Epsom salt have been used by many different cultures for hundreds of years. They have a number of different beneficial properties and are used in gardening, household cleaning, and detoxifying the body. These salts are very inexpensive and can be purchased at bulk discounts in garden centers nearly everywhere. Using Epsom salt baths is an advanced detoxification strategy that has remarkable health benefits.
Epsom salt is made up of magnesium and sulfate, which can help improve health in numerous ways. A lack of magnesium—which helps regulate the activity of more than 300 enzymes in the body—can contribute to high blood pressure, hyperactivity, heart problems and other health issues, doctors warn. Sulfate is essential for many biological processes, helping to flush toxins and helping form proteins in joints, brain tissue and mucin proteins.
AMAZING USES OF EPSOM SALT
1. Regulate Blood Sugar
Research indicates that raising magnesium levels can promote a healthy heart by improving circulation and lowering blood pressure. It also improves the body’s capacity to use insulin. Magnesium is necessary to sustain calcium levels in the blood.
Sulphates are not easily obtained through the food we eat but are absorbed through the skin. These stimulate the pancreas to make digestive enzymes and assist in detoxifying the body. Epsom Salt flushes toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances.
2. Treats Sunburn
Epsom salt is very soothing for sunburned skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties alleviate mild sunburn irritation like itchiness and pain. It can even help maintain an even skin tone.-To treat sunburned hands and legs, mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in 1 cup of water and store it in a spray bottle. Spray it on the affected area. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then take a bath. Do this several times a week to notice improvement.
-Another option is to fill a bathtub with lukewarm water and mix in 1 cup of Epsom salt, stirring thoroughly so the salt crystals dissolve properly. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil and soak in the water for 20 minutes.
3. Detoxification
Epsom salt can assist in eliminating toxins from the body. The magnesium in Epsom salt is required for detoxifying cells. It also helps detox the body of environmental contaminants that can potentially cause ill health.
To enjoy a relaxing detox bath, stir in 1 to 2 cups of Epsom salt in a bathtub filled with warm water and soak in it for 10 to 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week.
4. Fade Bruises
To lessen the appearance of bruises, make a compress by soaking a washcloth in cold water mixed with Epsom salt – use two tablespoons per cup – then apply to the skin.
5. Pest control
If you have lawn pests and you’re looking for natural insect control, consider turning to Epsom salt. A spray solution on the lawn can control insects without damaging the grass, and it’s totally nontoxic. Sprinkle some dry Epsom salt to deter slugs and snails.
6. Fertilizer
Some plants like tons of food, especially roses. Work some Epsom salt into the soil around them to keep them happy, especially during blooming season, when you want them producing beautiful, long-lasting flowers. Palm trees, tomatoes, and peppers are big fans of Epsom salt!
7. Quick bruise treatment
Use a warm compress with Epsom salt to fade the appearance of bruises. They won’t vanish like magic, but they won’t be as large, or as painful. Use a solution of two tablespoons Epsom salt per cup of water for best effect.
8. Body scrub
After you shower, rub your skin with Epsom salts using circular movements. It removes dead skin cells and leaves skin soft.
9. Soothe Bug Bites
Dissolve 1/4 cup of Epsom salts in a cup of warm water. Cool the mixture in the refrigerator. Apply with a cotton ball to bug bites to soothe pain and itching.
10. Remove Splinters
According to the Epsom Salt Council, Epsom salt increases osmotic pressure on the skin, which draws foreign bodies toward the surface. Dissolve one cup of Epsom salt in a tub of water and soak the affected area.
11. Keep Houseplants Healthy
Add 1-2 tablespoons of Epsom salts per gallon of water to nourish your houseplants.
12. Relief from muscular pain
An Epsom salts bath can promote detoxification through the skin and they are traditionally used as a soaking agent to bring relief from muscular pain and stiffness.
13. Improves Digestion
Epsom salt assists in the elimination of harmful toxins and waste products from the body and the digestive system. It also works as a laxative to soften stools, making them easier to pass, and can be used to treat constipation. Dissolve 1 or 2 teaspoons of Epsom salt in 1 cup of warm water and drink it on an empty stomach once a day. When taken internally, Epsom salt can cause some side effects, including gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Consult your doctor before taking Epsom salt. Do not take it longer than 1 week.
Also, soaking in an Epsom salt bath helps reduce water retention and tummy bloating.
14. Remedy for colds and flu
Take a hot bath with Epsom salts when you feel you’re catching a cold as it helps the body to fight infection more easily and recover faster.
15. It helps you sleep better
Epsom salts relaxes the body and helps you sleep better. Take hot baths with Epsom salts in the evening, an hour before sleep. It helps to increase the level of magnesium in the body. Lack of magnesium brings fatigue, stress, heart disease and joint pain. So, fill the tub with warm water and mix it with a cup of Epsom salts and a cup of baking soda and just relax.
16. Removes feet odor
Keep your feet in warm water with Epsom salts to get rid of odor, pain or heavy legs feeling. Do it for 15-20 minutes as it improves blood circulation, reduce inflammation and soften skin.
17. For Achy Joints, Bruises and Sprains
Soak in a warm bath with 2 cups of Epsom salts to relieve pain in joints, bruises and sprains.
18. Remove Burnt Food on Pots and Pans
Overcook that oatmeal? Scrub out your pots and pans with a few tablespoons of Epsom salts, a little soap, and hot water to remove burnt food easily.
19. Grow Better Flowers, Fruits and Veggies
Whether you’re growing roses or tomatoes, sprinkling a few tablespoons on Epsom salts at the base of your plants can keep them healthy and maximize yield.
20. Epsom Salt improves nerve function
By regulating electrolytes. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood
21. Epsom salt also delivers sulfates
Which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Medical research indicates sulfates are needed for the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help to detoxify the body’s residue of medicines and environmental contaminants.
Sulfates are important for forming brain tissue, joint proteins, stimulates the pancreas, and mucin proteins.
photo credit: Dennis Wong
