geophagy
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun The act or practice of eating earth, as dirt, clay, chalk, etc.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- noun The practice of eating earthy substances such as clay and chalk, often thought to augment a mineral-deficient diet.
Examples
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Well, you might be surprised that many cultures, from the ancient Greeks to modern-day Saharan tribes participate in geophagy – or eating dirt.
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In fact, dirt eating, known as geophagy, is so prevalent in some parts of the world that scientists and anthropologists think that nutritional deficits may bring on the craving.
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Far from being a dysfunctional behavior, geophagy has evolved as a practice for maintaining health amongst chimpanzees.
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Known as geophagy or "earth eating" macaws feed on clays to counteract poisons from the seeds in fruit they eat.
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Apparently geophagy, as the deliberate behvaior is known, increases the potency of ingested plants with anti-malarial properties.
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Apparently geophagy, as the deliberate behvaior is known, increases the potency of ingested plants with anti-malarial properties.
Note
The word 'geophagy' comes from Greek roots meaning 'earth' and 'eat'.
