Geophagia

Geophagia, also called geophagy, is the intentional practice of eating earth or soil-like substances such as clay, chalk or termite mounds. It is a behavioural adaptation seen in many animals and documented in more than 100 primate species, where it is used mainly for protection from parasites, to supply minerals and to help metabolize toxic compounds from leaves. In humans it is most often reported among children and pregnant women. Human geophagia is a form of pica, the craving and purposive consumption of non-food items, and is classified as an eating disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders when it is not socially or culturally appropriate. It can sometimes follow a hookworm infection. Its cause remains unknown, and it has both potential adaptive health benefits and negative consequences.