Most people sweep dirt into the trash, but a grassroots social media trend suggests sprinkling it on your lunch as a healthy treat. Health experts, however, say the risks of injury and disease far ...

Geophagia has been around for centuries. In the 18th century, Roman physicians reported on the effects of eating dirt. Scholars have studied the act of eating dirt in contemporary urban South Africa.

Geophagia, the practice of eating dirt, has existed all over the world throughout history. People who have pica, an eating disorder in which they crave and eat nonfood items, often consume dirt. Some ...