No dish is complete without a dash of salt. Common salt is not a food item, but takes part in almost all food preparations. Apart from the taste enhancing property, it is also useful in the maintenance of fluid balance in the body, muscle irritability, acid base balance, and osmotic pressure. Salt is necessary for the human body, but in a very restricted amount. A healthy adult needs three to eight grams of common salt per day. If you avoid common salt totally from all the food sources, then its deficiency causes weakness, giddiness, loss of appetite, cramps in the muscles which are exercised the most (particularly calf muscles), twitching and convulsions, collapsed veins, cold palms and soles, and low blood pressure. Associated water deficiency produces scanty urine, dry mouth, inelastic skin, and disorientation. Acute depletion of sodium by 30% will lead to circulatory collapse and death.
Common salt is used as a preservative since old days. It removes the water content from the organic substances, thereby keeping them dry.
MEDICINAL USES
• In case of sore throat, tooth ache etc, dissolve a teaspoonful of common salt in a glass of water and gargle.
• Poisonous substances, in most of the cases, can be vomited out safely by drinking concentrated salt solution.
• If you are suffering from nasal congestion, cold etc, and do not want to use the decongesting drops, then salt comes to the rescue. Dissolve a pinch of salt in a teaspoonful of water and put few drops in the nose.
• Application of salt stops bleeding caused by leach bite.
• Salt is a simple but effective remedy for dandruff; massaging the hair with week solution of salt cleans the scalp, checks dandruff and prevents hair fall.
• In case of redness and dryness of the eyes, take half a teaspoonful of powdered common salt (it is better to use rock salt) in a glass of buttermilk once daily. It is also useful in muscle cramps, sunstroke, flatulence, colic, and as an antidote for silver nitrate and quinine.
• Scabies, neuralgia, chopped hands and skin can never be fatal, but irritating. Here is a soothing remedy—dissolve a teaspoonful of salt in quarter cup of water and mix it in equal quantity of gingily oil (til tel); heat gently to evaporate the water and apply externally.
• Many a time, you need some expectorant that brings out the mucous plugs in respiratory disorders like bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia etc. Sucking a crystal of salt with a clove acts as a safe expectorant in such conditions.
• Taking fomentation with the crystal salt is a time-tested remedy for painful conditions like lumbago, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle trauma etc.