Epsom salt is essential to the body's ability to replenish potassium and to enzymatic activity. A bitter-tasting, white crystalline salt, it also plays an integral role in the transmission of neurochemicals and acts as a laxative. Epsom salt is approved for ingestion and is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a drug. However, most container labels warn against ingestion.
History
Epsom salt is named after the town of Epsom in Surrey County, England, which is famous for Epsom well mineral springs.
Chemical Name
Hydrated magnesium sulfate is the chemical name for Epsom salt.
Plants
Gardeners can use Epsom salt to boost the magnesium content of their soil when they do not need to elevate the pH level, according to a horticultural agent from Harnett County, North Carolina. Sandy soils--for example, along the Gulf of Mexico coast in the United States--commonly are deficient in this essential plant nutrient. A soil test will determine if the soil lacks magnesium.
Poison Ivy
Epsom salt is recommended as a treatment for poison ivy by the University of Mary Washington Health Center because it dries out dermal blisters caused by the allergic reaction to the plant. After mixing an Epsom salt solution by following the instructions on the box, saturate a clean cloth, and apply it to the affected area for 5 minutes. The Epsom salt draws out the fluid by osmosis and kills the bacteria that cause infection. Repeat several times.
Pregnancy
According to the National Cancer Institute, Epsom salt is used as a drug to treat seizures caused by serious pregnancy complications known as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are potentially fatal, pregnancy-specific hypertensive conditions.
Adverse Reactions
The Arizona Department of Health Services lists several adverse reactions to the ingestion of Epsom salt. In the cardiovascular system, the ingestion of Epsom salt can cause hypotension (low blood pressure), depressed cardiac function and cardiac arrest. When administered to pregnant women, the mother and/or the infant could experience respiratory depression up to 24 hours after, or during, ingestion. According to Stanford University Medical School, this condition is recognized when the patient produces 10 to 14 breaths per minute.
The central nervous system also can react with Epsom salt. Patients can experience mild adverse reactions, such as excessive perspiration and drowsiness. More serious reactions include, but are not limited to, hypothermia and "depressed reflexes progressing to flaccidity and paralysis." Like the adverse respiratory reactions, these symptoms can occur in both the mother and the baby during ingestion or up to 24 hours after ingestion.
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