What is it about?
The pink salt of the Himalayas is a rock salt (or halite) extracted from the Khewra mine, located in the Jhelum district, within the Pakistani region of Punjab (which emerges from the Indo Gangetic plain).
The promontories from which this sodium chloride mineral is extracted are located 300km from the Himalayan mountain range, 298km from Amritsar (India) and 260km from Lahore.
Pink Himalayan salt is sometimes reddish or pink in color, with some translucent white crystals.
Despite being extracted from underground mines, the pink salt of the Himalayas is a real sea salt dating back to the primordial era, when much of the earth's surface was still submerged by water.
Composition
In 2003, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit) analyzed 15 samples of Himalayan pink salt sold in Germany, detecting (in addition to sodium chloride) at least ten different minerals. . In total, the elements of the pink salt of the Himalayas are 84.
The chemical breakdown of the pink salt of the Himalayas includes: 95-96% of sodium chloride (average value, in any case not more than 98% or less than 85%), 2-3% of polyalite - K2Ca2Mg (SO4) 4 · 2 (H2O) - and small amounts of many other minerals. The pink or reddish color is due to the iron oxide.
Below, we will mention the 11 minerals prevalent within the pink salt of the Himalayas.
Benefits for Health
The pink salt of the Himalayas is considered a natural source of several minerals, instead absent (or almost) in the white salt; these elements, as with other food ingredients, are more abundant in the "whole" salts not subjected to refining (just think to the analogies with cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, etc.).
It is assumed that, in a similar way to physiological systems, also in the pink salt of the Himalayas the minerals act by interacting with each other and can thus produce an effect that is superior to or different from the sum of their individual effects (synergistic effect).
The pink salt of the Himalayas is also rich in iodine; therefore it does not need to be artificially enriched.
The pink salt of the Himalayas is totally devoid of anti-agglomerating agents (E535 and E536 - Sodium and Potassium Ferrocyanide). These, if taken in high doses (necessarily> 25mg / kg of body weight) are considered toxic for the organism ; however, at the concentrations usually used in common salt, they should not cause any kind of problem.
A lower total consumption of sodium is also attributed to the pink salt of the Himalayas; this mineral, being organized in larger and bulky crystals compared to traditional salt, in fact takes up more space and, with the same volume, is therefore contained in quantity (mass ) inferior.
The composition of the more than 80 Himalayan salt minerals could be responsible for:
- Better electrolyte balance
- Increased hydration
- Better regulation of water content both inside and outside the cells
- Better pH balance and contribution to the prevention of muscle cramps
- Help in the proper functioning of the metabolism
- Reinforcement of the bones
- Reduction in blood pressure
- Help in intestinal nutritional absorption
- Reduction in the incidence of goiter (compromised thyroid gland)
- Improvement of circulation
- Dissolution and elimination of sediments with elimination of toxins.
Obviously, the extent of all these effects is not well defined and depends above all on the physical condition of those who take it. In fact, if these potential benefits can have some confirmation in case of nutritional deficiencies of the minerals in question, it is quite unlikely that they are also applicable to the normal-fed population.
Some believe that the pink Himalayan salt can also improve libido, reduce the signs of aging and detoxify the body of heavy metals; on the other hand, there is neither basis nor scientific evidence to support these hypotheses.
Considering the absence of supporting scientific studies, the attention of the press to the potential benefits of Himalayan pink salt evidently betrays a certain pressure of economic interests aimed at encouraging its consumption.
Uses
Himalayan salt is commonly used as a discretionary salt; it is used instead of other types of table salt, for preserves in brine, for the direct salting of meat and fish (conservative dehydration) and in bath products (salts from bath).
Real salt blocks are used as cooking surfaces (up to 200 ° C) or as dishes in the food service.
By working small blocks of salt from the Himalayas, inside which an incandescent light bulb (or a candle) is placed, it is possible to obtain ornamental lamps.
Some argue that these objects can positively modify the atmospheric composition of ions; however, there is no scientific evidence that can demonstrate its effectiveness.
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