Epsom Salts – 8 Amazing Benefits & Uses
Every night when my father came home from work, he used to take a bowl of warm water, add a spoon of Epsom Salts, and soak his feet. It’s natural enough to want to soak your feet after a hard day of working on the farm, especially as his days were often long.
I never gave any thought to addition of the Epsom Salts so I did not ask why he did this. He is now nearly eighty and during a recent visit to the chiropodist, he was told that he had the feet of a young man. As he told me this, I made a quick mental note and fleetingly thought that perhaps it was something to do with soaking his feet for all those years.
I thought that it was a daft notion, but decided to see what I could find out about the properties of Epsom Salts. I became more interested when I discovered that many spa salons also use them as a foot soak to help cleanse the feet of impurities. This was just the start of things and I discovered that Epsom Salts have numerous applications for humans, animals, and plants. For the moment, I will only be focusing on its benefits to humans.
Health Benefits Of Epsom Salts
Improve Digestion: John Pollard describes “The Gallbladder Flush” in his book, “The Digestive Awareness Diet”. This flush involves drinking a large amount of organic apple juice for three days, drinking a mixture of grapefruit juice and olive oil and drinking Epsom Salts the following morning. The premise of this is that the apple juice will soften the gallbladder and loosen the stools, and the Epsom salts will evacuate the toxins dumped into the digestive tube to improve digestion. Please note that this is only a quick overview of the process.
Remove Gallstones: There are several other books that mention the Epsom salts detox and the reason it is as effective as a detox is because it acts as a laxative. It also opens the capillaries and is therefore effective in removing gallstones.
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.
Rich in Magnesium: Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate and according to the National Academy of Sciences, the majority of people living in America today are deficient in magnesium. This is related to fast-food living, as well as modern farming methods.
The Academy believes that this is why there is such a high incidence of stress-related illnesses, digestive problems, arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, heart disease, and strokes. Bathing with Epsom salts not only makes magnesium readily available to the body, but it also draws out toxins, and as magnesium is a natural stress reliever, the bath lifts the mood and aids in relaxation.
Improve circulation and lower blood pressure: 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.
Used in Aromatherapy: Epsom salts are a natural emollient and exfoliator and many aromatherapy skin care products incorporate carrier oils, essential oils, and sea salt with Epsom salts. With a little know how, it is easy to experiment and make your own skin scrubs and cleansers.
Conditioner: Mixing Epsom salts and a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a good hair conditioner will add body to the hair.
Facial Cleanser: Mixing half a teaspoon of Epsom salts into any cleansing cream will make an effective facial cleanser, which can then be massaged into the skin and rinsed off with lukewarm water. An excellent homemade skin mask can be made from a tablespoon of cognac, a quarter cup of dried milk powder, the juice of a lemon, five drops of lavender essential oil, and half a teaspoon of Epsom salt. This is suitable for normal and oily skin.
For those with dry skin, two teaspoons of mayonnaise, five drops of lavender essential oil, a quarter of a cup of grated carrots, and half a teaspoon of Epsom salts should be mixed together.
Experts say that soaking in an Epsom salts bath at least three times a week will help us feel better, look better, and have more energy. So, maybe its time that I took a leaf out of my father’s book.
Written by HealthyNewAge, the natural care web site and blog
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1584988/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0001100/
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