Glauber's salt (or mirabilite) is a crystalline powder, easily soluble in water, obtained by the action of sulfuric acid on sodium chloride. Salt has wide industrial applications and is also used in folk medicine as a laxative to cleanse the intestines and lymph.

Areas of use

There are several uses for sodium sulfate decahydrate (name by chemical formula):

• in food production as an additive E514. The emulsifier is used as a filler to give a uniform consistency and an acidity regulator;
• in glass production;
• in the textile industry;
• in production household chemicals, in particular washing powders;
• in veterinary medicine – prescribed for animals (horses, large and small cattle, dogs, cats, birds) for constipation, bloating and fullness of the intestines, to remove toxins, for lead and mercury poisoning. In small doses it is used to improve appetite and digestion, to cleanse wounds, for swelling and inflammation;
• in medicine – as part of drugs for the treatment of constipation, hemorrhoids and hypertensive crisis. It is common practice to use it as a digestive tract cleanser for poisoning with mercury, copper, lead and other metal salts.

Glauber's salt for constipation

The therapeutic effect of the substance for constipation is due to its ability to liquefy feces which causes diarrhea. This is a strong laxative, the mechanism of action is based on the accumulation of water in the intestines due to the slow absorption of salt, as well as on the additional irritant effect on the mucous membrane. Like other saline laxatives, such as Epsom salts (magnesia), mirabilite cleanses digestive system along its entire length. The drug is prescribed for:

• acute form of constipation;
• preparing the intestines for surgical intervention or diagnostic measure.

According to the instructions, for constipation, an adult is prescribed a dose of 10 to 30 grams of the substance, previously dissolved in half a liter warm water on an empty stomach. The effect will be achieved after single dose solution for a period of 1 to 3 hours. In pediatrics, the drug can be prescribed by a doctor at a dosage of 1 gram per year of life (for children over 12 months).

The use of Glauber's salt may have side effects for the body: nausea, severe diarrhea(in the absence of sufficient fluid intake, it can result in dehydration), painful intestinal spasms. The shelf life of the drug is from 1 to 3 years, after which its use is prohibited.

To cleanse the intestines

Glauber's salt radically cleanses digestive tract, causing profuse diarrhea - the effect allows you to remove accumulated feces and dangerous toxins. For preventive cleansing, you can follow different recipes:

• 2-3 tablespoons of crystals should be diluted in a glass of water, add a little orange juice for taste. The resulting drink should be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach, after which expect diarrhea to appear (after 1-2 hours). The effect will last about 6 hours, you need to consume a lot clean water, juices, and abstain from eating. Cleansing is carried out for a maximum of 2 days in a row;
• Prepare a solution of salt purchased at the pharmacy in advance - 30 grams of substances per 1.5 glasses of clean water until completely dissolved. A couple of hours before bedtime, drink the resulting liquid in small portions over half an hour, and at the end - half a liter of water to prevent dehydration. The effect will be in the morning. This cleanse requires following a three-day diet without heavy foods (mushrooms, beans, dairy products, eggs, fatty meat and fish).

For weight loss

To carry out the cleansing procedure in order to lose weight, you must first prepare. The first step is to prepare a drink: juice of 4 grapefruits, 3 oranges and 2 lemons, diluted clean water in a ratio of 1 to 1. In the morning, on an empty stomach, you need to drink a glass of water with a tablespoon of sodium sulfate diluted in it, and after half an hour start drinking a few sips every 30 minutes citrus drink. Required before bedtime additional conduct cleansing enema.

For adults and healthy people The cycle should be carried out for three days in a row. Salt is sold without a prescription, but it can only be taken after consulting a doctor. Indications for such cleaning may be the need to get rid of excess liquid and toxins that interfere with weight loss.

Contraindications

The use of laxative salt and its analogues is prohibited if a person has contraindications:

• ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract;
• acute stages of inflammatory processes;
• appendicitis;
• period of menstruation in women;
• bearing a child and breastfeeding;
• low blood pressure;
• age up to one year;
• heart failure;
• chronic constipation;
• weakened state of the body, exhaustion.

