A village in Hunan has soaked soil in water for 200 years. What kind of weird operation is this?

On March 24, 2021, it was revealed that the habit of soaking in drinking water in Fenglin Village, Liuyang City, Hunan Province has been passed down for 200 years. When the photographer came to the village, villagers could be seen drinking soil soaked in water and even having soil for sale. Villagers claim that drinking tea made from soil can cure all diseases, and studies show that the soil here is rich in selenium. Drinking muddy water is definitely unhygienic and is a superstitious practice. The main components of mud are silica and other ingredients, which cannot be absorbed by the human body. For local residents, drinking water-soaked soil may be a habit, but it is recommended to drink less. The reason for this may be insufficient basic education, especially for this incident in rural areas. It is not difficult to imagine that their belief in these sacred theories may be due to the lack of knowledge of chemistry and biology in high school textbooks.

We can learn from simple chemical and biological knowledge theories that although soil is rich in many minerals and nutrients, these minerals are absorbed by plants, but these nutrients are not absorbed by the human body. Digestive system absorption. Therefore, it is inedible. Excessive intake of soil can also have adverse effects on the human body, as many harmful parasites and heavy metal harmful elements may be present in the soil. After the incident was exposed, many netizens formed their own opinions on the matter. Many netizens believe that medical experts are right. This is a psychological impact. Medical experts say there are risks to eating soil, possibly due to psychological effects.

The function of soil as an integral part of nature in interaction with other environmental factors. Including the function of the water cycle, that is, the quantity and quality of soil infiltration and the water retention role in the water cycle. The nutrient cycle function, that is, the ability to provide plant nutrition in the nutrient cycle; the carbon storage function, that is, the soil's storage function of organic carbon and inorganic carbon in the carbon cycle, especially the storage function of organic carbon; the buffering and filtration function, that is, the soil's storage function of organic carbon and inorganic carbon in the carbon cycle Buffering and filtering functions for heavy metals; decomposition and transformation functions, that is, the decomposition and transformation functions of organic pollutants in the soil.

The role of plant and animal habitats is to protect rare plants and animals and ensure that the soil can provide habitat for animals and plants. Soils, whether they are or can be used as habitat for special or rare species, have high conservation value. The function of soil as a habitat for animals and plants or the development of potential plant and animal communities plays an important role in protecting and improving biodiversity. In the production of crops, soil can fix the roots of plants and has natural fertility, which can promote the growth of crops and agricultural production. This is one of the earliest soil functions recognized by humans, including agriculture, forestry production, food crops and cash crop production.