The practice of geophagy, the deliberate ingestion of soil, has a history spanning at least 2 million years and continues globally, even drawing recent attention on social media platforms like TikTok.

• The oldest evidence of geophagy points to Homo habilis at Kalambo Falls, Zambia, approximately 2.2 to 1.6 million years ago.
• A museum in Amsterdam has collected over 600 soils used in geophagy, with an exhibition now in London inviting public sampling.
• While some soils, like bentonite, are favored for their potential to host beneficial bacteria and produce the scent of rain (geosmin), health authorities like the UK's Food Standards Authority warn of risks including lead and parasitic worms in certain soils.