Salt is a crucial condiment in day by day life and helps keep the conventional functioning of the physique. An excessive amount of salt consumption can simply result in hypertension and heart problems, however cooking with out salt also can result in hyponatremia, which occurs when your blood sodium degree is simply too low. Along with its dietary worth, salt has medicinal traits that may apply to some surprising day by day emergencies.
Dr. Shu Rong, a veteran British conventional Chinese language drugs (TCM) doctor, defined in this system “Well being 1+1” tips on how to use salt as a “pseudo” first assist part to deal with day by day illnesses.
Shu stated that TCM believes the salty style of salt enters the kidneys, so salt was usually used to resolve kidney issues in historical China.
Shu defined that in response to the traits of salt getting into the kidneys, salt is commonly used as a medicinal conductor (added to reinforce effectiveness) for kidney drugs. A technique this attribute is activated with while you take drugs with mild salt water. For instance, whereas taking Liuwei Dihuang Wan (six-ingredient Rehmannia tablet), you may drink it along with some mild salt water. This manner, the salt will assist improve the medication’s impact on the kidneys. One other manner is to stir-fry medicinal supplies equivalent to Morinda officinalis and Eucommia along with salt, which might additionally assist the kidney-enhancing impact of the medicinal supplies.
Worth of Salt in Conventional Chinese language Medication
In response to Shu, in historical China, salt’s distinctive traits utilized within the remedy of the next illnesses:
1. Bone illness: TCM believes that salt enters the kidneys, and the kidneys govern all of the bony, laborious substances (together with the tooth). In historical China, there have been information of utilizing salt water to deal with bone-related illnesses, equivalent to free tooth.
The right way to do it: Put the salt in your mouth, rinse with heat water, and let the saltwater circulate by way of the tooth. Do it 100 occasions each morning for 5 consecutive days, and the free tooth will turn into agency as soon as extra.
2. Detoxing: When meals poisoning or consuming the incorrect issues causes abdomen ache, after frying the salt till it’s yellow, add water to make a concentrated resolution and drink it. As a result of the abdomen can’t maintain the concentrated salt water, it’ll induce vomiting and assist spit out all of the dangerous stuff.
3. Sober up: Some folks drink an excessive amount of alcohol, really feel dizzy, have disrupted eyesight and nausea, however can’t vomit. For those who drink a bit of sunshine salt water to neutralize the alcohol, you’ll really feel significantly better.
4. Detoxify insect bites: After being bitten by mosquitoes or bees, you may combine salt with saliva and apply it to the place the place you have been bitten. As a result of saliva additionally has detoxing properties, the 2 collectively will make you heal rapidly.
5. Pores and skin illnesses: For pores and skin issues equivalent to eczema, athlete’s foot, chilblain, and different pores and skin issues, you may soak your toes in salt water to enhance.
6. Nasal allergic reactions: Whenever you endure from sneezing, runny nostril, nasal congestion, and different signs with out truly getting a chilly, you may wash your nostril with mild salt water, then flush it with water, after which blow it out.
7. Eyes are pink, swollen, sizzling, and painful: When the eyes really feel itchy, pink, swollen, and painful, and you’ve got tears and eye mucus, you need to use a fabric dipped in salt water to use to the eyes, or wipe them.
8. Dysmenorrhea and chilly uterus: Earlier than menstruation, you may stir-fry the salt, apply it on the Guanyuan acupoint, then use moxa to burn on the salt, and alter it after burning. Do it half-hour a day for the very best outcomes.
Salt Utilized to eight On a regular basis Illnesses
Shu lists eight on a regular basis illnesses or circumstances that may be handled with the emergency use of salt:
1. Feminine urinary tract an infection: Put a teaspoonful of salt within the washbasin, add boiling water, and stir it. First, steam the affected half with the warmth from the boiling water, and when the water will get cooler, take a sitz tub and sit there for 10 to fifteen minutes.
This will also be utilized to deal with the redness and swelling of the buttocks or urinary tract attributable to diaper rash in infants by taking a saline hip tub when a health care provider is unavailable.
2. Prolapse of the anus and hemorrhoids: For the ache attributable to prolapse of the anus and hemorrhoids, you can even use a saline tub to realize the consequences of decreasing irritation, clearing away warmth, and detoxifying and relieving the discomfort of the affected space.
3. Acute sore throat: Put salt water into the throat, hold it there for a couple of minutes, then spit it out. Repeat a number of occasions. For intensive redness, swelling, and warmth ache within the throat, the antipyretic and detoxifying properties of salt water can enhance the signs of irritation.
4. Acute oral irritation: Add a teaspoonful of salt to a glass of water and rinse your mouth with the sunshine salt water repeatedly to enhance oral ulcers.
5. Toothache: Dip a cotton swab in a bit water, then dip the moist cotton swab in salt and put the salt on the painful space, which will help scale back irritation and relieve ache.
6. Foot odor and beriberi: It is a drawback of foot irritation. You possibly can put together a shower utilizing a spoonful of salt and half a basin of water and soak in it for quarter-hour.
7. Scalding: If you’re scalded by sizzling water, apply salt on to the affected space. If you’re scalded by oil, you may soak the affected space in concentrated salt water for 10 to fifteen minutes, which might successfully stop redness, swelling, ache, and blisters after the burn. It could additionally assist stop everlasting scarring.
If it’s a massive space of burns, when you look ahead to the ambulance, you need to use a fabric dipped in concentrated salt water and apply it to the affected space as a method of emergency remedy. It will assist stop critical sequelae.
8. Youngsters’s frequent bed-wetting: You possibly can stir-fry the salt, wait till it cools down, then unfold a layer of salt on the kid’s navel. Warmth it with moxa and burn it on the salt, then substitute it with one other one after burning, and do it for half-hour a day. Frequent bed-wetting is an indication of kidney deficiency as a result of moxa won’t burn the pores and skin, however the warmth will penetrate deep into the physique by way of salt, which might deal with this drawback.
5 Sorts of Folks Who Shouldn’t Use Too A lot Salt
Though salt has many medicinal values and is an indispensable seasoning merchandise in day by day life, Shu factors out that the next folks ought to keep away from taking in an excessive amount of salt:
1. Younger kids who’re consumed milk: Youngsters underneath 1 12 months outdated who’re nonetheless consumed milk should not suited to consuming salt, as a result of breast milk or formulation milk already comprises salt. It’s not appropriate to complement this meals with added salt.
2. Meat eaters: Meat comprises plenty of salt, so individuals who prefer to eat meat ought to scale back their salt consumption.
3. Folks with low libido: Having no sexual need is perhaps a sign that the kidney vitality is inadequate; in such a case, it’s not beneficial to eat an excessive amount of salt to additional harm the kidneys.
4. Folks with extreme phlegm and edema: As a result of salt has the property of retaining water, folks with edema, an excessive amount of physique moisture, or extreme phlegm ought to eat as little salt as doable.
5. Thick and darkish pores and skin: Salt is a chemical compound referred to as sodium chloride. For those who eat an excessive amount of salt, the sodium ions within the physique will improve, which can trigger the facial cells to lose water and seem dry, and that may trigger the pores and skin to age and turn into thick and darkish.
*Some herbs talked about on this article could also be unfamiliar, however they’re typically accessible in Asian supermarkets.
Notice: As a result of completely different folks have completely different physiques, it is suggested to seek the advice of your physician or TCM specialists earlier than supplementing.