Baking soda, or nahcolite in its natural form, is part of the natural mineral natron, which is abundant in sodium bicarbonate and has been used since ancient times. Despite being of great help in the household, baking soda offers powerful medicinal properties.
According to Care2.com:
“Baking soda helps regulate pH—keeping a substance neither too acidic nor too alkaline. When baking soda comes in contact with either an acidic or an alkaline substance, its natural effect is to neutralize that pH. Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering.
This dual capability of neutralizing and buffering allows the baking soda to do things such as neutralize acidic odors (like in the refrigerator) as well as maintain neutral pH (like in your laundry water, which helps boost your detergent’s power). It’s a simple reaction, but one that has far-reaching effects for a number of cleaning and deodorizing tasks. “
Here are several ways in which you can use baking soda as a natural medicine and a personal care product:
1. Toothpaste and teeth whitener
To improve oral health, whiten your teeth, and destroy bacteria in the oral cavity that lead to cavities, make a paste of baking soda, a pinch of sea salt, and water, and use it instead of your store-bought toothpaste.
2. Relieve heartburn, indigestion, and ulcer pain
Baking soda is made of 100 percent natural sodium bicarbonate, and it neutralizes the stomach acid immediately, so it relieves heartburn, ulcer pain, and indigestion. Just dissolve half a teaspoon of it in four ounces of water, and drink it every two hours.
3. Sunburn remedy
To naturally relieve the painful sunburns, add half a cup of fine baking soda to the lukewarm water in the bathtub, and soak in it for 15 minutes. You can even apply a mixture of water and baking soda directly on the sunburn.
4. Foot soak and exfoliator
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