The Ancient Andean Tradition of Eating Clay May Have Helped To Protect Health
Aranibar
Bitter potato varieties are still harvested in the Andean highlands  says Marcelino Aranibar  an animal nutritionist and vice president of research at the National University of Juliaca. Especially at higher altitudes  these hardy and frost-resistant varieties are a valuable food source.
Instead of detoxifying them with clay alone  Aranibar says these bitter potatoes are often made into chuño  a form of naturally dehydrated potato that also removes some of the toxins. Making chuño is considered an ancient Andean practice and allows for year-round potato storage.
 Aranibar  has researched how rats with gastritis recuperate after being fed chaco  though  he  has not researched this in humans.  Aranibar himself  eats the pale tan or grey clay mixed with water once every day or two.  He  claims it has helped manage  his  own gastritis.
The practice of clay eating is now a part of the region's tradition  says  Aranibar .
"There are many people in the Peruvian-Bolivian high plateau that still consume clay  but it's not because the potatoes are bitter "  he  says. "It is more of a custom than a necessity."
Bitter potato varieties are still harvested in the Andean highlands  says [TGT]an animal nutritionist and vice president of research at the National University of Juliaca. Especially at higher altitudes  these hardy and frost-resistant varieties are a valuable food source.
Instead of detoxifying them with clay alone  [TGT] says these bitter potatoes are often made into chuño  a form of naturally dehydrated potato that also removes some of the toxins. Making chuño is considered an ancient Andean practice and allows for year-round potato storage.
 [TGT]has researched how rats with gastritis recuperate after being fed chaco  though  [TGT]  has not researched this in humans.  [TGT]eats the pale tan or grey clay mixed with water once every day or two.  [TGT]  claims [TGT] has helped manage  [TGT]  own gastritis.
The practice of clay eating is now a part of the region's tradition  says  [TGT] .
"There are many people in the Peruvian-Bolivian high plateau that still consume clay  but it's not because the potatoes are bitter "  he  says. "It is more of a custom than a necessity."