Edible Clays in the Peruvian Andes

Peruvian culture is a rich mixture of customs and ancestral traditions among them the ingestion of clays: machu rumi ch''aqo ch''aqu chaco ch''ako ch''aquo chhacco ch''akko chachakko or also p''asa according to synonymous denominations in Quechua language. This tradition is known in the Uru culture (typical of Lake Titicaca) as qhiqhiche and in the Aymara culture of Bolivia and northern Chile as upi. They are used to provide mineral supplements counteract harmful components in the diet (such as phytotoxins) and/or for certain medical treatments.