Elephants with a Sweet Tooth for Healing Clay

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You know what they say: “An elephant never forgets…”

Turns out, that includes remembering where to find the best detox mud on the continent.

Yes, elephants eat dirt too. But not just any dirt—very specific clay, rich in minerals and healing properties. If you thought your weekly charcoal smoothie was cutting edge, prepare to be humbled by a 6-ton pachyderm with a better wellness routine than most humans.

Across Africa and Asia, elephants have been seen traveling long distances to reach particular clay-rich riverbanks and mineral licks. There, they use their trunks to scoop up kaolin-rich earth, chew it, and swallow it like it’s the chef’s special.

Why?

Because the foods they naturally eat—especially certain fruits and vegetation—can contain toxins and secondary plant compounds. Just like macaws, elephants instinctively know that certain types of clay can bind with those toxins in the gut, making them harmless and easier to pass. The result: less upset tummy, more majestic stomping.

Elephants don’t just pick random dirt patches. Studies show that the sites they return to contain higher levels of essential minerals like sodium, calcium, and magnesium—things they may not get enough of in their plant-based diets. It’s dietary balancing and detox in one trunk-load.

And it’s not a one-off behavior. Clay-eating is passed down through generations—young elephants often follow their mothers to these clay sites, learning which spots offer the best “menu.”

If elephants had Yelp, those mud holes would be rated 5 stars with trunk emojis.

This clay-eating behavior, called geophagy, has been documented in many herbivores, but elephants bring drama to it. Watching a herd jostle for the perfect spot on a mineral wall is like witnessing a slow-motion stampede to the Whole Foods supplement aisle.

So the next time someone tells you animals just act on instinct, remind them some of those instincts include detoxifying their diet with mineral-rich earth—a skill a few humans could probably stand to relearn.