What is bath salts

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What It Is: The name "bath salts" sounds innocent, but these are powerful and dangerous stimulant drugs.

Sometimes Called: bloom, cloud nine, flakka, scarface, vanilla sky, and white lightning How It's Used: Bath salts are sold as a white or off-white powder, mostly in small plastic or foil packages. What It Does: Bath salts contain manmade chemicals that increase brain and central nervous system activity in much the same way as drugs like amphetamines or MDMA ecstasy. View Metrics. Anita Slomski. A dangerous drug that lingers. Illegal but easy to find. Confounding the clinician. See More About Addiction Medicine.

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Bath Salts. Expand All What happens to your brain when you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? What happens to your body when you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? Can you overdose or die if you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? What are the other risks of using synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? Are synthetic cathinones "bath salts" addictive? Withdrawal symptoms might include: depression anxiety tremors problems sleeping paranoia.

What should I do if someone I know needs help? If you, or a friend, are in crisis and need to speak with someone now: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at TALK they don't just talk about suicide—they cover a lot of issues and will help put you in touch with someone close by If you want to help a friend, you can: Share resources from this site, including this page.

Encourage your friend to speak with a trusted adult. Where can I get more information? Adding 3 or 4 drops to your salt bath can provide additional relief of inflammation and irritation. You can use bath salts to relieve dry and itchy skin, including itching caused by insect bites and poison ivy. To do this:. You can also add almond oil, oatmeal, or powdered milk to bath salts to soothe and moisturize the skin.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends soaking and stretching in a warm Epsom salt bath to help relieve stiff and aching joints and for relief of muscle soreness after exercising. Some essential oils, such as ginger, may have anti-inflammatory benefits. According to a study , ginger was shown to have anti-arthritic and joint-protective effects in arthritis. Adding a few drops of diluted ginger essential oil to your bath salts may offer additional benefits.

You can also target specific joints by using bath salts and ginger oil mixed with some warm water to make a paste that can be rubbed on the joint. To do this, you simply create a shower scrub:. You can add 12 drops of your favorite essential oil to your body scrub to enjoy some of the additional benefits listed above. Bath salt scrubs are also great for exfoliating the skin. Repeat three times daily to treat nail fungus until your symptoms improve.

Adding diluted tea tree oil has antifungal effects. Soaking your feet in a warm salt bath also makes it easier to exfoliate dry, cracked heels.