volcanic rock

Some people are willing to eat things that others would never eat. And all to obtain certain benefits that are not even proven. Videos of women eating kaolin , a type of white clay made up mainly of hydrated aluminum silicate, are proliferating on TikTok. This can be a big mistake if it gets out of hand.

Kaolin is a material that is commonly used in the ceramic industry, paper manufacturing and paint, although it can also be found in some cosmetic products. Why would anyone want to eat this? Because it is a clay that has been used in traditional African medicine since time has passed.

Specializing In The Production Of Alumina Industry

Many beliefs, little scientific basis

Kaolin eating, also known as geophagy, is something of a ritual in some parts of West Africa . The women eat it and believe that they are, in some way, obtaining the properties of the African land . So women who take it, apparently, manage to increase their strength or have a better chance of a successful pregnancy .

In addition, therapeutic properties are attributed to it, especially in relation to healing . However, there is no scientific basis to confirm it, so everything remains a popular belief.

This material, which comes in the form of small cubes, is not a toxic product if eaten in small quantities, but kaolin is not intended for anyone to consume. Of course, it is a completely safe material to apply to the skin in the form of a cosmetic.

More risks than benefits

One of the main dangers of eating kaolin is that it seems to be, according to the testimonies of the girls who have tried it, a very addictive substance , although they do not know how to specify what gives it this property since it is not composed of psychoactive substances. By not being able to stop eating, that is when it begins to be a potential danger to your health.

In this sense, clay, due to its composition, is responsible for absorbing iron from the body . That is to say, if you eat too much kaolin, you run the risk of developing an iron deficiency, causing anemia . This is especially dangerous in pregnant women , who are the profile that most often resorts to kaolin: a lack of iron during pregnancy can lead to complications or abortion.

On the other hand, kaolin is composed mostly of hydrated aluminum silicate , a molecule that occurs in excessively high concentrations in the blood of pregnant women. That is, with kaolin there would be an excess, which could lead to problems in the baby's neurodevelopment such as autism and amnesia .

And this is not all, because people who eat kaolin do not know where it comes from, although the most normal thing is that it is extracted from soils naturally rich in heavy metals, such as lead, aluminum or arsenic. All these heavy materials , in addition to causing imbalances of all kinds, can also cause full-blown poisoning with stomach upset, nausea and vomiting.

bentonite-Eating kaolin

Eating kaolin, another dangerous trend that you should not fall into

HEALTH

It is a substance that can cause addiction, so in excess it can generate all kinds of imbalances.

Specializing In The Production Of Alumina Industry

Many beliefs, little scientific basis

More risks than benefits