13 ways you can use salt to heal!

Don't reach for your medicine cabinet, head to the kitchen instead.

You might have heard that using too much salt can cause hypertension. But, did you know salt can help you brighten your teeth or aid in digestion? Next time you have a problem, don't reach for your medicine cabinet, head to the kitchen instead. Use salt for better health, skin and hair.

Mouth ulcers

Take half a teaspoon of salt and put it on the ulcer. Beware! It might sting severely. Hold it for few minutes and then gargle with plain water. Do this before brushing your teeth every morning.

Sore throat

Gargling with a salt water solution (one tablespoon of salt into a glass of warm water) soothes a scratchy throat. It also provides relief from tooth ache and pain due to enlarged adenoids and tonsils.

Digestion

Drink lassi with a few crystals of rock salt and fresh mint leaves when you are suffering from indigestion.

Body scrub

Mix five tablespoons of sea salt and one tablespoon olive oil. Squeeze half a slice of lemon in this mixture and apply it over the body. Rub gently for few minutes and then leave it for 10 minutes before you take a bath.

Dandruff

Take 1 2 teaspoons of sea salt and put it on your scalp. Massage it gently with wet finger tips. Now wash your hair with mild shampoo. Do this once a month to exfoliate your scalp and give your hair a lift.

Burns

Apply salt on the burn and keep it for 5 minutes and then wash off with water.

Muscle cramps

Add 2-3 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and lemon juice to a litre of water and drink this solution at intervals to get rid of cramps.

Swollen feet

Heat a fistful of salt in a pan and put it in a cloth. Apply this salt pack over the feet for 20 minutes (you can also reheat the salt pack and use).

Arthritic pain

Soak your feet in warm salt water (a fistful of salt in a litre of warm water) for a while to combat arthritic pain.

Ingrown nails

In a bucket full of lukewarm water, add some salt (common salt). Soak your feet for 15 minutes and then pat them dry. Now cut the part of the nail with a toenail clipper.

Stye

Heat around 2 teaspoons of salt in a pan and put it in a soft cloth. Now apply this on the stye. Also, flashing salt water in your eyes might do the trick.

Fever

Dip a soft cloth in a cold water and salt solution. Put the cloth on the forehead to combat fever. Do this every few minutes for effective relief.

Nail brightener

Mix sea salt, baking soda and lemon juice and gently massage your nails with this mixture. Do this once in a week for soft and white nails.

You may also like to read:

• Table salt VS Rock salt which is better for your health?
• 7 Health benefits of rock salt
• 5 ways sea salt enhances your beauty

Image Source: Shutterstock.com

---

For more articles on home remedies, visit our home remedies section. For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.

References:

1. Frye, R., Bailey, J., & Blevins, A. (2011). Which treatments provide the most relief for pharyngitis pain?. Clinical Inquiries, 2011 (MU).
2. Anderson, T. (2004). The treatment of the feet in medieval Britain. The Foot,14(2), 61-67.
3. Ballard, L. M. (2009). An approach to traditional cures in Ulster. The Ulster medical journal, 78(1), 26.
4. Sukenik, S., Flusser, D., & Abu-Shakra, M. (1999). The role of spa therapy in various rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America,25(4), 883-897.
5. Wormer, E. J. (1999). A taste for salt in the history of medicine. Science Tribune, 1-9.
6. Williams, B. (2014). For bad breath, dandruff or cleaning floors. BDJ Team, 1.
7. Roos, A. M. E. (2007). The salt of the earth: natural philosophy, medicine, and chymistry in England, 1650-1750 (Vol. 3). Brill.