Try Samples at the Museum of Edible Earth
Photo Credit: David Parry/PA Media Assignments
Geophagy and Mental Health: Earth eating, or geophagy, is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental health condition unless tied to cultural practices.
Discover more about this fascinating topic at the Museum of Edible Earth in Somerset House, London, running until April 26th.
During my visit, I encountered approximately 600 soil samples collected by the museum’s founder, Mashal. Highlighted were red ocher from South Africa, a source of iron, and black nakumat clay used by pregnant women in India for nausea relief. In the UK, only two varieties are approved for tasting as nutritional supplements.
Luvos Healing Earth, known for digestive benefits, resembles chocolate sprinkles but tastes like unwashed leek sand. In contrast, I enjoyed the milled Mexican diatomaceous earth, a silky, slightly sour flour. Beyond taste, I reveled in imagining the ancient aquatic creatures that once inhabited this soil.
Thomas Luton
Features Editor, London
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Source: www.newscientist.com
