Pink Himalayan Salt: Benefits, Minerals, Uses & Side Effects

Dr. Josh Axe · Free quiz

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Pink Himalayan salt is an unrefined rock salt mined from the bed of an ancient sea in Pakistan's Salt Range, home of the Khewra mine, and gram for gram it has about the same sodium as table salt, along with small amounts of calcium, magnesium and potassium and no additives.1213214 As I've said on my show, sprinkling a mineral-rich pink Himalayan salt on your food has benefits, especially alongside fruits high in potassium, because together they create a really healthy exchange in your body.3

The reason is that your body was made to run on salt and water working together. Most of the sodium in a typical American day gets into food long before anyone reaches for a shaker, in packaged and restaurant meals.15 At the same time, in my view, the number one reason people stay chronically dehydrated is that they drink water without enough electrolytes, which come mostly from fruits, vegetables, bone broth and a high-quality salt like pink salt on your food.16 Cooking with a whole salt, drinking plenty of water and filling your plate with plants brings those back into balance.

In the sections that follow, you'll see what its salt is made of, what it does once you eat it, how it stacks up against table salt, sea salt and Celtic salt, how much to use, and how to put it to work from the stove to the bathtub.

Did you know?

• The salt in pink Himalayan salt formed at the end of the Precambrian, in rock geologists date to the Late Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian, more than 500 million years ago.12

• Pakistan has registered Khewra Pink Rock Salt as a geographical indication, a protected name tied to the Salt Range where it's mined.1

• In a 2012 count, more than 40,000 visitors a year toured the Khewra Salt Mines, where about 1,000 workers mined the salt.13

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What is pink Himalayan salt?

You'll also see it sold as Himalayan rock salt, Himalayan sea salt or pink sea salt. The "sea" in those names points to the salt's origin rather than to how it's made, because it formed when an ancient sea dried out, and today it's cut from solid rock in the hills of northern Pakistan instead of being evaporated from seawater the way modern sea salts are.121 It comes to your kitchen unrefined, and as I've written in The Biblio Diet, Himalayan pink salt is minimally processed and contains health-promoting trace minerals and electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium and potassium.22

Its color tells you something about what's inside it. When Australian researchers graded 31 pink salts by shade, the darker samples tended to hold more minerals, and the dark pink ones carried more calcium and potassium than salts with no color at all. The researchers credit the pink itself to traces of iron oxide and other natural impurities in the salt.2 Like every salt, it has long been used to preserve food as well as to season it.2

Where it comes from: the Khewra salt mine

Pink salt's best-known source is the Khewra Salt Mines, in the Salt Range of Punjab, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, and well south of the high Himalayas that lend the salt its name. Khewra is the second-largest salt mine in the world, and its rock salt belongs to the Salt Range Formation, laid down at the very end of the Precambrian.13112 Pakistan's state mining corporation, which holds the protected name Khewra Pink Rock Salt, describes the salt as a mineral commodity found only in Pakistan.1

Himalayan salt nutrition: what minerals are in it?

On sodium, pink salt and table salt come out nearly even. The 31 pink salts in the Australian analysis averaged 1,974 mg of sodium per 5 grams, about a teaspoon, and USDA measures table salt at 38,800 mg per 100 grams, which is 1,940 mg in the same 5 grams.214 In 1.5 grams, roughly a quarter teaspoon, that comes to about 580 to 590 mg of sodium either way. That measured sodium also tells you how pure it is: the pink salt chosen for a Brazilian trial in 17 women with high blood pressure tested at 371.92 mg of sodium per gram, which is about 94.5% sodium chloride.18 As I've written, salts don't differ much in sodium, and the real difference lies in their trace minerals and additives.22

Per 5 grams (about 1 teaspoon): means of 31 pink salts and an iodized table salt tested in the same laboratory, with table salt's sodium from USDA's analyzed record and the daily targets the researchers used.214