Glauber's salt got its name thanks to the German Glauber, who discovered it. This substance appears as transparent, colorless crystals that dissipate over time and have a bitter-salty taste. Salt is used in medicine as a strong, effective laxative.

More details about this medicine we will talk to you on the website www.site, in the publication: Glauber's salt, use in medicine, properties.

Medicinal properties of Glauber's salt

This is a powerful laxative fast action. As a rule, it is used for strong food poisoning, for thorough cleansing of the intestines, lymphatic system, as well as medical indications it is used for liver diseases.

When cleaning the intestines, entering the human body, the salt solution significantly dilutes the feces, increases their volume, causing severe diarrhea. Main effect such a cleansing that the solution collects dead cells, waste, toxins, removing them out along with the liquid.

When used externally, this product acts similarly - it cleanses the stratum corneum of the epidermis.

How to use Glauber's salt?

In medicine, the drug is used orally in the form aqueous solution, boluses, porridge. Externally - in the form of a solution.

The solution is used externally to treat long-term non-healing purulent wounds, since the solution has a drying property, it enhances the separation of purulent contents, thus cleaning and disinfecting the wound.

Purgation

When taken orally, the drug is poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, attracting a large volume of liquid to the intestine. For best effect For purification, a solution of 5-10% concentration is used. Relaxation occurs 2-5 hours after administration.

When using the drug orally, it should be remembered that Glauber's salt is slowly absorbed by the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, providing a slow thickening of the mucus. Therefore, bowel cleansing with a solution is carried out for three days.

To prepare the solution, dissolve 1 tbsp. l. drug per 200 ml. boiled water room temperature.

This remedy should be drunk every morning on an empty stomach. It will effectively cleanse the body of harmful substances, poisons. But since the solution has drying properties, this can lead to dehydration.

Therefore, during treatment, drink 2 liters every day. a mixture of freshly squeezed juices from 4 grapefruits, 2 lemons, 3 oranges. After a three-day cleanse, on day 4 you can start using raw vegetables, fruits, freshly squeezed vegetable juices. After a week, you can gradually switch to your usual diet.

How to cleanse lymph with Glauber's salt?

The lymphatic system of our body protects it from various infections. If the lymph is contaminated, the entire system loses its protective function, putting a person’s health at risk. Hordes of microbes, viruses, and bacteria rush into the body, destroying everything in their path. From here allergic diseases, colds, flu, asthma, cancerous tumors.

A solution of Glauber's salt, according to healers, will help to effectively cleanse the lymph and restore protective functions body. But there is one thing necessary condition: Lymph cleansing should be carried out only after
liver cleansing.

If this condition is met, you can proceed directly to the cleaning procedure.
Prepare fresh juice from grapefruits, oranges. You need to take 900 g of them. Mix the juices, add 200 ml lemon juice. Mix everything, dilute the mixture with 2 liters. clean, fresh water, store in the refrigerator. Make the juice in the morning, on the day of the procedure.

Do an enema in the evening. In the morning on an empty stomach, drink a solution of Glauber's salt (50 g per 1 glass of clean water). This solution will soon begin to work, clearing the lymphatic system of dirt.

After an hour, start drinking the drink you prepared in the morning, 1 glass every 30 minutes. You should drink everything throughout the day without leaving a trace. Before use, it is better to heat it to 35 degrees. You should not eat any food during cleansing days. But this drink is an effective energy drink, so you hardly feel hungry.

Cleansing should be carried out for three days in a row. Take it in the morning saline solution, then drink a mixture of juices and water every half hour. During this time lymphatic system will be completely cleared.

After completing the procedures completely, you can gradually switch to light, liquid porridges, fermented milk products, fresh, low-fat chicken broths. After another couple of days, you can move on to your normal diet.

Be careful! Such cleaning should be carried out no more than once a year. Cleaning procedures should not be carried out if you have diseases of the stomach and duodenum.

Glauber's salt is a very strong laxative for cleansing the intestines. This is precisely its main use in medicine. To avoid harm to your body, use the cleansing properties of this product after consulting your doctor. Be healthy!

