A good dose of salts
You’ve likely experienced the relaxing yet invigorating feeling that comes from a swim in the sea, for example, or a stroll by the ocean inhaling the salty air. And you don’t need to visit the ocean to get the benefits. Many salt-based therapies are available in spas and healing centres, and you can also design your own to do at home.
What is salt?
The most common form of salt is the chemical compound sodium chloride (NaCl). In its natural form as a crystalline mineral, it is called rock salt or halite. Seawater has huge quantities of salt, with the ocean containing about 35 grams per litre, a salinity of 3.5 per cent.
Salt is processed from salt mines and by the evaporation of seawater. Evidence of salt processing dates back to about 6000 BC, when people living in present-day Romania boiled spring water to extract it. Salt was prized by several ancient peoples, including the Hebrews, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. It was vital for trade, being transported over the Mediterranean Sea and on purpose-built salt roads.
Sodium is essential for human health, playing a crucial role in conducting nerve impulses, contracting and relaxing muscles, as well as