By the lab's own numbers, a teaspoon of pink salt holds about 30 times the magnesium of the table salt it was tested against, about 7 times its calcium and about 16 times its potassium, plus a trace of iron the table salt didn't have.2 Those amounts swing widely from one jar to the next. Magnesium alone ranged from about 147 to about 11,938 mg per kilogram across the 31 samples, and the two highest readings came from uncolored lake salts from Australia rather than from the pink rock salts. Across the other minerals, the salts from the Himalayan region carried more iron and potassium than pink salts from elsewhere. Of the 25 elements the lab looked for, copper, chromium and manganese showed up only in very small traces.2

So enjoy these minerals as a small extra that rides along with your seasoning. Measured against the study's daily target of 310 to 420 mg of magnesium, a teaspoon supplies about 3 to 4%, which leaves the real mineral work to your food, and our lists of magnesium-rich foods, potassium-rich foods and calcium-rich foods are a good place to build from.2

Is Himalayan salt good for you?

Your body needs salt every day, and pushing it very low isn't the favor to your health it's often made out to be. I've walked through the studies showing that in most cases it isn't ideal to go low salt, and that's why I tell people to sprinkle a quality salt, Himalayan, Celtic or a good sea salt, on their food on a regular basis.3 One of those studies gave 152 healthy adults seven days of very low salt and seven days of high salt, in random order, so every person was tested on both. Their insulin resistance came out higher on the low-salt diet, and their aldosterone, which is the hormone your adrenal glands release to make the kidneys conserve sodium, was about six times as high, 21.0 against 3.4 ng/dL.8

I found out firsthand what going without salt feels like. For a 21-day Daniel Fast, I lived on vegetables, fruit and nuts with no salt whatsoever, and I ended up weak and a little moody. Bringing a quality salt back, mostly Celtic sea salt plus some pink salt, made a drastic difference to my energy and hydration.16

So is pink salt better than regular salt? Yes, in what comes with it and what doesn't: it's unrefined, it brings a little calcium, magnesium and potassium along with its sodium, and nothing is added to it, while table salt is refined to nearly pure sodium chloride and often carries anti-caking agents.21422

Salt has been treasured since ancient times, and Scripture treats it as something to season with and never leave out, since every grain offering in ancient Israel was to be salted: "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt" (Leviticus 2:13).23

How Himalayan salt works in your body

Once you swallow a pinch of salt, it splits into its two halves and each goes to work. Sodium decides where your body's water sits and sets off your nerve signals and the signals that make muscles contract, and chloride heads to your stomach to become stomach acid.456

Outside your cells, sodium is the leading mineral in your body fluids, and water follows wherever it goes. That's why plain water tends to run straight through you, while a drink with enough sodium in it lingers.47 You don't have to manage any of this yourself, because your kidneys handle it. If your sodium dips too low, your body releases renin, aldosterone and norepinephrine to hang on to what's left, and when you eat potassium-rich food, your kidneys release the surplus sodium along with the water it holds.2425

Sodium is also what sparks your nerves. A nerve signal, or the command for a muscle to contract, starts the instant sodium floods into the cell through tiny gates in its membrane, rather like a spark plug firing in an engine.5 Chloride, meanwhile, is a building block for the hydrochloric acid made by cells in your stomach lining, the acid that breaks down the protein in your meals and releases vitamin B12 so you can absorb it.626 Follow a single pinch of pink salt through your body and it looks like this:

Himalayan salt benefits: what it does for your body

Does Himalayan salt raise blood pressure?

My High Blood Pressure Protocol puts that point about packaged food to work. Its mineral step swaps packaged sodium for meals you cook and season at home, adds back potassium and magnesium from food, and follows a simple rule about salt: don't salt-load, but don't fear whole foods either.17 In that study of 450 adults, salt added while cooking at home supplied only 5.6% of their sodium, and the shaker at the table another 4.9%.15

In the small Brazilian trial behind the first answer, seventeen women between 40 and 65, all with high blood pressure, cooked with Himalayan salt for one 4-week stretch and table salt for another, in random order and two weeks apart, and finished with systolic readings of 117 and 119 mm Hg and nearly matching urine sodium, 159 and 155 mEq a day.18 For blood pressure, then, the salt that counts is the total you eat.