Mirabilite (sodium sulfate, Glauber's salt, E 514) is a laxative salt that is used as a laxative to relieve constipation, as well as to cleanse the intestines, liver, and lymph.

Glauber's salt received its name in honor of Johann Rudolf Glauber, who first discovered it (1604 - 1670). The scientist recovered from his illness in 1624 thanks to mineral springs with the presence of sodium sulfate.

IN traditional medicine Glauber's salt is prescribed for short-term use against constipation.

IN alternative medicine Glauber's salt is used to cleanse the body, body, fluid retention in the body, and gastrointestinal and kidney complaints.

IN food industry it is used as food additives(E 514), and also added to detergents.

Dosage of Glauber's salt for constipation:
Adults: 10 to 30 g of sodium sulfate dissolved in sufficient water (400-500 ml/dose). The effect occurs within a few hours.

Contraindications:
inflammatory bowel diseases, intestinal obstruction or stenosis
abdominal pain of unknown origin
intestinal perforation
renal failure
electrolyte imbalance: hypernatremia

Side effects:
Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting occur mainly when high dosage. With long-term use, addiction, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration (hypertonic solutions) are possible.

Colon cleansing with Glauber's salt:
Glauber's salt is a well-known laxative that can be bought at any pharmacy around the corner. This salt is similar Epsom salts(magnesia) with an extremely bitter salty taste, which radically affects the gastrointestinal tract. When cleansing the intestines with salt, it is recommended to drink more purified water.

With diarrhea, which is caused by taking Glauber's salt, the body loses large number water. However, it is ideal for cleansing the body of toxins.

1. According to the book by H. Mayr:
Take 1 - 3 teaspoons of Glauber's salt (about 7 - 21 g), dissolve it in 200 - 250 ml of warm water. To mask the bitter taste, you can add a few drops of orange juice. Drink the drink on an empty stomach (in the morning). After 30 - 120 minutes, bowel cleansing, diarrhea, and removal of toxins will begin. This cleansing will continue for about 6 hours. It is recommended to drink water, natural juices and not eat food all day. This type of intestinal cleansing is best done once, maximum 2 days in a row. For the best effect, you can give a cleansing enema the next day (read here).

2. Second option for colon cleansing:
The day before the cleansing, prepare a solution of Glauber's salt. To do this, mix 30–40 g of salt in 250–400 ml of warm water. Stir the mixture several times throughout the day.
In the evening, 2 hours before bed, drink a mixture of salt and water in small doses, i.e. Within 30 minutes you must drink all the prepared liquid. After some time, you can drink 2 glasses of purified water to avoid dehydration.
You will notice the effect of Glauber's salt the next morning. Your intestines will be cleared of toxins and blockages.

After cleansing, you need to follow a diet for 3 days, i.e. There are only light meals and snacks (vegetables, fruits). Avoid meat, oil, beans, soy, fish, eggs and dairy products for now.

Who is Glauber's salt not suitable for? To those who suffer chronic constipation, low blood pressure, heart failure. Before using the product, consult your doctor.

The medicinal salt substance has a strong laxative effect. Outwardly it looks like transparent crystals. The product contains not only cleansing properties that are useful for people losing weight, but also harm if taken incorrectly.

What is Glauber's salt

In nature, deposits of such a mineral as hydrous sodium sulfate are called mirabilite. The substance was first discovered by the German chemist Glauber, which is why mirabilite received its second name. Glauber's salt is sodium sulfate decahydrate, a substance that absorbs toxic lymph. Chemical formula the drug is Na2SO4 10H2O, and its maximum solubility in water is at 32.4 ° C. In medicine, the use of Glauber's salt is better known because of its laxative properties, necessary for effective cleaning human body.

