals” are essential for their health and
wellbeing. They are, of course, referring to the essential elements (calcium, potassium,
sodium, etc.) that are required for good health and not to minerals in the strict sense.
Minerals are defined as a naturally occurring crystalline solid with a definite but not
fixed chemical composition (Hurlbut, 1961). Minerals are the fundamental building
blocks of rocks, are a major component of all soils, and are the ultimate source of the
essential elements. The term mineral as used in nutrition is actually a misnomer result-
ing from the fact that the essential elements were derived from minerals; but minerals
in their own right have many beneficial health properties.
 
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