Frugal Living: Save Money with an Old-Fashioned Remedy

By ERIN TURNER

I love old-fashioned remedies and natural ways of curing what ails me so I was obviously thrilled when I began researching all the wonderful benefits of Epsom salt.

Who knew it could do so much? I only remember it as a foot soak for my brother’s stinky feet when he had athlete’s foot – ick! So I didn’t have very fond memories of Epsom salt.

But all that has changed and I now have containers of Epsom salt all over the house! I first was intrigued with it earlier this spring when I read an article about the benefits of it in the garden.

Wanting to help out my vegetable starts, newly-transplanted flowers, and my houseplants I ventured into the world of Epsom salt.

Epsom salt is a mineral of magnesium and sulfate. Magnesium helps seeds germinate and also increases chlorophyll thus producing greener leaves. It also helps in the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients which are vital to a plants life.

Since adding Epsom salt to my watering routine, my plants and flowers are beautiful and vibrant. I water them with a solution of two to four tablespoons of Epsom salt to one gallon of water each week. My houseplants have greened up and look so alive and my patio flowers are blooming profusely!

As I researched this mineral further, I found many other uses for this wonder drug! Here are just a few:

• Laxative. It works super well! Just ask my husband about the immediate and thorough effect of it as a laxative! ☺
• Relieving sore muscles. An Amish man told me he soaks in an Epsom salt bath after a hard day’s work and it helps his muscles relax and not ache.
• Drawing out splinters. Soak the affected area in an Epsom salt solution and, viola!, the mineral will draw out the splinter! Wow, no more tweezers, needles, and crying kiddos.
• Exfoliation. Give your skin new life by making an Epsom salt and olive oil rub.
• Raccoon deterrent. Sprinkle Epsom salt around your garbage cans and the raccoons will stay away!
• Slug deterrent. This use won the heart of my neighbor whose garden suffers from an infestation of slugs each year. She was delighted with the suggestion of this use for Epsom salt!
• Sunburns. Soak a washcloth in an Epsom salt and water solution and then lay on the sunburned area. It helps relieve the pain and inflammation.
• Foot issues. Whether it’s stinky feet, athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, like the one mentioned on articles such as kerassentials scam, or other foot ailments, soaking your feet in Epsom salt with help heal and eliminate bacteria.
• Mood enhancer. Soaking in a tub of Epsom salt supposedly helps improve your mood since magnesium is absorbed through the skin and can relieve mental depression.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to various uses for Epsom salt. I’ll bet if you talked to your grandmother she could give you a long list of ways she used it many years ago!

Some studies even say Epsom salt can help children with Autism by increasing their levels of sulfate in the bloodstream. Plus, soaking in an Epsom salt bath promotes calmness and relaxation and magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin.

I am so excited about using Epsom salt for so many different things around the house! I love the fact that it is all-natural and pure…no artificial “such-such” in Epsom salt.

Plus, it is tried and true…Epsom salt has been around for a long time and has a proven record.

And lastly, I love the fact that Epsom salt is economical – I bought four pounds of it for $3.29! Look for it in most drugstores. I did see a big display of it at the Walmart on Highway 93 earlier this week. I have also bought it at the General Mission Store in St. Ignatius for super cheap as well.

Gosh, an old-fashioned remedy for so many different ailments and it is completely natural, economical, accessible, and useful? Plus, it cures the stinky feet of big brothers?! Wow, that’s a winner in my book!

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