Can epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) Be used orally?

[DonLore]

Would drinking epsom salt be a good magnesium supp? Would the sulfate cause any problems long term?

 

[GTW]

Can be laxative.

 

[Ben.]

Magnesium sulfate is used as a powerful laxative (depending on the dose)

 

[LA]

Would drinking epsom salt be a good magnesium supp? Would the sulfate cause any problems long term?

Too much is not the best for your system. My maternal line grandfather lived to be 104 years of age. He road horses, could play fiddle and piano, raised meat for the family and drank one spoonful of Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P. once a week on Friday evening. It is difficult to find U.S.P these days I have even complained to "Kroger" about it as they used to sell it and now they only sell Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate. Much epsom salt now has dark particles in it which is probably harmless if a person uses it to ease muscle pain, etc. I wouldnt take it orally unless you can find a brand labeled "USP"

 

[DonLore]

Too much is not the best for your system. My maternal line grandfather lived to be 104 years of age. He road horses, could play fiddle and piano, raised meat for the family and drank one spoonful of Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P. once a week on Friday evening. It is difficult to find U.S.P these days I have even complained to "Kroger" about it as they used to sell it and now they only sell Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate. Much epsom salt now has dark particles in it which is probably harmless if a person uses it to ease muscle pain, etc. I wouldnt take it orally unless you can find a brand labeled "USP"

I get the concern but people use all kinds of oral mg, vitamin, etc supplements and none of those are USP and most contain harmful additives on purpose. So what would make epsom salts so different that it would need to be USP?

 

[GTW]

Magnesium, like calcium, is divalent. It can form insoluble unabsorbed compounds with fats in the digestive tract, so-called soaps. A portion may be released and absorbed in the gut by bacteria.
Mg sulfate is more reactive, not a great dietary source of magnesium. But for the same reasons laxative.

 

[GTW]

USP, aka pharmaceutical grade, seems to be readily available.
Epsom salts from natural deposits may have beneficial or harmful contaminants. Like, for example, particular salt deposits that do have a history of use. IDK if there are epsom salt deposits with recognized traditional consumption or chemical analysis.

 

[Peatness]

I’ve used this orally in the past. It’s food grade. Magnesium sulphate is very well absorbed when used as a soak I tend not to use is orally these days.

 

[LA]

I’ve used this orally in the past. It’s food grade. Magnesium sulphate is very well absorbed when used as a soak I tend not to use is orally these days.

Thank you I am saving the link.

 

[LA]

USP, aka pharmaceutical grade, seems to be readily available.
Epsom salts from natural deposits may have beneficial or harmful contaminants. Like, for example, particular salt deposits that do have a history of use. IDK if there are epsom salt deposits with recognized traditional consumption or chemical analysis.

depends on the source as some sources are not as well controlled and inspected as we would hope them to be if taken internally although many of the ingredients people now take via supplements are made in China or other places with lower standards. We dont use many supplements. I have used the epsom salts that do not show as USP on my husband as a soak if he has been working too long in the yard and also myself if I have a sore muscle. It is great and no need to run a bath, soak towels in it and put them on arms, shoulders, back etc.
I have used USP epsom salts as a mag supp, no matter the dose or the time it bloated me. I dont like it as a supp

 

[LA]

I get the concern but people use all kinds of oral mg, vitamin, etc supplements and none of those are USP and most contain harmful additives on purpose. So what would make epsom salts so different that it would need to be USP?

This forum has had many posting and discussions on magnesium. It might help you tremendously to do searches on what others have done for their magnesium. Charlie has a good search tool and it uncovers unexpected solutions.

 

[lilsticky]

you can mix it with demineralized water to make mag oil (dont rub it on the balls)

 

[Dutchie]

I drank it once,bc it was said to be a laxative.
It didn't do any of that for me, however it tasted awful! I barely could choke it down.....nasty stuff.

 

[GTW]

Magnesium oil usually means saturated Mg chloride solution.

