Salt Of The Earth

The powerful benefits of salt has made it a tried and tested therapy since aeons, says Fatema Diwan, while throwing light on its latest avatar, the salt room.

- Fatema Diwan

Gandhiji raised a fistful of salty mud and declared, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” Thousands of marchers followed his example and started boiling seawater to make illegal but necessary salt along the seashore.

Salt has intermingled with the history, food and healing practises of the world ever since it was first discovered thousands of years ago. Simply put, human life would not exist without salt. In the beginning, the two great sources of salt were sea water and rock salt. Apart from their invaluable role in giving taste to food and also acting as a preservative, both varieties have great curative powers.

Salt and energy

Sea salt is shown to preserve serotonin and melatonin - hormones which regulate sleep, appetite and mood. It has been found effective in healing chronic ailments like depression.

Bindiya Shah, a pranic healer, recalls an incident, “Once, a lady diagnosed with depression, started having recurring suicidal tendencies. I requested her to have a salt water bath daily. After 15 days of practice, her suicidal tendencies disappeared, and she said that she felt like a new person.”

The practice of reiki recognises this cure. Other than baths, rock salt solution (rock/sea salt mixed with water), can be used to clean home and work spaces to wipe off any negative energy. It is also believed that carrying rock salt on one's person can be useful to overcome opponents and negative forces.

Sprinkling rock salt on fruits and vegetables leads to improved health and clearing of bodily blockages.