​Can salt reduce inflammation and swelling?

Eating salt by itself cannot reduce inflammation or swelling. However, salt water does have anti-inflammatory and detumescent effects. Salt water is a sodium chloride solution, which can have a good detumescent effect, especially swelling caused by fatigue or sprains. Soaking in warm salt water can effectively remove edema. The reason why salt water can reduce inflammation and swelling is that it utilizes the osmotic pressure generated by the contact between the injured part and the salt water, which promotes blood flow to achieve the purpose.

1. When a sprain first occurs, applying cold water to the affected area can effectively prevent swelling. Using blood-activating medicine and applying hot water to the affected area the next day or later that day can promote blood circulation and eliminate swelling. Salt water has a certain anti-inflammatory effect, but it has no effect on reducing swelling.

2. It can completely reduce swelling because saline contains NaCl solution, which is one of the main components of salt and helps to eliminate water discharge from subcutaneous tissue.

3. For patients with pharyngitis, gargle the throat with light salt water, which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects; for patients with trachoma and conjunctivitis, wash the eyes with light salt water every morning, which has eye-improving and therapeutic effects; wash the feet with eggplant roots and salt water to treat frostbite; after being bitten by bees, scorpions, and centipedes, immediately wash the affected area with concentrated salt water to relieve pain, reduce swelling and detoxify; wash your hair with salt water to reduce hair loss; wrap the fried salt with gauze and apply hot compress to the joints to treat arthritis caused by dampness, rheumatism, etc.

4. After physical exercise, soak your feet and legs in warm salt water to avoid soreness and fatigue in your legs and feet the next day; adding a little salt to the bath water can stop itching; gargling with light salt water every day can eliminate bad breath; drinking some salt water before singing can avoid hoarseness; drinking a glass of salt water in the early morning can cure urinary obstruction; eating some salt can detoxify if you accidentally eat poisonous food. This can reduce swelling. But it’s better to buy some anti-swelling medicine.

5. Soaking your feet in salt water can reduce swelling. You can soak your feet in 3% hot salt water for half an hour every day, which can reduce swelling and relieve pain. If you persist for a few days, you will basically be cured. If it is caused by trauma, it is okay to use salt water, increase nutrition, supplement vitamins and trace elements, maintain regular living habits and a regular schedule, and avoid adverse stimulation.

6. Using salt water to soak your feet to reduce swelling mainly utilizes the osmotic pressure of salt water and the affected area to make the blood flow to the affected area, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing swelling. However, this method is not very effective. Secondly, it is not appropriate to use heat stimulation to treat the wound after a sprain. It is generally recommended to apply ice first and then hot compress. Moreover, if there is an obvious wound, it is even more inappropriate to soak your feet in salt water, which will irritate the wound and may cause it to worsen.