 

[Dave Clark]

I make a mag-a-hol solution, using equal parts vodka and Epsom salts, it absorbs better than mixed with just water. The same if you are using magnesium chloride {Dead Sea salts, etc.}, the alcohol drives it into the skin better.
Regarding Epsom salts orally, most people think about using a few teaspoons in water for constipation or detoxing, but I often wondered why not just put a pinch into a gallon of water or whatever volume, to just make the water magnesium-rich. That small amount of sulfate should be beneficial, not detrimental. We are not talking supplement-size amounts, just enough to give the water some magnesium and sulfate. But, apparently this doesn't seem to be something embraced, like the magnesium bicarbonate water.

 

[DonLore]

I make a mag-a-hol solution, using equal parts vodka and Epsom salts, it absorbs better than mixed with just water. The same if you are using magnesium chloride {Dead Sea salts, etc.}, the alcohol drives it into the skin better.
Regarding Epsom salts orally, most people think about using a few teaspoons in water for constipation or detoxing, but I often wondered why not just put a pinch into a gallon of water or whatever volume, to just make the water magnesium-rich. That small amount of sulfate should be beneficial, not detrimental. We are not talking supplement-size amounts, just enough to give the water some magnesium and sulfate. But, apparently this doesn't seem to be something embraced, like the magnesium bicarbonate water.

So far nothing negative noticed, no diarrhea and maybe even more relaxed muscles possibly from the magnesium. I just wash 500-1000mg of epsom salts down with a drink

 

[ddjd]

you can mix it with demineralized water to make mag oil (dont rub it on the balls)

Mag oil is magnesium chloride I thought, not magnesium sulfate.

I've used magnesium sulfate in the past as part of the gallbladder flush protocol and I noticed in and of itself it's very beneficial. The diarrhea effect however is extreme but if you're looking for a flush maybe that brings many benefits

Too much is not the best for your system. My maternal line grandfather lived to be 104 years of age. He road horses, could play fiddle and piano, raised meat for the family and drank one spoonful of Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P. once a week on Friday evening. It is difficult to find U.S.P these days I have even complained to "Kroger" about it as they used to sell it and now they only sell Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate. Much epsom salt now has dark particles in it which is probably harmless if a person uses it to ease muscle pain, etc. I wouldnt take it orally unless you can find a brand labeled "USP"

Very interesting about the grandfather!

 

[Dave Clark]

Interesting how most people think of Epsom salts as just to be used externally, yet the salts were discovered in the town of Epsom in England by observing that people and animals were healthier and had little disease, etc. due to their 'drinking' water. Fast forward up to today, and instead of trying to duplicate the amount of magnesium sulfate found in their water and drinking it, we use extreme amounts and soak in it. So, in general people think that you can't drink Epsom salts, because they are only thinking in the amounts that are conventionally used in a tub soak, and when large amounts are drunk, people get the runs, etc. The internal dose of Epsom salt is completely divergent from the large amount used to soak in the bath.

 

[LA]

Very interesting about the grandfather!

A few years before his 100th birthday one of my mom's brothers went to Idaho and convinced my grandfather to come down and live with him. My Uncle's wife did not like the smell of grandpa's cigars so he would go outside to smoke his evening cigar. One night, at the age of 104, he fell while negotiating the stairs in the dark (the story was something about the back-porch light not being turned on or it burnt out) grandfather fell and broke his ribs, which punctured his lungs. He did not survive the night in the hospital.

 

[ddjd]

A few years before his 100th birthday one of my mom's brothers went to Idaho and convinced my grandfather to come down and live with him. My Uncle's wife did not like the smell of grandpa's cigars so he would go outside to smoke his evening cigar. One night, at the age of 104, he fell while negotiating the stairs in the dark (the story was something about the back-porch light not being turned on or it burnt out) grandfather fell and broke his ribs, which punctured his lungs. He did not survive the night in the hospital.

104 is insane!! Tell us more about him, interesting that he smoked cigars. Any other quirky things. I'm still doing the weekly Epsom salts and still noticing benefits- I don't think I'll stop