Salt of the Earth

Surprisingly, salt is far more than just a humble kitchen ingredient. Suchita ParikhMundul reveals its varieties, and its incredible health and beauty benefits.

Although salt has been perceived as the New Age villain of nutrition—it is blamed for causing heart diseases, blood pressure and a host of other afflictions—history paints a vastly contradictory picture. Nutritive negations aside, when used topically or even inhaled, salt was found to have potent healing and purifying abilities. In fact, these findings date back to ancient Greece, to Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, who prescribed salt water steam inhalation thousands of years ago.

Salt came into the spotlight again somewhere in the nineteenth century in Europe, where it was observed that salt miners seemed to have fewer respiratory illnesses. This was noted again during World War II, when soldiers who sought refuge in salt caves experienced a dissipation of any respiratory issues they had. Medical professionals began to connect the dots and soon, salt rooms were created to mimic the atmospheric conditions of salt caves, using halogenerators to grind salt particles which were then pumped into the air for inhalation.

SALT THERAPY

It was found that skin ailments began to improve as well, which has resulted in the growing popularity of what’s known today as salt therapy or halotherapy. Salt’s antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties make it effective against skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne. Salt therapy also works to reduce itchiness, rashes, dryness and flaking.