PUNCH
Medical experts have cautioned Nigerians, especially pregnant women against eating calabash chalk, popularly known as Ndom in Efik/Ibibio; Eko in Bini/Edo languages and ‘Nzu’ in Igbo, stressing that it contains lead and other heavy metals that can be harmful to the body.
The experts also warned that the heavy metals in calabash chalk can cause a range of health problems for pregnant women that include anaemia, nervous and kidney damage, and gastric ulcer, among other debilitating medical conditions.
According to WebMD, calabash chalk is a type of clay used by pregnant women in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to manage morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, and skincare.
However, a public health physician and a maternal health expert in separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, described the assumption as false, noting that there is no scientific evidence to support such acts.
According to them, calabash chalk is not a remedy for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy but rather, could lead to low levels of potassium and iron in the body as it contains excess lead.
A professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Tanimola Akande stressed that persistent consumption of lead can damage the kidney and also affect the nervous system.
The former National Chairman, Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, added that calabash chalk is from the soil and has heavy metals like lead and arsenic, which are dangerous to the body when taken in high doses.
He noted that large dose consumption of calabash chalk can also lower femur bone density by reducing its minerals.
He said, “Calabash chalk is a type of clay some people, particularly pregnant women eat as medicine. Calabash chalk contains heavy metals like arsenic and lead, which can be dangerous.
“If taken in large doses or over a long period, it can cause gastric ulcers, affect blood cells, and lead to anaemia.
“The effects earlier mentioned can be found among pregnant women who take calabash chalk over a long period of time, particularly when they are pregnant. It is also known to have an effect on the unborn baby and may lead to health problems in newborns and infants.
“People who take calabash chalk should desist from this practice in view of the potentially harmful health effects.”
