Salt
Salt is the combination of the two minerals, sodium and chloride. In its natural mineral form, it is called halite. It is essential to the health of humans and animals. Although salt is widely used and researched for its culinary uses, it is a staple in traditional medicine for purification and blessing rituals and is also used to treat wounds.
Health Benefits:
Health Condition:
Method of Use:
Ceremony
Ingest
Alternative Names:
Sodium Chloride | Halite
Cultural Narrative
One community member described salt as a common treatment for wounds when she was little. She described how she would get hurt as a child and that her grandmother would first clean her wounds, like scrapes or bruises, with water, and then she would add a little salt to the wound and wrap it with newspaper or cloth. She described her wounds healing very quickly with this remedy. Other community members describe the use of salt for ceremonial or spiritual purposes. For example, it may be used on a traditional ofrenda/altar for DÌa de Los Muertos to provide the animas or spirits a way to cleanse themselves as they visit during this celebration. It can also be used on an altar and in ceremonies to represent the earth element.