Be Good And Eat Your Medicine...?

Sometimes we never stop and remember that most most medicines came from humble trial and error beginnings. I don't know who the first people were that served as the first lab rats, but I'd say that they were pretty brave...or desperate!

Kaolinite

Photo credit: GOKLuLe

 

Kaolinite is the mineral name for China clay. It is a beautiful, white clay named after Kao-Ling Mountain in China. It is used to make all kinds of ceramics and is also safe to eat. While eating clay may sound strange, people have been swallowing kaolinite for years. It is used in medicines as well as toothpastes. 

Up until the late 1980s, the anti-diarrhea drug Kaopectate had two active ingredients: kaolinite and pectin. The odorless sugar compound pectin is a soluble fiber and thickening agent used to make jellies and jams, while kaolinite is excellent at absorbing fluids. The combination of the two was effective against the runs. People old enough to remember the original Kaopectate may also remember its distinctly chalky, clayey smell. That is the smell of the mineral kaolinite.

I don't remember any medicine we had to take that really tasted good...and the only thing we got when we ate any clay was someone yelling at us to stop, ya know?

Coffee inside just because it's supposed to rain again here.