Mud is a wet earth that is extracted from a vein of earth in the mountain. This land is obtained from the so-called clayey lands.
From a cultural point of view, clay is associated with the art of pottery, an activity that is currently eminently decorative, but that for millennia has been essential in most civilizations. Since ancient times, potters have made all kinds of objects from clay: intended to facilitate daily life, for storing products, for construction or as decorative objects.
The clay pieces of ancient potters have historical value today, since archaeologists can learn about the daily life of a people and their culture by learning about the clay figures they made and the techniques they used to make them.
Likewise, it must not be forgotten that clay becomes an essential element to promote the manual creativity of children and adults; even blind people can create figures using it, as it has some suitable characteristics.
Clay in everyday language and in different spheres of society
The presence of mud is normally associated with dirt and for this reason the term mud is used to express ideas with a negative connotation. Thus, when someone is discredited for some reason, it is said that his name is dragged through the mud.
From a cultural and social point of view, mud is present in all kinds of events: mud fights, cross country or mountain biking races, trial, etc. In all these activities, the mud provides a technical difficulty that is key to making this type of sporting or recreational activity more attractive.
Mud is a substance with therapeutic properties. Its benefits are well known: it improves circulation, serves as a muscle relaxant and is used to relieve certain joint pains (currently mud therapy is very present in spas and alternative health centers).
Nor should we forget its presence in the cosmetics sector, especially in relation to skin care, since the clay acts as a disinfectant and detoxifier. As is logical, not all clays are suitable for cosmetics (the most commonly used is that known as white or kaolin clay, but bentonite, smectic or refractory clays are also used, each with specific properties).
The benefits of mud both for healing therapies and for aesthetic reasons have a reason with a scientific foundation: the minerals it contains are beneficial to the body (silica strengthens certain tissues in the human body, magnesium provides vitamins and calcium favors bones ).
Photo: iStock – franckreporter
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