The people whose pressure responds most to salt are the ones whose pressure already runs high. In the Cochrane review of 195 studies, a sharp cut in sodium brought systolic pressure down about 5.7 points in white participants with high blood pressure, against about 1.1 points in white participants whose pressure was normal.24 Potassium matters just as much, because it tells your kidneys to let go of extra sodium and water, which is why the protocol fills your plate with potassium foods such as leafy greens, avocado, beans and sweet potatoes.2517 For meal ideas, see our high blood pressure diet and the list of low-sodium foods, both of which leave room for a light hand with a whole salt.

Himalayan salt vs. table salt, sea salt and Celtic salt

Beyond these, salts like Indian black salt and truffle salt bring their own flavors, and our guide to what kosher means explains where kosher salt gets its name.

Himalayan salt vs. table salt

The gap is widest here, because by USDA's analysis, table salt is about 99% sodium chloride with almost nothing else in it, roughly a quarter of a milligram of calcium and a hundredth of a milligram of magnesium per gram.14 It's frequently iodized, and many brands mix in anti-caking agents so it pours freely, whereas pink salt arrives from the mine with nothing added, and a label that lists salt as the only ingredient tells you it stayed that way.3122 That's why I recommend trading the refined salt in your shaker for an unrefined whole salt like pink salt.22 Iodized salt is a source of iodine, so if you make the switch, the safety section shows you how to get iodine from iodine-rich foods instead.

Himalayan salt vs. sea salt and Celtic salt

All three are unrefined, and I recommend sprinkling any of them on your food.3 They differ mainly in where they come from: sea salt is dried from today's oceans and Celtic salt is a damp gray sea salt from the French Atlantic coast, while pink salt is a dry rock salt from an ancient sea, mined in Pakistan.1 Whole Celtic sea salt is my first pick and the one I use and recommend most, with pink salt as its close cousin,22 and beyond that you can pick by flavor and feel: pink salt's hard, dry crystals work well in a grinder or shaker, and Celtic salt's moist crystals dissolve nicely into soups and stews.

How much Himalayan salt per day?

My advice is to use Himalayan salt sparingly, but use a little bit every single day, sprinkled on your food.9 A lot of your sodium is probably in your food already by the time you sit down, as the blood pressure section showed, so the pink salt you add yourself is the last small touch that makes home cooking taste right.15 When you sweat heavily, whether from a hard workout or an afternoon of summer yard work, you'll need more, and the water section below shows how to get it.

Measuring by the teaspoon gets tricky because crystals differ. Fine table salt weighs about 6 grams per teaspoon and delivers 2,328 mg of sodium, while the Australian analysis treated a teaspoon of pink salt as about 5 grams, so a spoonful of it carries a little less, and coarse crystals pack even less into a spoon because of the gaps between them.142 It's easier to season by taste than by the spoon, and our article on how much sodium per day covers the daily numbers in depth.

How to use Himalayan salt

Pink salt can replace any salt in your kitchen, and it has a few jobs outside the kitchen as well, from gargling to soaking in the tub.

In your cooking

Swap pink salt in wherever a recipe calls for table salt. The fine grind is right for baking and the shaker, while coarse crystals go in a grinder or straight onto a finished plate, where they add crunch and a little color. It tastes clean with a faint mineral edge, so salt gradually and keep tasting. Store it airtight somewhere cool and dry, because any salt will cake in a steamy kitchen.

