The benefits of bath salts

What Are bath salts (Drug)?

Unlike Epsom salts, Dead Sea salts, or other types of salts you might use to game up your bath time, synthetic cathinones are a powerful and illegal drug. Synthetic cathinone is the scientific name for the drug commonly known as bath salts.

Bath salts are among a group called new psychoactive substances. They give you a “high” that affects how you see others and the world around you. Their effects are similar to the effects of amphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA).

Bath salts are not approved for any medical use. Risks from using them include liver failure, mental illness, and even death.

Where Do Bath Salts Come From?

The most commonly reported ingredient is methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), although other stimulants may be present, such as mephedrone and pyrovalerone.1 MDPV is of the phenethylamine class and is structurally similar to cathinone, an alkaloid similar in structure and effects to amphetamine and found in the khat plant. Khat is a shrub found in East Africa and southern Arabia. Mephedrone has been reported to have a high potential for overdose.

MDVP is structurally related to methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cathinone derivatives. MDMA is a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance, and cathinone derivatives (cathinone, methcathinone) are listed as Schedule I stimulants. Animal studies have demonstrated elevated levels of extracellular dopamine 60 minutes after administration of MDVP.

What Do Bath Salts Do?

Bath salts can cause users to experience an out-of-body experience, be in an elated mood, or feel delirious. These effects can last up to 3–4 hours.

Other short-term effects include:

• agitation and irritability
• insomnia
• dizziness
• panic attacks
• depression
• suicidal thoughts
• paranoia
• delusions and hallucinations
• distorted sense of reality
• decreased ability to think clearly
• mood disturbances and psychosis

Physical effects of bath salts include:

• decreased muscle and body control
• increased blood pressure and body temperature
• chest pains
• irregular heartbeat
• nosebleeds
• feeling sick and throwing up
• seizures
• stroke
• heart attack
• brain swelling

Where Does the Name Bath Salts Come From?

Bath salts (synthetic cathinones) look and feel like Epsom salts.

People often sell bath salts on the internet. The drug is a purest form of light brown or white crystallized powder. It usually comes in plastic bags or foil labeled as bath salts, glass cleaners, or plant food. Sellers do this to confuse law enforcement.

The drug doesn’t contain any ingredients from bathwater products.

Synthetic cathinone has other street names, including:

• Stardust
• Vanilla sky
• Ocean burst
• Blizzard
• Pure ivory
• Bath powder

10 Benefits Of Using Bath Salts

1. Bath salts are a natural product made from salt harvested from the ocean. Many bath products contain chemicals, so using simple, natural salts is preferable.
2. The minerals in bath salts help detoxify and cleanse the skin. They can also reduce irritation and swelling. This provides benefits like pain relief and potential weight loss assistance.
3. Bath salts are high in magnesium, which is absorbed through the skin during a soak. Magnesium aids sleep by relaxing muscles. It can also help alleviate menstrual cramps.
4. Salt baths improve the skin's moisture barrier, keeping it hydrated longer. Salt water does not dry out skin like chlorinated water.
5. Bath salts relax tense and sore muscles and reduce aches and pains from exercise or conditions like arthritis. The warm water further supports joints and muscles.
6. Emerging research shows salt baths may boost immunity and cardiovascular health by replenishing electrolytes and aiding cellular function.
7. Bath salts calm irritation from skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. They reduce inflammation and relieve dryness and itchiness.
8. Bath salts can be used as a gentle, natural exfoliant to leave skin looking radiant.
9. A salt bath lowers stress levels. The improved circulation relaxes the body, easing physical and mental tension.
10. The magnesium in bath salts promotes sleep. The relaxing effects make it ideal before bedtime.