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Himalayan salt is a Pink-colored salt extracted from the Khewra Salt Mine, which is located near the Himalayas in Pakistan. The Khewra Salt Mine is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in the world.

Gourmet salts are nothing like your standard table salt, differing in everything from flake size and texture, to flavour and colour. They are speciality salts, deliciously unique and perfect for enhancing an otherwise ordinary dish (or drink). There is a whole salty world out there to explore.

The salt is hand-extracted and minimally processed to yield an unrefined product that’s free of additives and thought to be much more natural than table salt. Like table salt, pink Himalayan salt is mostly comprised of sodium chloride. However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and trace elements that are not found in regular table salt.

Estimate it may contain up to 84 different minerals and trace elements. In fact, it’s these very minerals, especially iron, that give it its characteristic pink color.

Pink Himalayan Salt Contains More Minerals?

Both table salt and pink Himalayan salt consist mostly of sodium chloride, but pink Himalayan salt has up to 84 other minerals and trace elements.These include common minerals like potassium and calcium, as well as lesser-known minerals like strontium and molybdenum.

One study analyzed the mineral contents of various types of salts, including pink Himalayan salt and regular table salt.

Below is a comparison of well-known minerals found in a gram of the two salts: Pink Himalayan Salt Table Salt

As you can see, table salt may have more sodium, but pink Himalayan salt contains more calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron (6). Nevertheless, the amounts of these minerals in pink Himalayan salt are very, very small. They are found in such small quantities that it would take 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg) of pink Himalayan salt to obtain the recommended daily amount of potassium, for instance. Needless to say, that’s an unrealistic amount of salt to consume. For the most part, the extra minerals in pink Himalayan salt are found in such small quantities that they are unlikely to provide you with any health benefits whatsoever.

Here are six amazing health benefits of the Himalayan salt that definitely makes it superior than your regular table salt.

• Sole water to flush out toxins. ...

• Regulates blood sugar and hormonal balance. ...

• Improves digestion. ...

• Salt therapy for respiratory problems. ...

• Bath soak. ...

• Himalayan salt lamps to purify the air.

Himalayan salt lamps are crystals carved from amber-colored rock salt, hollowed out to fit a light bulb inside. When you light them, they give out a warm, reddish-pink glow. Sellers of these decorative pieces say they do more than light up a room. They claim the lamps can boost mood, improve sleep, ease allergies, help people with asthma breathe better, and clean the air, among other benefits. The claims sound impressive. Yet the scientific evidence to back them up is scarce. The salt in these lamps comes from the Himalayas, a mountain range that stretches about 1,500 miles across Pakistan, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. True Himalayan salt lamps come from the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan. The salt this mine produces has a reddish, pink, or off-white color. There are plenty of fake ones sold online. The real versions are fragile and give off a dim light. The phony products are tough to break and glow brightly.

How Do Himalayan Salt Lamps Work?

The lamps work in two ways:

Pull in particles.These lamps supposedly attract allergens, toxins, and pollutants to their surface.

Possibly release negative ions. Some people believe negative ions in the air have health benefits. Ions are molecules that have undergone a change in charge. Negative ions have gained an electron. Positive ions have lost one.

Ions are all around us. Some come from particles from outer space that make their way to Earth. Others form closer to home, from radiation, sunlight, lightning, or the collision of water droplets in a waterfall. Some people say they feel more refreshed and clear-headed after a storm, a feeling they believe is due to the amount of negative ions in the air. Commercial ionizers and purification systems also produce negatively charged ions to create cleaner and more comfortable indoor spaces. Himalayan salt lamps supposedly produce negatively charged ions while water molecules from the air attract to -- and then evaporate from -- the warmth of its surface. Those who believe in the health benefits of these lamps give negative ions much of the credit.  

The research

Pink salt lamps have not been shown in studies to generate negative ions,

“There is no scientific support for such claims related to Himalayan salt lamps,”

Even air purifiers that do generate negative air ions—so-called “ionizers”—are typically too small to be effective, and experts don’t recommend them. The salt lamps may also come with a major unrelated downside. In January, 80,000 pink Himalayan salt lamps were recalled after it was discovered that they could shock people and catch fire.

As for the edible salt, some argue that it tastes better than the regular white variety when used in cooking, and that may well be true for some people.

“All salts vary somewhat with respect to trace mineral content and texture,”

Proponents claim that pink salt has more minerals than typical salt—but you aren’t likely to get any extra health perks from eating it, Weil says. Pink Himalayan salt is nutritionally very similar to regular salt. It’s just prettier and more expensive.

Salt therapies at spas are also not yet backed by solid evidence.

“Salt therapy has been used and debated for centuries in medical practice, but it’s been more recently used as a complementary or alternative medicine practice,”

An allergist at Cleveland Clinic.

“At this time, it has not been definitely studied, and the true benefits are not well known.”

One possible benefit of the therapy may not come from the salt at all, she says. Giving yourself 30-45 minutes of quiet time is a known stress reliever.