Cooking on a Himalayan salt block

A slab of pink salt is a striking way to cook and serve. Warm it slowly on the stove or grill, raising the heat a little at a time, since sudden heat can crack it, and then sear thin slices of fish, chicken or vegetables right on its surface, where the block seasons the food lightly as it cooks. Chilled in the refrigerator instead, the same block becomes a serving platter for fruit, sliced vegetables, or goat or sheep cheese. Clean it with a damp cloth or a soft brush rather than soaking it, and let it dry completely before you put it away.

Pink salt in your water

Salting your water is an easy habit to start, and it helps most on hot days and after workouts that leave you drenched. My suggestion is a pinch of sea salt or a squeeze of lemon juice in your water, a little salt here and there through the day, and potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes and fruit alongside it.10 My Perimenopause & Menopause Protocol builds this right into the day, with daily water of half your body weight in ounces, filtered, with a pinch of sea salt,20 and pink salt does the same job.

I'd rather you get your electrolytes this way than from many of the packaged electrolyte drinks, which tend to carry far too much sodium without real balance, and a little Himalayan salt on your meals plus a cup of mineral-rich bone broth covers a lot of the same ground.34

Recipe: a honey and pink salt energy mix

Back when I raced triathlons, I'd make my own energy pack by taking some raw local honey and dropping in a little Himalayan salt, and that's what I'd eat mid-workout; it was a great natural energy booster.9 It's still the simplest fuel you can make for a long workout, using raw local honey and fine pink salt.

As a gargle and nasal rinse

People have gargled salt water for sore throats for generations, and it's on my list of simple home remedies for colds and flu in Ancient Remedies.11 Researchers in Edinburgh tried it out in a pilot trial with 66 adults who were no more than two days into a cold. Half of them used a homemade sea-salt solution to rinse their noses and gargle, the other half did nothing special, and everyone knew which group they'd been put in. Colds in the salt-water group cleared up 1.9 days faster.35

To gargle, stir a little pink salt into a cup of warm water. To rinse your nose, mix it only with distilled or sterile water, or tap water you've boiled for 3 to 5 minutes and let cool until lukewarm, and follow the directions that come with your rinse bottle or neti pot.36 You'll find step-by-step help in our guides to sore throat remedies and the neti pot.

Pink salt for your bath and skin

For a quick body scrub, stir coarse pink salt into a little oil, and for a soothing soak, toss a handful into warm bathwater. Step-by-step versions are in our homemade body scrub and homemade healing bath salts recipes, and Epsom salt makes a good partner for it in the tub.

For dry skin, the closest study used a magnesium-rich salt from the Dead Sea. Volunteers with dry, atopic skin soaked one forearm for 15 minutes a day in a 5% solution of it, with the other arm in tap water, and the soaked arm gained skin hydration and lost roughness and redness over six weeks.32 If dry skin is your reason for a soak, stirring some Dead Sea salt into the bath along with your pink salt brings in the salt that study used.

Himalayan salt lamps as a night light

A salt lamp is a block of pink salt hollowed out around a small bulb, and its best use is as a warm, dim light at night. I suggest a Himalayan salt lamp in place of a night light that gives off blue light, especially in the bathroom for nighttime trips, because its glow is more red in nature.9

That fits what light research shows about your body clock. In tests of 72 healthy adults at night, blue light between 446 and 477 nanometers was the most potent at suppressing melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it's night,37 and in a study of 116 young adults who lived for several days in a research unit, ordinary room light in the eight hours before bed delayed the rise of melatonin in 99% of them and shortened its nightly run by about 90 minutes, compared with dim light.38 No study has measured salt lamps cleaning the air or releasing negative ions, so enjoy one for the soft light it gives. Choose a lamp with a sturdy cord and switch, keep it in a dry room and wipe it down if it beads with moisture on humid days, and our Deep Sleep Protocol covers the rest of a restful evening.

Himalayan salt side effects and who should be careful

When your care plan limits salt. If you live with heart failure, kidney disease, liver cirrhosis or high blood pressure that's sensitive to salt, keep pink salt, and potassium if you've been given a potassium limit, within the limits your care team has set; you still gain the benefit of a salt with nothing added. For the opposite situation, sodium running too low in your blood, see our guide to low blood sodium.

