Pink Himalayan Salt, its everywhere. So whats the hype all about?
What Is Pink Himalayan Salt?
Pink Himalayan (also known as pink salt, Himalayan sea salt, rock salt and Himalayan crystal salt) is a rock salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan, about 190 miles from the Himalayan mountain range. This area of the Earth contains one of Precambrian Age when the Earth was first formed. Himalayan salt is believed to be the dried remains of the original, primal ocean that once covered the planet.
Himalayan crystal salt is mined from 5,000 feet below the Himalayan Mountain Range. After enduring millions of tons of pressure over the centuries, this salt is said to be incredibly pure. It's color variations (from pale peach pink through to a deep brown red) show the range of different minerals that are part of its make up.
History of Pink Himalayan Salt
Himalayan salt is reputed to be the left over salt deposits from the primal sea that once covered the planet. It is mined from the Salt Range, a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan named for its extensive deposits of rock salt. Geologists especially are interested in this mountain range because it contains the most complete geologic sequence found so far.
The Salt Range was untouched until 1849, when a British mining engineer, designed the “pillar and chamber” method of mining that left enough salt in place to provide natural support for the mining tunnels. Nowadays the mine covers nearly 50 square miles and dives over half a mile into the depths of the mountain range. With well over 70 million tons estimated to still be deep in the mountain.
Pink Himalayan salt is believed to be the most cleanest and healthiest salt available today. It has a huge range of nutritional and therapeutic properties, and culinary uses. It is often used as a replacement for processed salt. It can also be used to make body scrubs and bath salts and many people now swear by the positive effects of lamps made from huge chunks of Himalayan Salt. The people of the Himalayas have been using this salt for centuries to preserve their food.
Why Is Pink Himalayan Salt Better than Table Salt?
True Himalayan salt is one of the purest salts that you can find on the market today. Usually mined by hand and subject to very little in the way of processing, it still contains its heavy mineral burden when it reaches your table. As well as sodium and chloride, Himalayan salt contains around 84 different trace minerals, all valuable to our health. Table salt by comparison has been heavily processed and stripped of any minerals that it may have contained. Often bleached to the white that we are familiar with, it also has anti-clumping agents and other chemicals added to it.
Top 5 Benefits of Pink Himalayan Salt
There are many proven health benefits of Himalayan salt, these are just some of them. As with anything, please check with your Doctor first if you have any medical condition such as high blood pressure that can be affected by changing your salt consumption.
1. Improves Respiratory Problems
The Lung Institute has stated that salt is both antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. It can also help to loosen excessive mucus and speed up mucus clearance. It can remove pathogens and allergens in the air like pollen, and decreases immune system over sensitivity (1).
This has led to a variety of “salt caves” and “salt rooms' around the country that you can pay to sit in for a while and experience the benefits of being surrounded by Himalayan salt. They have proven that halotherapy (from the Greek word halos, meaning salt) can help in treating chronic bronchitis (2).
2. Balances Body’s pH
The rich mineral content of Himalayan salt can help to rebalance the pH levels in your body. When your pH levels are at a healthy acid-to-alkaline ratio then you see improvements to every part of your general health. It improves your immunity, helps your digestion and has a direct effect on the pH levels of your blood.
3. Natural Digestive Aid
Himalayan salt is sometimes used to help flush the body of toxins, by mixing it with purified water and a little lemon juice, it's reputed to help push waste from the body and aid in digestion.
Again, please check with your physician before trying this.
4. Air Purifier
When heated, Himalayan salt is reputed to help clean the air in your home. It's not magic, salt is naturally hygroscopic meaning that it attracts the water molecules from the surrounding environment and absorbs them, and any pollutants they may be carrying. As the salt warms up, that same water then evaporates back into the air leaving the dust, pollen and other pollutants locked in the salt crystal.
5. Better Sleep Inducer
Himalayan sea salt is said to encourage a more restful sleep because of its high mineral content. It may be hard to believe, but eating enough salt daily is actually one of the keys to a good nights sleep (3).
Research in the 1980s showed that low-sodium diets can cause irregular sleep patterns. People on low-sodium diets woke up almost twice as often as those on a normal diet (4).
Additional health benefits of Himalayan salt may include (5):
- Regulation of the water levels within the body for proper overall functioning
- Helping reduce common signs of aging
- Encouraging healthy blood sugar levels
- Promoting cellular energy creation
- Reducing cramping (like leg cramps)
- Improving the absorption of nutrients from foods
- Aiding vascular health
- Lowering the incidence of sinus problems and promoting overall sinus health
- Providing circulatory support
- Improving bone strength
- Fostering a healthy libido
- Promoting kidney and gallbladder health in comparison to chemically treated table salt
As with anything, please check with your Doctor first before changing your salt consuption.
Sources:
1: https://lunginstitute.com/blog/salt-therapy-and-copd/
2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10439712
3: https://draxe.com/natural-sleep-aids/
4: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/04/science/science-watch-salt-and-sleep.html
5:https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/himalayan-crystal-salt-benefits/
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