Evolving landscape in geophagy: mapping global research dimensions

Globally, research on purposeful ingestion of soil or geophagy has been receiving scholarly attention, that are documented from different animal taxa, including human beings, with multifaceted factors linked to the soil consumption instinct. However, a critical systematic study of the extant literature is lacking amidst the growth of research on geophagy, thereby limiting a clear understanding of the prevailing trends in this field. In response to this gap, we conducted a bibliometric review supplemented with a structured thematic synthesis to analyse scholarly publications on geophagy indexed in the Scopus database till June 2025. The findings revealed an increasing trend in publications 2010 onwards, which is led mostly by institutions and researchers affiliated with different organizations from developed nations. The thematic analyses revealed geophagy across animal taxa representing a multifactorial behavior driven by mineral supplementation, detoxification of secondary plant metabolites, and gastrointestinal regulation. In humans, particularly pregnant women and children, this practice exhibits dual roles of adaptive and pathological factors, linking micronutrient needs associated with risks of toxic metal exposure and parasitic infections. Another broad representation reveals that geophagy hotspots are shaped by unique geochemical interactions, with soils rich in clays and rare earth elements offering detoxification benefits. This multi-factorial behavior, shaped by geology, ecology (animal and chemical), anthropology and health, requires standardized protocols to distinguish adaptive benefits from toxicological aspects. The present analysis, thus, highlights critical research gaps and warrants conceptualization of integrated research focusing on the suggested aspects of geophagy by fostering collaboration across disciplines.