What Are The Benefits Of Himalayan Sea Salt?

Himalayan salt is naturally formed, unprocessed salt that has a pink hue from the minerals it contains. It is thought to be over 200 million years old, excavated from seabeds underneath lava from the Himalayan Mountains. Because it was covered by lava and untouched by pollution, Himalayan salt is considered pure. Proponents of Himalayan salt believe it has many health benefits, although more research is needed to back up these claims. You can purchase Himalayan sea salt online and at specialty cooking stores.

Uses

There are a few ways to obtain the claimed healing benefits of Himalayan salt. You can use it in food instead of regular table salt. You can bathe in it to absorb the healing qualities through your skin. Or you can take in the calming essence and negative ions of the salt through the use of a Himalayan salt lamp.

Himalayan Salt in Food

Edward Group of the Global Healing Center in Houston, Texas, says that ingesting Himalayan salt has health benefits, as it contains 84 minerals. Group is a chiropractor and alternative medical practitioner. He also claims that Himalayan sea salt encourages regular sleep, stabilizes blood sugar and pH balance and reduces muscle cramps, sinus problems and the likelihood that you will develop diseases such as arthritis and kidney stones. These claims have not been scientifically substantiated. Talk with your physician before using Himalayan sea salt for medicinal purposes, and use only food-grade Himalayan salt in your food.

Bathing in Himalayan Salt

Some proponents of Himalayan salt claim that in a bath it eases muscle aches, detoxifies the body, increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure. But research is needed to confirm these benefits.

Himalayan Salt Lamps

Himalayan salt lamps give off negative ions. In his book, "Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps," author Clemence LeFebre claims that the negative ions ease stress and depression, give you energy during the day and help oxygen flow to your brain. LeFevre also claims that the negative ions in Himalayan salt purify the air against electromagnetic waves from electric appliances and decrease germs. The Pennsylvania State University Department of Architectural Engineering notes that ionization can lower the amount of microbes in the air by 32 to 52 percent. More research is needed, though, to support all of LeFevre's claims.