Iodine. Unless the label says iodized, pink salt gives you next to no iodine: non-iodized sea salt, the closest match in the federal iodine database, holds about 0.02 mcg per quarter teaspoon, compared with 78.2 mcg in the same amount of iodized table salt.31 In an observational study of 306 pregnant women in Turkey, the women who used rock salt had roughly half the urinary iodine of those using table salt, with medians of 70.9 and 123.7 µg/L.41 Wild-caught fish, sea vegetables, eggs and dairy can supply your iodine, and if you rarely eat them, or you're pregnant or nursing, iodized salt is the dependable fallback.

Microplastics. Tiny man-made fibers, many of them plastic, end up in salt from the environment, and the research is split on rock salt. One survey of 39 salt brands worldwide found rock salt lower than sea salt, at 0 to 148 particles per kilogram,42 yet single Himalayan samples came in at 367 particles per kilogram in a U.S. study and at 174 in an Australian one, the highest of the Australian salts tested.4344 A quarter teaspoon a day adds up to less than one particle a day, and of the three sources the U.S. study measured (tap water, beer and salt), tap water made up 88% of the estimated intake, so the salt in your shaker is a small part of the picture.43 Our guide to microplastics has more.

Where it comes from. Of 31 pink salts tested in Australia, only the single sample from Peru went over the national lead limit, at 2.59 against 2 mg per kilogram, and the salts from the Himalayan region had less lead than the rest, so look for pink salt that lists Pakistan's Salt Range as its source and a seller that shares its test results.21

Signs you're overdoing it. If you notice puffiness or water retention, feel sluggish, or see your home blood-pressure readings creeping up, ease off the salt and eat more potassium-rich food.1617

