Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Pica is an abnormal appetite for earth and other non-foods. Pica is common in small children, and occasionally in pregnant women. In extreme forms it is regarded as a medical disorder. Examples of pica are: geophagy (consumption of soil) mucophagy (consumption of mucus) trichophagia (consumption of hair or wool) scatophagy (consumption of excerement or other filth) please add more examples to this list Pregnant women have been known to develop strong cravings for soil, chalk, laundry starch, and other non-foods. Some theorize that the women may be craving trace minerals lacking in their system, but there have been no major studies on this. Warning: pica in children, whilst common, can be dangerous: children eating painted plaster may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning from lead in the paint. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.