Both sea salt and rock salt were well known to the ancient Greeks, who noticed that eating salty food affected basic body functions such as digestion and excretion. That observation led to salt being used medicinally — and the healing methods of Hippocrates (460 BC) made frequent use of it.
Salt-based remedies were thought to have expectorant powers. A mixture of water, salt and vinegar was used as an emetic. A blend of salt and honey was applied topically to clean stubborn ulcers, and salt-water was used against skin diseases. Hippocrates even described inhaling steam from salt-water — and today we know the anti-inflammatory effect of inhaled salt can relieve respiratory symptoms.
The physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493–1541) took it further: “The human being must have salt, he cannot be without salt. Where there is no salt, nothing will remain, but everything will tend to rot.” He used salt water for wounds, against intestinal worms, and as a remedy for skin conditions.
If the body runs short of salt, a hormonal mechanism compensates by reducing how much salt is lost in urine and sweat — but it can’t cut that loss to zero. On a completely salt-free diet, the body keeps losing small amounts through the kidneys and sweat glands, and to protect the blood’s salt concentration it accelerates the secretion of water. The result is gradual desiccation of the body.
An eight-year study of a New York City population found those on low-salt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets — the opposite of what the “salt hypothesis” predicted.
Seawater contains 84 chemical elements. Common refined table salt strips most of them away, leaving you missing dozens of trace minerals your body actually uses. This is the case for choosing real, unrefined sea salt.
An antioxidant and pH-support seasoning you can use like a finishing salt: ¼ cup sea salt, 4 g magnesium, 812 mg potassium, dried grapefruit rind (of 1 grapefruit), dried calendula (about 10 g), grape seed (about 2 g), vitamin C (5–8 g), turmeric (about 5 g), and 3 drops of Lugol’s/kelp for iodine and trace minerals. Add everything to a blender, pulverize to a fine powder, and transfer to a shaker. Use on cooking or finished foods — it also makes a great popcorn salt.
This is an educational and learning resource. Any decision to explore, experiment with, or use this information is strictly for educational purposes, and the reader is entirely responsible for their actions. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
