Salt

Tropical forest ash salt

When you think of salt, you usually think of it as sodium chloride (sodium chloride), but in the world, many people in the world have never had easy access to saltwater or rock salt. How did they get the minerals? In this section, I would like to introduce the salt made from plant ash (hereinafter referred to as “ash salt” [1]) that is used in African tropical forests.

I first learned about ash salt before I first went to Africa when I was researching a person named Mongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A paper written over 100 years ago detailed the process of making ash salt. When making ash salt, Mongolians in the Kasai River region leave a village and make a camp near a swamp, and a large amount of salt grass (species name is unknown, but it seems to be a grass family) growing there. Mow to. After drying it, it is burnt in a furnace to make ash, which is packed in a huge funnel with a diameter of 2 m and a height of 3 m, and water is poured from above. A few days later, water with dissolved minerals oozes out and collects in a jar placed below. When you put the jar on a fire and evaporate the water, ash salt lumps will form. The collected ash salt was consumed by relatives, sold at the market, and used as currency.

No such large scale ash salt production was done in my Congo field. However, I was able to observe ash salt making in everyday cooking situations. Dry the oil palms and burn on a bonfire. Put the resulting ash in a small strainer and sprinkle water on it to remove the liquid containing ash salt called engange. It is described as "mongwa ya bokoko ancestral (or traditional) salt." When you lick it, it tastes like ash, which is peculiar to ash. Of course, nowadays you can buy rock salt at the market and use it for normal cooking, but engange is used for boiling cassava leaves. It is said that it is more delicious than adding salt [Note 2]. Also, when I was investigating a market in the suburbs of a big city, I saw oil palm ash packed in a big bag, so it seems that ash salt is distributed as a product.

It is known that ash salt contains a large amount of potassium and calcium, but contains a small amount of sodium. Although salt intake is indispensable for human survival, it is known that excessive intake of salt causes high blood pressure, and the factor is considered to be sodium in salt. Therefore, it can be said that ash salt is a salt that hardly causes hypertension. In a paper written in the 1990s, an attempt was made to use ash salt instead of salt in Europe, but it was said that it had a bad taste because it contained sodium bicarbonate, and it did not work. It was However, nowadays, when I search the Web, many pages are hit with items such as vegetable ash or vegetable salt. Ash salt seems to be establishing a certain position as a healthy food. The ash salt, which seems to be a legacy of the past, has the potential to be revived as a salt that supports human health.

Note 2: The use of these forms of ash salt has been reported not only in Africa but around the world. In particular, there are many reports that it is used by indigenous peoples such as North America, Amazon and Papua New Guinea.

 

Living to de world top

Pakistan

 

Khewra Salt Mines

A salt mine located in the khewra district jehlum,  186 km from Islamabad and 260 km from Lahore. The center of the "Salt Mountains", which is 300 km long and 8 to 30 km wide. It is said that in 326 BC, the horses of Alexander the Great, who were fighting Raja Pors on the banks of the river Jermu, 35 km from Keura, licked the salt, which led to the discovery of the salt mine. After that, mining was continued by the local people, but after the area was annexed to British India in 1849, mining proceeded under British control, and in 1872, British experts Has excavated the main tunnel to the rock salt reserves and introduced new technology. The Keura salt mine, which mines beautiful white and pink salts, is a popular tourist spot for Pakistanis who can be visited by the truck.

Mined salt

There are various types of salt, including rock salt, crushed powder and salt processed for souvenirs.

Salt Advantages

Keep cells normal

Salt is dissolved in the body's body fluids such as blood, digestive fluids, and lymph fluids in an ionic state. And it regulates the pressure (osmotic pressure) of body fluid inside and outside the cell to keep the balance constant. In fact, this balance is very important for the absorption of nutrients from food. No matter which way you lean, you will not be able to get nutrients into your body. Inadequate salt intake can lead to circulatory failure, decreased blood pressure, dehydration, shock, lightheadedness, and swelling. It also slows down your metabolism, which is bad for your skin.

Coordination of nerve and muscle work

When we move our body, the instructions from the brain are transmitted to nerve cells as electrical signals. It is the sodium ion, which is a salt component, that acts to transmit this electrical signal. If salt is insufficient, this transmission will not work properly, which may cause poor physical condition. If you exercise hard on a hot summer day, you may experience leg cramps, which is also the result of your body being extremely deficient in sodium.

Normalization of appetite and taste

Proper saltiness enhances appetite. In addition, the normal taste that makes you feel delicious is maintained by the stimulation of salty taste. Continuing a diet that is too salty, along with the actual problems caused by a lack of sodium and chlorine, also reduces appetite due to a diminished taste. Then, your physical strength declines, and your appetite falls further, creating a vicious circle.

 How was it? In addition, salt has various functions such as preventing the body from becoming acidic and helping digestion and absorption. Just like salt, it's a healthy multiplayer. Maintaining a good relationship, not too much or too little, is the best way to stay healthy.

 

In fact, of all the foods, only salt does not belong to either.

 

Relationship between salt and health

Relationship between salt and health

Previously, it was often said that "salt causes hypertension." However, in recent years, it has become clear that the intake of salt and the rise in blood pressure are not always linked. This is technically expressed by the terms "salt sensitive" and "insensitive". People who show ups and downs in blood pressure depending on salt intake are "salt sensitive," whereas those who are not related to salt intake and blood pressure are "insensitive" to salt.

 

Reducing salt as a measure against hypertension is effective for only 40% of people who are "salt sensitive" type. In other cases, it is necessary to be careful as not only the effect cannot be expected, but also the adverse effect on health due to salt reduction.