Glauber's salt for weight loss

If you lead healthy image life and perform simple procedures within 5 days, you can get rid of excess weight and cleanse the intestines of toxins, forget about constipation. Glauber's salt will help you lose weight, but before you start taking the solution, you need to prepare fresh fruit: it will protect you from dehydration and help restore your vitamin balance. You need three types of fruit: four grapefruits, three oranges and two lemons. Next, you will need to grind all the ingredients and dilute them with water in a 1:1 ratio. Method of using the substance for those who want to lose weight:

1. Drink the solution on an empty stomach (200 ml of water with 1 tablespoon of the substance).
2. After half an hour, take 2 sips of a fortified drink, drink throughout the day every 30 minutes.
3. Before going to bed, do an enema (add the juice of 2 lemons to 2 liters of boiled water).
4. Follow the three steps described for 3 days, and then you need to drink vegetable juices.
5. On the last day you can already eat fruits and vegetables.

Pros and cons of Glauber's salt

Before using a substance, you need to weigh all the pros and cons of Glauber's salt. Sodium sulfate has valuable properties: it cleanses the body of waste and toxins accumulated over the years due to solubility, removes fluid, and eliminates constipation. The most important advantage of consuming salt is that it does not disrupt lipid metabolism (metabolism). The obvious disadvantages of the substance include:

• dehydration that occurs with a powerful laxative effect;
• the appearance of nausea and vomiting;
• are eliminated from the body along with “garbage” nutrients;
• fat layer is not eliminated (weight loss is facilitated by getting rid of excess fluid).

Contraindications to the use of Glauber's salt

It is safe to use the substance only after reading the instructions, consulting a doctor, laboratory examinations. Mirabilite can harm the body, aggravate the course of many diseases and contribute to the exacerbation of chronic ones. Except individual intolerance There are other contraindications to the use of Glauber's salt:

• pregnancy;
• breastfeeding;
• various diseases gastrointestinal tract;
• inflammation of the gallbladder;
• cholecystitis;
• dehydration.

How to take Glauber's salt

To cleanse the intestines, it is necessary to prepare a specific solution: for this, pour 400 ml of boiled warm water, add 40 g of the substance (taking into account the solubility rate). It is necessary to stir the resulting mixture throughout the day, and take Glauber's salt 2 hours before bedtime. Other features:

• To avoid dehydration, you can drink about 2 glasses of water.
• After the procedure, it is advisable to eat vegetables and fruits.
• You should try to follow a diet that includes only light meals, excluding milk, eggs, meat, fish delicacies, soy, beans, and butter for a while.

Glauber's salt price

By taking a remedy such as Mirabilite, you can forget about the blockages in your stomach for a long time. You can buy a substance for weight loss and cleansing by ordering from an online store. Prices in Moscow start from 13 rubles per 1 kg of products and vary depending on the manufacturer and packaging weight. You can ask for this salt at pharmacy kiosks not as Glauber’s salt, but as an analogue called “sodium sulfate decahydrate crystalline hydrate.” Judging by the reviews, the product can be sold in pet stores.

Video: crystal structure of mirabilite

GLAUBER'S SALT– sodium sulfate decahydrate Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O, discovered and first described by the German chemist Johann Glauber. After Glauber discovered the medicinal properties of sodium sulfate, this substance was studied in some detail. Many natural sources have been discovered.

The most common sodium sulfate mineral is mirabilite (natural Glauber's salt), decahydrate crystalline hydrate (decahydrate) Na 2 SO 4 · 10H 2 O. This is one of the lightest minerals (density 1.49 g/cm 3). It precipitates from solutions in the form of large colorless transparent prisms, which in air gradually erode, lose water and crumble into white powder. Mirabilite also occurs as deposits and crusts on gypsum and rock salt in many salt deposits. Large quantities of it fall into winter time from the water of Kara-Bogaz-Gol in Turkmenistan. Mirabilite is found in Lake Kuchuk in Western Siberia, in the salt lakes of the Tomsk region. There are huge deposits of it (about 100 million tons) in the province of Saskatchewan in central Canada. In the 19th century 30 km from Tbilisi, rich deposits of mirabilite were found in the form of a dried lake with an area of ​​55,000 m2, with a layer thickness of about 5 meters, covered on top with a layer of sandy clay with a thickness of 30 cm to 4.5 m. In California (USA), Sicily, Germany , in Bolshoye Malinovskoe Lake (Astrakhan region) double salts are found along with mirabilite: the minerals astrakhanite Na 2 Mg(SO 4) 2 4H 2 O, leveite Na 2 Mg(SO 4) 2 2.5H 2 O, vanthoffite Na 6 Mg(SO 4) 4, glauberite Na 2 Ca(SO 4) 2, glaserite Na 2 K 6 (SO 4) 4. In addition to decahydrate, rhombic crystals of heptadic crystalline hydrate Na 2 SO 4 ·7H 2 O and monohydrate salt Na 2 SO 4 ·H 2 O are also known. Significant quantities of sodium sulfate are found in sea ​​water and in water from mineral springs.

