What is the Difference Between Himalayan Salt and Epsom Salt?

By Marji Soofi

There are many differences between these salts. Epsom Salt is not actually salt, it is a mineral found in water containing high levels of magnesium and sulfate. The mineral has a crystalline structure similar to that of table salt (which is the reasoning behind it being called salt), but it is actually a pure mineral compound. It has no sodium chloride (which is salt) and is technically known as magnesium sulfate. Epsom Salt is magnesium that is bonded to sulfur and oxygen. It was first distilled in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England in the 1800’s and was named for the town. It has been said to have many beneficial uses from easing achy muscles and other ailments to fertilizing your garden.

Himalayan Salt has magnesium and sulfate plus 82 other minerals and trace elements, including sodium and chloride and is truly salt. There are certain properties that come with being salt, such as, being anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. Crystals are hand-harvested from mineral deposits on salt cave floors that have been dated by geologists to the Precambrian Age. Himalayan Salt is mined from the underground salt mines in the foot hills of the Himalayan Mountains and is the purest salt available on earth. Himalayan Salt produces negative ions that help purify the air of allergens, bacteria, dust, and other pollutants. When warmed the crystal salt emits a negative charge that enriches our environment and as the negatively charged ions enter our bodies they attach to the toxins and neutralize their charge, thus detoxifying our systems. Himalayan Salt is known to reduce inflammation within our bodies, which, makes it of great benefit to those suffering from arthritis and other ailments of inflammation.