All You Need to Know About Epsom Salt
What is Epsom salt? Epsom salt is the name by which most people know the chemical compound magnesium sulfate, with the formula MgSO4. The compound is more popularly called by that name because it was first discovered in Epsom, England, where it was distilled and marketed primarily as a bath salt. The knowledge of Epsom salt and its many uses have been with us since the 1500s.
As mentioned above, Epsom salt has many uses, more than just being a bath salt. It is used in gardening and agriculture, in medical treatments, in beauty treatments, and in the production of tofu.
The Agricultural Uses of Epsom Salt
Plants derive energy from sunlight and the process that allows them to do this is called photosynthesis. The main component that lets plants get this energy is in turn called chlorophyll, and chlorophyll is made up of magnesium. Applying Epsom salts to plants, especially potted plants left indoors most of the time, encourages these plants to get more energy despite their limited exposure to the sun.
Epsom Salt in Medical Treatments
Epsom salt has properties that make it useful in treating patients with various illnesses. One of the uses of Epsom salt in medicine is as part of the procedure used by doctors in emergency rooms to revive patients who have suffered from cardiac arrest.
Epsom salt is also sometimes prescribed by doctors to treat patients suffering from colds, respiratory congestion and asthma. In the maternity ward and the nursery, Epsom salt is administered to delay or prolong the labor in women who are experiencing it prematurely. There are studies showing that intravenous application of Epsom salt to premature babies prevent the development of cerebral palsy in them.
In first aid, Epsom salt is applied to treat boils and carbuncles. It is also known to draw splinters from a wound.
The main use of Epsom salt comes in pain relief. Gels and compounds containing Epsom salt are given to patients suffering from fibromyalgia and osteoporosis. It also flushes out the toxins in the body that are brought about by stress and replenishes the magnesium that stress seeps away from the body. It relaxes the muscles and soothes away the pain.
Epsom Salt in Beauty Treatments
Aside from giving stress relief, which is also part of the aim of beauty treatments, Epsom salt also has clarifying properties that make it good for the skin and the hair. When used on the skin, it acts as an exfoliating agent and sloughs off the layers of dead cells from the skin. The clarifying properties of Epsom salt also help in treating excessively oily skin and in reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
John C. Arkin, the contributor of Printer Ink Refill. More information on the subject is at All You Need to Know About Epsom Salt, and related resources can be found at Epson Ink Cartridges.
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