The bottom line

Himalayan salt: frequently asked questions

References

1. Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC). Home page: Khewra Salt Mines, the world's 2nd largest salt mine; PMDC the registrant body of the Geographical Indication for Khewra Pink Rock Salt, "mined from the Salt Range, a unique mineral commodity only in Pakistan"; white, pink, dark pink and grayish salt. Accessed November 6, 2026.
2. Fayet-Moore F, Wibisono C, Carr P, Duve E, Petocz P, Lancaster G, et al. An Analysis of the Mineral Composition of Pink Salt Available in Australia. Foods. 2020;9(10):1490. doi:10.3390/foods9101490. PMID:33086585
3. Axe J. The Truth About LDL & Heart Disease. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026. Not against salt: a mineral-rich pink Himalayan salt on your food, especially with potassium-rich fruit, at 36:50 to 37:11; the low-salt trial, and sprinkle Celtic, Himalayan or quality sea salt on your food on a regular basis, at 37:13 to 37:47. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpzqVv_b4OU&t=2210s
4. Shrimanker I, Bhattarai S. Electrolytes. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. PMID:31082167
5. Grider MH, Jessu R, Kabir R. Physiology, Action Potential. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. PMID:30844170
6. Varela-Chinchilla CD, Segura N. Histology, Parietal Cells. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. PMID:31613538
7. Maughan RJ, Watson P, Cordery PAA, Walsh NP, Oliver SJ, Dolci A, et al. Sucrose and Sodium but not Caffeine Content Influence the Retention of Beverages in Humans Under Euhydrated Conditions. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(1):51-60. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0047. PMID:29893590
8. Garg R, Williams GH, Hurwitz S, Brown NJ, Hopkins PN, Adler GK. Low-salt diet increases insulin resistance in healthy subjects. Metabolism. 2011;60(7):965-8. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2010.09.005. PMID:21036373
9. Axe J. Table Salt vs. Himalayan Salt: Which Is Better? The Dr. Axe Show. 2017. The salty flavor in Chinese medicine drives things down and supports the kidneys, at 8:33; chronically ill patients sent to the ocean to walk the beach and practice deep breathing, at 9:06; not multiple tablespoons, but a little Himalayan or sea salt every day, at 10:44 to 11:05; a Himalayan salt lamp in place of a blue-light night light, at 11:42 to 11:59; salt for endurance athletes, with Himalayan salt and sea salt among the best forms of sodium, at 13:10 to 13:26; his triathlon mix of raw local honey and Himalayan salt, at 13:30 to 13:56. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul0q0_PTMvs&t=513s
10. Axe J. The Real Reason You Wake Up Tired Every Morning. The Dr. Josh Axe Show, Episode 377. August 3, 2026. A pinch of sea salt or lemon juice in your water, not overdoing salt, and potassium-rich foods, at 16:44 to 17:02. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYvHrFB_g50&t=1004s
11. Axe J. Ancient Remedies. Little, Brown Spark; 2021. The water element and the salty flavor (kidneys, adrenals, bladder); salty foods in moderation, since an excess weakens the kidneys, adrenals and bladder (running head p. 78); "gargle with salt water" among the other remedies for colds and flu (running footer p. 242).
12. Iaremchuk I, Tariq M, Hryniv S, Vovnyuk S, Meng F. Clay minerals from rock salt of Salt Range Formation (Late Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian, Pakistan). Carbonates and Evaporites. 2017;32:63-74. doi:10.1007/s13146-016-0294-5
13. Baloch MA, Qureshi AA, Waheed A, Ali M, Ali N, Tufail M, et al. A study on natural radioactivity in Khewra Salt Mines, Pakistan. J Radiat Res. 2012;53(3):411-21. doi:10.1269/jrr.11162. PMID:22739011
14. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Salt, table (SR Legacy). FDC ID 173468. Energy 0 kcal; sodium 38,800 mg, calcium 24 mg, magnesium 1 mg, potassium 8 mg per 100 g; 1 tsp = 6 g. Accessed November 6, 2026.
15. Harnack LJ, Cogswell ME, Shikany JM, Gardner CD, Gillespie C, Loria CM, et al. Sources of Sodium in US Adults From 3 Geographic Regions. Circulation. 2017;135(19):1775-1783. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.024446. PMID:28483828
16. Axe J. How to Hydrate Your Brain, Boost Energy & End Brain Fog. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. August 18, 2025. His 21-day Daniel Fast without salt, 4:30 to 6:40; too much sodium without enough potassium, swelling and water weight, 7:12 to 7:44; patients and their drinks, and electrolytes mostly from fruits, vegetables and bone broth, 8:16 to 8:48; pink salt or Celtic sea salt as hydrating salts, 9:24; water without electrolytes as the number one reason for chronic dehydration, 9:57. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nmGynV_jjQ
17. Axe J. The High Blood Pressure Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. p. 11 (Step 2, Remineralize: pull out packaged sodium; cook at home so you control the salt; do not salt-load, but do not fear whole foods either; potassium from leafy greens, avocado, beans, lentils, pumpkin seeds and sweet potato), p. 22 (troubleshooting and FAQ: most dietary sodium from packaged and restaurant food; the sodium-to-potassium ratio).
