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Geochimica Brasiliensis, 23(3) 315-331, 2009 View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Portal do Conhecimento Geochimica Brasiliensis , 23(3) 315-331, 2009 CHARACTERIZATION OF CLAYS USED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES IN THE ARCHIPELAGO OF CAPE VERDE Gomes, C. S. F. 1, Hernandez, R. 2, Sequeira, M. C. 1, Silva, J. B. P. 1 1Research Centre “GeoBioTec” of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; [email protected]; [email protected]. 2Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária (INIA), Praia, Cape Verde; [email protected] Recebido em 04/09 e aprovado para a publicação em 06/09. ABSTRACT Samples taken from pieces of two clays being commercialized for medicinal purposes (alleviation of gastrointestinal problems, treatment of abscesses, furuncles and wounds, as well as of skin ailments, and cosmetic applications) by saleswomen of natural products at the public market of the town of Praia, in the island of Santiago, archipelago of Cape Verde, were submitted to several analyses, such as, granulometric analysis, mineralogical analysis, chemical analysis, cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cations, and plasticity, in order to find out any scientific justification for the applications referred to. One of the studied clay is composed of dioctahedral illite, and the other clay is composed of dioctahedral smectite, dioctahedral illite and kaolinite. Other analytical data support the capacities of the studied clays to be used as healing materials. These clays as other natural healing clays are traditionally used for internal detoxification (particularly in the gastrointestinal tract), for trauma injuries, for skin ailments and for cosmetic applications. RESUMO Amostras de duas argilas comercializadas para fins medicinais (alívio de afecções do foro gastrointestinal, tratamento de abcessos, furúnculos e feridas, assim como para afecções da pele e aplicações cosméticas), e vendidas numa loja de produtos naturais no mercado público da cidade da Praia (capital do arquipélago de Cabo Verde) foram submetidas a vários estudos de carácter experimental: análise granulométrica, análise mineralógica, análise química, capacidade de troca catiónica e catiões de troca, e ainda plasticidade, tendo em vista encontrar justificação científica para o seu uso empírico nas aplicações referidas. Uma argila, em termos de minerais argilosos, é composta por ilite dioctaédrica, enquanto que outra argila é composta, em termos de minerais argilosos, por esmectite dioctaédrica, ilite dioctaédrica e caulinite. Estes e os outros dados analíticos abonam a favor das capacidades curativas das argilas estudadas. As argilas estudadas revelam características semelhantes às de outras argilas naturais reconhecidas como possuindo propriedades curativas de certas afecções e que são tradicionalmente usadas para desintoxicação interna (particularmente no sistema gastrointestinal), para o tratamento de feridas externas e de diversos tipos de afecções da pele. 315 Geochimica brasiliensis , 23(3) 315-331, 2009 INTRODUCTION typology of the heath affections, their etiology, application methodologies, and naturally with the detailed characterization Cape Verde is an Atlantic archipelago of the clays. of volcanic origin that together with the archipelago of Azores, the archipelago of CLAYS AND CLAY MINERALS IN Madeira, and the archipelago of Canaries MEDICAL GEOLOGY belong to the so-called bio-geographic archipelago of Macaronesia. The The use of minerals for medicinal archipelago of Cape Verde is 455 km purposes is, most probably, as old as distant from the cape named Cap Vert in mankind itself. The therapeutic use of Senegal. minerals is known since the oldest civilizations. The archipelago of Cape Verde comprises ten islands and four islets, In Mesopotamia (3,000-2,000 BC), located between the meridians 22º 39’ and in the clay plates of Nippur (~ 2,500 20’’W and 25º 20’ 00’’ W, and the parallels BC), there are written references to 125 14º 48’ 00’’N and 17º 12’ 15’’N. The names drugs of mineral nature, the so-called of the islands are as follows: Santiago, São medicinal terras or earths and minerals, Vicente, Maio, Santo Antão, Sal, Boa Vista, particularly nitre (potassium nitrate) and São Nicolau, Santa Luzia, Fogo and Brava. halite (sodium chloride). Based on information provided by the The medicinal terras mainly saleslady, Clay A and Clay B would have composed of clay were used for therapeutic been derived from the geographic area of purposes, including the treatment of wounds Rabil, in the Boavista’ island and they were and the inhibition of haemorrhages. sampled in a water-well. A survey of the geology of the area referred to indicates the In Ancient China the catalogue named occurrence of a complex of