I didnāt do a spell or ceremony, I just wanted to examine the subject Salt.
I think my lovely āC4ā may have addressed this subject but Iāll do it too.
I base my facts on an article from Wikipedia, although I could have gone to my Nursing books or Anatomy and Physiology material. BUT kids, I just couldnāt do that to you.(Garnet the merciful. ha ha)
Let me start by saying, The history of salt has led to troubling acts by humanity.
I chose to write a short article about a mineral called Salt, it is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite.
Salt is one of the most essential minerals for life in general. It is also one of the oldest food seasoning and used as a food preservative.
As long ago as 6,000 BC people in present day Romania boiled spring water to extract salt. China is recorded to use salt around the same period.
Salt was so prized in ancient times that it was an important article for trade and was transported by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, then along specially built salt roads, to cross the Sahara on camel caravans. The scarcity and universal need for salt have led nations to go to war over it and used it to raise tax revenues. Salt is used in religious ceremonies and has other cultural and traditional significance.
An interesting fact, there is more salt in animal tissues like meat, milk, etc., than plants. Salt was/is used in religious practice by many faiths. Salt was sadly also used to āsalt the earthā as a way to prevent plant growth by some armies during wars and promote starvation.
Salt was used as currency South of the Sahara.
Tragically, wars have been fought over salt. As late as the 1930ās, Mahatma Gandhi led a crowd of 100,000 people on the āGandhi Marchā or :Satyagrahaā, during which they made their own salt from the sea as a demonstration of their opposition to the colonial tax. This act of civil disobedience inspired numerous Indians and transformed the Indian independence movement from an elitist one with little popular support into a national struggle.
In order to cut this article short: Salt is essential to human life. This mineral/electrolyte helps nerves and muscles to function correctly, {note, the human heart is a muscle!}and it is one factor involved in the osmotic regulation of water content in body organs (fluid balance). Most of the sodium in the Western diet comes from salt. The habitual salt intake in many Western countries is about 10 g per day, and it is higher than that in many countries in Eastern Europe and Asia. The high level of sodium in many processed foods has a major impact on the total amount consumed. In the United States, 75% of the sodium eaten comes from processed and restaurant foods, 11% from cooking and table use and the rest from what is found naturally in foodstuffs. Consuming too much sodium increases risk of cardiovascular diseases. High sodium intake is associated with a greater risk of stroke, total cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. A reduction in sodium intake by 1,000 mg per day may reduce cardiovascular disease by about 30%. In adults and children with no acute illness, a decrease in the intake of sodium from the typical high levels reduces blood pressure. A low sodium diet results in a greater improvement in blood pressure in people with hypertension.
āMortality caused by levels of salt.ā The association between sodium consumption and cardiovascular disease or mortality is U-shaped, with increased risk at both high and low sodium intake.ā The findings showed that increased mortality from excessive salt intake was primarily associated with individuals with hypertension. The levels of increased mortality among those with restricted salt intake appeared to be similar regardless of blood pressure. This evidence shows that while those with hypertension should primarily focus on reducing sodium to recommended levels, all groups should seek to maintain a healthy level of sodium intake of between 4 and 5 grams (equivalent to 10-13 g salt) a day.
One of the two most prominent dietary risks for disability in the world is eating too much sodium.
Whewā¦Long story short, salt is necessary for human life but too much of a good thing can be bad.
The bold words are some of the crimes the want of sodium led to.
Garnet.