Rarer in nature is anhydrous sodium sulfate - the mineral thenardite, named after the French chemist L. J. Thénard. Rich deposits of thenardite were found in Chile, in Central Asia, in the state of Arizona (USA). In Spain, in the Ebro River valley, a layer of anhydrous sulfate (between layers of clay and gypsum) up to several meters thick was found. All of these places have arid desert areas, which helps maintain anhydrous salt. It is often found as a yellowish or brown powder (due to impurities), and sometimes as colorless clear crystals with a glassy sheen, which in the presence of moisture become cloudy and lose transparency. Such crystals can precipitate from salt lakes, but only when extreme heat when the temperature exceeds 32.4° C; at lower temperatures, crystalline hydrate precipitates. If the salt lake contains and table salt, thenardite precipitates at more low temperatures. Thus, if a solution is saturated with both sulfate and sodium chloride, anhydrous sulfate precipitates above 18° C. Sodium sulfate melts at 884° C.

Crystal hydrate Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O dissolves in water with strong cooling; the thermal effect of dissolution is 78.5 kJ/mol. When the crystals are heated to 32.4° C, they melt (dissolve in their own water of crystallization). Interesting and rare feature sodium sulfate - its maximum solubility in water at 32.4 ° C, which is 49.8 g per 100 g of water (calculated as anhydrous salt). Below and above this temperature, solubility drops - to 4.5 g at 0 ° C and to 42.3 g at 100 ° C. Sodium sulfate is remarkable for its ability to form supersaturated solutions (): if prepared hot saturated solution of this substance in distilled water and cool slowly and carefully, then no precipitate will form. However, small impacts (shaking the solution, introducing a seed - a small crystal of Na 2 SO 4) cause rapid crystallization.

Sodium sulfate finds wide application. It is one of the main components of the charge in glass production; it is also used in wood processing (the so-called kraft pulping), in dyeing cotton fabrics, for producing viscose silk, various chemical compounds– sodium silicate and sulfide, ammonium sulfate, soda, sulfuric acid. Sodium sulfate solutions are used as a heat accumulator in devices that store solar energy. The great demand for sodium sulfate leads to its production on a huge scale. Thus, in the USA, during the period from 1934 to 1947, the production of sodium sulfate increased from 20 thousand to 290 thousand tons, and by the 90s it reached 750 thousand tons.

Glauber's salt is still used, albeit to a limited extent, in medical practice as a laxative. This substance has a salty-cooling, somewhat bitter taste. Its action is based on the slow absorption of salt in the intestines and changes in it osmotic pressure(OSMOSIS). As a result of osmosis, water is transferred into the intestines, its contents liquefy, increase in volume, and as a result, peristalsis (contraction of the intestinal muscles) increases. Direct irritation of the receptors of the intestinal mucosa with sodium sulfate solution also plays a certain role. At the same time, the secretion of bile increases noticeably. Glauber's salt is also used for food poisoning, since it not only cleanses the intestines, but also delays the absorption of toxins and their entry into the blood. In case of poisoning with soluble barium or lead salts, Glauber's salt promotes the formation of insoluble sulfates of these metals, which are harmless to the body (barium sulfate is even specially introduced into the food tract in the form of contrast agent). On medicinal properties Glauber's and other salts based action mineral waters the famous resorts of Carlsbad (now Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic), Marienbad in Austria and other sources. The composition of these waters can be judged by the composition of artificial Carlsbad (Carlsbad) salt, which contains 44% sodium sulfate, 36% sodium bicarbonate, 18% sodium chloride and 2% potassium sulfate.

Ilya Leenson