Many people talk about eating soil, but in people's impression, soil is not edible. In fact, when there was a great famine, people had to eat bark and Guanyin soil without food. So what exactly was Guanyin soil?

What is Guanyin soil?

Guanyin soil, also known as kaolin, is also called white flour soil because it is white and fine and resembles flour. It is a clay mineral, rich in minerals such as silicon, zinc, magnesium, aluminum, etc. It is the raw material of ceramic products, and those ancient porcelains in China were all fired with it.

Because Guanyin soil is delicate, its chemical composition is stable, and it is harmless to human body, so in ancient times, when there was a famine and all the food was consumed, Guanyin soil was eaten to satisfy the hunger.

In production and life, the ancients had a certain understanding of the nature of Guanyin soil, and found that it would swell when it met with water and could be used in a small amount. Therefore, when people are too hungry, they change to use Guanyin soil to satisfy their hunger. In the famine years, the poor often live by eating Guanyin soil, because Guanyin soil can not be digested and absorbed by the human body, and it will be bloating and difficult to defecate after eating, which can temporarily relieve people's hunger.

However, Guanyin soil has no nutrition, and eating too much will make people feel bloated and unable to defecate. There are countless people who suffocate alive during the famine years. It is ok to eat two meals by using Guanyin soil, but it is difficult to last too long after all. Moreover, sometimes due to excessive hunger, people's stomachs will burst after being used too much.