phonolite, Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu initiated by the emperor extrusive igneous rock essentially consisting Shen Nung (probably in 2,700 BC) of alkali feldspar, alkali pyroxene and contained references to several medicinal nepheline. plants and other medicines of mineral origin, such as, melanterite (hydrated iron The town of Praia, capital of Cape sulphate), cinnabar (mercury sulphide), nitre Verde, is located in the island of Santiago, (potassium nitrate), and sulphur, within the main island (991km2) of the archipelago. others, as well as terras, clay rich It was in the public market of Praia, more materials, also used for medicinal purposes. precisely in a shop selling natural products, that were bought by one of the authors Goitre is a disease which has plagued (R.H.) two macroscopically distinctive clays, the humans for at least several thousand clay A and clay B, used by some inhabitants years, and Sheng Nung allegedly as healing materials in gastrointestinal prescribed seaweed, now known to be rich affections, in the treatment of abscesses, in iodine, as a treatment of the disease. furuncles and other skin ailments, as well as in cosmetic applications. Since 1921, after iodine being recognized as a bio-essential mineral, to The use of clays for medicinal and combat iodine deficiency in diets, iodine is cosmetic purposes is current practice in all incorporated in iodized common salt. the islands of archipelago of Cape Verde, and in other islands of the comprehensive And, since September 2009, in biogeographic archipelago of Macaronesia. Australia and in New Zealand, iodine will The authors are preparing a more have a new source, the iodized bread, since comprehensive paper dealing with the it was found that people are cooking less ３１６ Geochimica brasiliensis , 23(3) 315-331, 2009 they once had, now eating more processed coins, and afterwards stamped with the goat foods which don’t contain iodine. image, representing the goddess Diana or Artemis. It was usual the ingestion of these And, since September 2009, in types of terras. Australia and in New Zealand, iodine will have a new source, the iodized bread, since On the other hand, the terra or clay it was found that people are cooking less from Kimolos’ island was identified as Ca 2+- they once had, now eating more processed smectite (Robertson, 1986). foods which don’t contain iodine. The first classifications of medicinal The oldest known book, the famous terras are due to Hippocrates (460-355 BC) Papyrus Ebers, the greatest Egyptian and to Aristotle (384-322 BC). Aristotle medical document written around 1550BC reports the ingestion of terras, soils or clays, from much older source material, describes by man with therapeutic or religious some diseases and their treatment and purposes. Later, Marco Polo described how doses, using about 500 substances in his travels he saw Muslim pilgrims cured generally based on minerals, such as, such fevers by the ingestion of “pink earth”. as, alum (hydrate potassium and aluminium sulphate), halite (sodium chloride), copper Dioscorides in his book De Materia and lead minerals, and minerals based on Medica (60 AC) reports the healing clays (Reinbacher, 1999). properties of certain minerals and chemical substances utilized in the preparation of In Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh’s doctors medicines and cosmetics. Pliny the Elder used Nubian earth as an anti-inflammatory (23-79 AC) in his book Natural History agent, and yellow ochre (a mixture of clay describes the use of clays, particularly those and iron oxy/hydroxides) as a cure for skin occurring around Naples and being related wounds and internal maladies and with the alteration of volcanic ash, to heal associated with natron (hydrated sodium stomach and intestinal problems. carbonate) as a preservative in the mummification of cadavers. Furthermore, Cleopatra (44-30 BC), Galeno (131-201 AC), a Greek doctor, Queen of Egypt, used mud from the Dead describes the medicinal terras being used, Sea for cosmetic purposes, for instance, for instance, for gastrointestinal affections, facial masks (Bech, 1987; Newton, 1991; and indicates their therapeutic properties, Robertson, 1996; Veniale, 1997; their organoleptical characteristics and Reinbacher, 1999). properties, and how to recognize them. In Ancient Greece the so-called The rubbing of clays onto parts of the terras, effectively corresponding to clays, body for therapeutic purposes has been after being mixed with water were utilized, known for very long time. Romans in under the form of patches, to heal skin dedicated buildings called balnea, erected affections. “Bolus Armenus”, red clay found around thermal springs, took advantage of in the mountain caves of Cappadocia, benefits for health and wellbeing of water- ancient Armenia, present-day Turkey,
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