What Are Cell Salts?

Cell salts provide homeopathic relief for a number of ailments and also form the basis of many preventative health regimens. The ground minerals, used in combinations or singly, come in tablet, spray or cream form.

Origin

• After analyzing the ash content of cremated humans, 19th century German physician Willhelm Heinrich Schussler identified a dozen distinct minerals. These salts, Schussler posited, reside in human tissue at the cellular level and represent the key elements people need to thrive.

Daily Dozen

• Each of the tissue salts Schussler identified supposedly possesses its own health giving qualities. The 12 salts are: Calcium fluoride, calcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, potassium sulfate, sodium phosphate, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, ferric pyrophosphate, magnesium phosphate and silicon dioxide.

Salty Synonyms

• Cells salts can also be referred to as "tissue salts," "Schussler cell salts" and "Biochemic salts."

How They Work

• Cell salts are often found where other natural products are sold.

  Health food stores and herbal outlets generally offer a range of the salts either as a single element or in combinations. The "Mag Phos" (magnesium phosphate) products, for example, help ease muscle pain and spasms.

Modern Implications

• Various global regions often suffer from some mineral depletion in their soils, lowering the nutritional quality of that area's crops. The Southern Hemisphere, for example, lacks selenium, magnesium and zinc in its soil structure, possibly leading to diseases stemming from lack of those minerals in the local diet.