‘Lavana’ also reffered to as salt, is definately one of the most common and important part of our daily lives. While most people consider it just for bringing taste to the food, it actually has a very diverse and rather important effect on our body and health. Let’s find out what Ayurveda says about it!

Upon its consumption, salt is characterised by inducing salivation in mouth associated with a slight burning sensation in our cheeks and throat. It then gradually often softens the mouth. Salt is considered to primarily increase our digestive fire, thus aiding in the digestion process and also for imparting taste to our food. Owing to its penetarting nature, it is considered to destroy or release any stiffness, rigidity or any sort of accumulation, assemblage of various substances by penetrating and breaking them down. By the same action it also clears and purifies all our body channels and also has a tendency to induce or increase persipiration (sweating) in individuals. It provides our body with a level of oiliness, unctuous substance or lubricity with is very essential for proper digestion as well nourishment of the body.

Understanding its impact upon the tridosha, salts generally subside the ‘vata’ dosha, dilutes the ‘kapha’ dosha or makes it slender and also aggravating it, and vitiates the ‘pitta’ dosha.

In Ayurveda, five kinds of salts are mentioned, each similar to one another owing to the above properties. But at the same time they are also quite different from another, and tend to have different effects om our health.
These are –
1. Saindhava Lavana (Rock Salt/Himalayan Salt)
2. Sauvarchala Lavana (Black Salt)
3. Vida Lavana (a type of Black Salt)
4. Samudra Lavana (Common Sea Salt)
5. Audbhida Lavana (Earthen Salt)

Considered as the best salt in Ayurveda, it is an excellent stimulant for the digestive fire and digestion. It is also slightly sweet in taste. In its uniqueness, it is aphrodisiac (stimulates sexual desire) and pacifies all the three ‘dosha’. While all the other salts tend to hamper with out eyesight, ‘Saindhava Lavana’ has a rather beneficial effect on our eyesight, due to its ‘pitta’ pacifying nature. For the same reason it alss doesn’t cause any kind of burning sensation.

It also stimulates digestive fire, and imparts taste to food. It is very hot in nature and has an aroma to it. It relives one of any obsturction in urine or stools. It is considered good for heart and produces a pure belching.

It also hot in nature and possess extreme penetarting power. It relieves one of any kind of pain and corrects the direction of vitiated ‘vata’.

It has a slight sweet and astringent taste to it and is considered heavy in nature. It has the general properties of the salts. It is mentioned as one which moves the vitiated dosha out of the body. It pacifies ‘vata’ and vititaes the ‘kapha’ dosha.

It also has slight sweet, bitter and pungent in taste. It also has mild alkanity and increases the watery content in the body.

While salts have all these amazing qualities it is also important to note that their excess use can have serious effects ranging from greying of hair to severe hair fall issues and various other diseases associated with thirst, skin disorders and severe weakness in the body.