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If you’ve been curious about salt baths, don’t just grab your Kosher table salt and pour it into your tub. The only thing that might fend off is a witch (if you believe in that sort of thing).
Epsom salt isn’t really a salt at all. It’s an essential mineral that’s a combination of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen, and it’s heavily involved in the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, as well as the electrical and muscle activity of your heart. That’s part of the reason you often find magnesium in laxatives and sleep aids: it can help relax your body and mind at some important times. It’s even used as an intravenous medicine for more serious issues such as seizures or possible premature birth.
As for using Epsom salt in a soak, the medical community is not entirely unanimous in their opinion of its effectiveness. However, many individuals report feeling relief from several ailments including muscle pains and headaches after taking an Epsom salt bath. There is scattered and relevant research on the treatment, but the idea behind an Epsom bath is that the same benefits it offers when administered intravenously, it might also offer when absorbed through the skin. Let’s take a look at how an Epsom salt bath works and what it might do for you.
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Soothe a throbbing head
The magnesium in Epsom salt can alleviate sore muscles, including those surrounding the skull. For that reason, it may provide some relief to migraine sufferers. Thanks to its analgesic effect, magnesium has even been studied as a substitute for opioids in treating pain, specifically migraine pain. That could be why, when a headache sets in, loved ones tell you to take a salt bath.
