What is Himalayan Rock Salt and Where Can I Get It
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2012/12/16 - Updated: 2021/06/19
Category Topic: Supplements for Health - Academic Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Information regarding Himalayan salt, a rock salt popular among health food advocates who seek it for the nutritional value of its fairly abundant trace minerals. Himalayan salt is a marketing term for Halite (rock salt) from Pakistan, which began being sold in Europe, North America, and Australia in the early 21st century.
Introduction
Known for its ability to stimulate blood circulation, lower blood pressure and remove nasty toxins such as heavy metals from the human body, Himalayan Pink Salt has been used for many generations to help heal the body and mind.
Main Content
Himalayan Rock Salt comes from a time when planet Earth was a pristine eco system, over 250 million years ago. Himalayan salt is a marketing term for Halite (rock salt) from Pakistan, which began being sold in Europe, North America, and Australia in the early 21st century. It is mined in the Khewra Salt Mines located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan, about 300 km from the Himalayas in the foothills of the Salt Range. The salt sometimes comes in a reddish or pink color, with some crystals having an off-white to transparent color. It is commonly used for cooking similar to regular table salt, brine, and bath products. According to Saltworks, a company that sells various types of salt, Himalayan rock salt contains 84 trace elements and iron.
Food and Health Benefits
Himalayan salt is a rock salt popular among health food advocates who seek it for the nutritional value of its fairly abundant trace minerals. The salt is also used in Andalucian San Nicasio potato chips.
Reducing the intake of traditional table or rock salt, and choosing to use Himalayan crystal rock salt can be of great benefit to the body. A gram a day can help the body's metabolic processes and help reduce deposits that have built up in the arteries. On average, a person will consume around twenty grams of "normal" salt a day, but the human kidneys are only able to expel between 5 to 7 grams of this salt. The excess deposits in the arteries, causing them to harden and increase blood pressure.
Himalayan Rock Salt can be used directly on food, or you can dissolve whole crystals in water to make brine with a concentration of 26%. A teaspoon of the brine can be taken each day. You can also use the salt in a bowl of hot water to help with sinus issues, as a warm compress for pain or injuries, as a mineral salt, as an eye-bath, to gargle with, to heal cuts, and even as a skin scrub. Himalayan rock salt is reported to:
- Maintain your libido.
- Regulate your sleep.
- Prevent muscle cramps.
- Stabilize irregular heartbeats.
- Make the structure of your bones firm.
- Clear mucus and phlegm from your lungs.
- Regulate the water content throughout your body.
- Prevent varicose veins and spider veins on your legs.
- Balance excess acidity from your cells, particularly Brain cells.
- Clear congestion in your sinuses, as it is a strong natural antihistamine.
- Re-mineralize the body with 84 minerals and trace elements that are essential to good health.
Blocks of Himalayan salt may be used to serve, cook, and cure food. These techniques have been featured on Iron Chef and have also been adopted by a number of chefs.
Salt Lamps:
Large crystal rocks are also used as salt lamps, a lamp carved from a larger salt crystal, often colored, with an incandescent bulb or a candle inside. Lamps made of the salt are said to help with relaxation, stress relief, insomnia, and headaches, among other health concerns. The lamps give an attractive glow and are suitable for use as night-lights or for ambient mood lighting. Many believe that heated salt crystal emission of negative ions into the air gives the feeling of being on the beach, on a mountain top, or near a waterfall. However, there is no evidence that salt lamps actually give out a measurable amount of "negative ions" nor is there any scientific evidence of any health benefits from the lamps.
Other Uses:
- Use in baking and cooking recipes.
- Sprinkle on meals to aid digestion.
- Add to baths for detoxification of your skin.
- Make a salt body and face scrub to help exfoliate.
- Add to warm water and use as a nail soak for brittle nails.
- Use on stove top and ovens as a natural deodorizer and cleanser.
- Add to boiled water to speed up cooking times.
- Wash veggies in salt water to keep from wilting and help remove bugs.
- Use it to make a flush to cleanse and detoxify your body from the inside out.
- Use as a salt gargle to remove oral bacteria and improve throat and mouth health.
- Use in neti pots to clean out nasal passages and remove bacteria and ward off infections.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.