18. Loyola IP, Sousa MF, Jardim TV, Mendes MM, Barroso WKS, Sousa ALL, et al. Comparison between the Effects of Hymalaian Salt and Common Salt Intake on Urinary Sodium and Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals [Comparação entre os Efeitos da Ingestão de Sal do Himalaia e de Sal Comum sobre os Valores de Sódio Urinário e Pressão Arterial em Indivíduos Hipertensos]. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2022;118(5):875-882. doi:10.36660/abc.20210069. PMID:35137791
19. Maughan RJ, Watson P, Cordery PA, Walsh NP, Oliver SJ, Dolci A, et al. A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(3):717-23. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.114769. PMID:26702122
20. Axe J. Perimenopause & Menopause: The 90-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. p. 21 (7-day meal plan, daily drinks: "Water — half your body weight in ounces, filtered, pinch of sea salt").
21. Munson EH, Orange ST, Bray JW, Thurlow S, Marshall P, Vince RV. Sodium Ingestion Improves Groundstroke Performance in Nationally-Ranked Tennis Players: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial. Front Nutr. 2020;7:549413. doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.549413. PMID:33072795
22. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439. Salt chapter ("Please Pass the Salt"): Himalayan pink salt is minimally processed and contains health-promoting trace minerals and electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium and potassium; the sodium content of different types of salt is similar, and the real difference lies in the trace minerals and additives they contain; trade refined table salt for an unrefined whole salt; whole Celtic sea salt as the salt we use and recommend, with a slightly higher edge than its pink cousins.
23. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Leviticus 2:13.
24. Graudal NA, Hubeck-Graudal T, Jurgens G. Effects of low sodium diet versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;12(12):CD004022. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004022.pub5. PMID:33314019
25. McDonough AA, Veiras LC, Guevara CA, Ralph DL. Cardiovascular benefits associated with higher dietary K(+) vs. lower dietary Na(+): evidence from population and mechanistic studies. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2017;312(4):E348-E356. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00453.2016. PMID:28174181
26. Axe J. Acid Reflux & GERD Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. Section 10, "Why it's where the acid goes, not how much"; section 11, "What reflux depletes": stomach acid frees vitamin B12 from food, and non-heme iron absorption depends on it.
27. Shirreffs SM, Taylor AJ, Leiper JB, Maughan RJ. Post-exercise rehydration in man: effects of volume consumed and drink sodium content. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996;28(10):1260-71. doi:10.1097/00005768-199610000-00009. PMID:8897383
28. Bar-Yoseph R, Kugelman N, Livnat G, Gur M, Hakim F, Nir V, et al. Halotherapy as asthma treatment in children: A randomized, controlled, prospective pilot study. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52(5):580-587. doi:10.1002/ppul.23621. PMID:27723955
29. Wasik AA, Tuuminen T. Salt Therapy as a Complementary Method for the Treatment of Respiratory Tract Diseases, With a Focus on Mold-Related Illness. Altern Ther Health Med. 2021;27(S1):223-239. PMID:34726628
30. Rashleigh R, Smith SM, Roberts NJ. A review of halotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2014;9:239-46. doi:10.2147/COPD.S57511. PMID:24591823
31. Heydorn K, Wambogo E, Spungen JH, Ershow AG, Gahche JJ, Haggans C, et al. USDA, FDA, and ODS-NIH Database for the Iodine Content of Common Foods, Release 4.0. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory; October 2024. Sea salt, non-iodized, 1/4 tsp: 0.02 mcg; iodized table salt 78.2 mcg.
32. Proksch E, Nissen HP, Bremgartner M, Urquhart C. Bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution improves skin barrier function, enhances skin hydration, and reduces inflammation in atopic dry skin. Int J Dermatol. 2005;44(2):151-7. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02079.x. PMID:15689218
33. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. Oria M, Harrison M, Stallings VA, editors. Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2019. Summary, Table S-2 (sodium adequate intake 1,500 mg/day for adults; chronic disease risk reduction intake: reduce intakes if above 2,300 mg/day, 14 years and older). doi:10.17226/25353
34. Axe J. Top 10 Reasons You're Not Healing. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. May 12, 2025. Many electrolyte drinks carry far too much sodium without balance, and a little Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt on meals with mineral-rich bone broth, at 25:25 to 25:40. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjU77gf__x4&t=1525s
35. Ramalingam S, Graham C, Dove J, Morrice L, Sheikh A. A pilot, open labelled, randomised controlled trial of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for the common cold. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):1015. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37703-3. PMID:30705369
36. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Rinsing Your Sinuses With Neti Pots: Is It Safe? Consumer Update. "Rinse only with distilled, sterile or previously boiled water". Accessed November 6, 2026.
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