Importance of Salt in Life

Body’s salt composition – Our blood, sweat, tears, sputum, urine, and even reproductive fluids contain salt, reflecting its vital role in human physiology.

Electrolyte balance – Sodium and chloride ions regulate the body’s fluid balance, ensuring proper hydration of cells and tissues.

Nerve function – Sodium ions are crucial for transmitting electrical signals in nerves, enabling thought, sensation, and reflexes.

Muscle contractions – Salt supports the contraction and relaxation of muscles, including the heart muscle.

Spice vs. necessity – While we can cook without other spices, salt is fundamental to both taste and survival. Whether its Potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, nuts. All our foods all have salt in common. Most of us find a salty taste pleasant, but salt does more than simply add saltiness. It can also enhance sweetness and hide unpleasant metallic or chemical flavors, rounding out the overall balance of flavors and improving the taste of food. Flavor can also be enhanced by adding herbs, spices, and vinegars, but adding salt is a cheap and easy way to make food taste good.

Now when the salt is so important with critical functions, we can improve our health by external applications of Rock salt on the body. Applying wet rock salt on the heart centre (middle of the chest, near the sternum) has metaphysical and therapeutic effects as per Ayurveda, Siddha and Pranic Healing - energy cleansing rituals. 

• Salt as an absorber – Rock salt is considered to have strong shoshana (absorbing) and shuddhi (purifying) properties. When moistened and placed on the skin, it is believed to draw out excess ama (toxins) or stagnant energy from that spot. Excellent for heart patients and arthiritis 

• Heart chakra balance – The heart centre is the Anahata chakra, linked to emotional well-being, love, and balance. While Anahata is classically linked with Vayu (Air element), it is also surrounded by Agni (fire, circulation) and Apas (water, emotional flow) influences. Wet rock salt helps to clear negative emotional “heat” or heaviness stored there. And one may experience sweating, burps or yawns immediately after application which is a signal of the removal of negative emotional "heat". 

• Cooling & calming – Saltwater has a slightly cooling, soothing quality and can calm an overactive pitta (heat element) in the chest area. Warm salt water bath helps relieve muscle soreness, promotes relaxation, may reduce mild inflammation.

Possible Physical / Sensory Effects

• Mild osmotic pull – Salt draws moisture from the skin and underlying tissues (osmosis), which may create a tightening or pulling sensation. This helps in slowing down our aging process, and make us feel youthful with bright & toned skin. 

• Cooling from evaporation – Wet salt can feel cool as water evaporates, possibly slowing the heartbeat slightly and giving a calming feeling.

Precautions

• Avoid salt application if you have skin wounds, eczema, or very sensitive skin.
• Avoid if you have heart conditions — salt won’t harm from outside directly, but applying something cold/damp to the chest could cause discomfort or affect circulation.
• Always limit exposure to a 5- 7 minutes, then wash the skin with plain water. Avoid prolonged salt contact as it may cause redness, itching, or mild burns, especially on sensitive skin. Avoid salt application on the face (avoid contact to eyes or nose), genitals and other sensitive organs.