For a stool culture, the lab will need a fresh or refrigerated sample of stool. The best samples are of loose, fresh stool; well-formed stool is rarely positive for disease-causing bacteria. Sometimes, more than one stool will be collected for a culture. Swabs from a child's rectum also can be tested for viruses.
Miraa- is a plant whose fresh leaves and soft twigs are chewed to release a juice containing cathinone and cathine, the active chemicals that alter the mood of the abuser. Catha edulis appears to have originated in Ethiopia. It spread early on to Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and the Arabian Peninsula.
Doctors use the term pica to describe craving and chewing substances that have no nutritional value â such as ice, clay, soil or paper. Craving and chewing ice (pagophagia) is often associated with iron deficiency anemia, although the reason is unclear. At least one study indicates that ice chewing might increase alertness in people with iron deficiency anemia. Less commonly, other nutritional problems may cause you to crave and chew ice.