Enjoying Epsom Salts

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Sore and tired after a long and exhausting week, tonight I ran myself a hot bath supplemented with a handful of Epsom salts.

Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) get their name from from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where the salt was first distilled from the springs that arise where the porous chalk of the North Downs meets non-porous London clay. 

A traditional component of bath salts, Epsom salts have a diverse range of uses, from a coagulant in the making of tofu to a saline laxative.  Some of the more common household uses for Epsom salts are:

• Fabric softener: Place 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in the washing machine before commencing the rinse cycle
• Fertiliser: To help overcome magnesium and sulphur deficiencies in soil (symptoms include yellow between leaf veins and curling of leaves), spread Epsom salts over the soil.  For citrus crops, tomatoes, lettuces, etc, also apply as a foliar spray (375g to 20L).
• Baths and footbaths: soothing and relaxing, and can be absorbed into the skin reducing inflammation

Have you ever used Epsom Salts?  What do you use them for?

(The information in this post came from a Faulding Epsom salts box and Wikipedia)