Medicinal Qualities Of Epsom Salt

Relaxing in a hot Epsom salt bath on a chilly day will definitely relax your muscles and give you a peaceful, calm feeling. That's the feeling people got when soaking in the mineral waters of Epsom, England, the namesake of Epsom salts. Evidence does exist showing that Epsom salts provides benefits for a variety of skin ailments and can be important for some pregnant women, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birminghamers published at MSNBC.com in 2008, but not that they provide the same benefits as magnesium overall.

Skin Health

According to MayoClinic.com, using Epsom salts is a home remedy that can reduce the effects of psoriasis, a chronic disease that causes itchy, red skin patches. The website recommends daily bathing in warm water for 15 minutes with Espom salts or Dead Sea salts to help remove dry scales and reduce skin inflammation. Likewise, use Epsom salts, either in a bath or as a compress, to reduce swelling and itching from insect bites.

Epsom Salts for Constipation

MayoClinic.com also lists Epsom salts taken orally as a possible laxative. The salts in Epsom salts draw water from nearby body tissue into the colon, which then allows stools to pass through the colon more easily. Laxatives of any sort are not the best solution for problems with constipation, and MayoClinic.com cautions that using Epsom salts in this way may cause you to become bloated or excessively thirsty or suffer from cramping, diarrhea, nausea or gas. Moreover, a 1966 study in the "Journal of Clinical Toxicology" cites serious medical problems that can occur from too much magnesium after Epsom salt enemas.

Benefits From Magnesium

Magnesium is one of the essential minerals that your body needs for good muscle and nerve health, to help lower blood pressure and to protect the arteries. Epsom salts contains magnesium as one of its key components and while some magnesium may be absorbed through the skin while soaking in an Epsom salt bath, not enough scientific evidence exists to show that soaking provides the same benefits from magnesium as eating foods with high levels of the mineral.

Benefits From Sulfates

According to epsomsaltcouncil.org, sulfates, the second key ingredient in Epsom salts, are also absorbed through the skin. The website notes that sulfates remove toxins from your body, are needed to help the body form brain tissue and joint proteins and can minimize the severity of migraine headaches. However, not enough scientific evidence exists to back up these claims.

Treatments for Pregnant Women and Infants

A 2008 Associated Press report published at MSNBC.com notes that Epsom salts are sometimes used to treat women with pregnancy-related high blood pressure and also to stop early labor. The article reported that women giving birth to extremely pre-term babies were given Epsom salts to open the blood vessels in the brains of the newborns and that researchers found that Epsom salts cut a baby's risk of cerebral palsy in half.