Baking Soda is also known as Sodium hydrogen carbonate (Scientific Binomial Name), Sodium bicarbonate (Common English), (Ayurvedic), (Unani), Meetha Soda (Hindi / Urdu), samayal soda / Appa soda (Tamil), Paak Churna (Marathi), (Sanskrit), khabar soda (Bengali), (Telugu), (Kannada), (Malayalam). Baking soda is a white powder that is traditionally used as a raising agent for baking. It is used in many natural remedies, and on its own for its soothing and neutralizing properties.
Baking Soda Teeth and Gum Problems
For good teeth health, chew sage leaves daily will brighten teeth as will brushing with baking soda every once in a while. For tartar control, make a paste of 2-part baking soda, 1/2 part golden seal powder, 1/2 part salt, and 1/2 part myrrh powder add hydrogen peroxide and brush teeth after each meal for five minutes. To treat gingivitis, mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part salt. Add hydrogen peroxide until a paste forms. Brush teeth with paste for 5 minutes every night. You can also make your own toothpaste with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Just before brush, combine the two ingredients until they form a paste with a consistency that’s to your liking. Make a fresh mixture each time you brush teeth.
Baking Soda Bath Health Benefits
This alkalizing and detoxifying bath can help calm allergic reactions, chicken pox, eczema, hives, itchy skin, insect bites, poison ivy, sunburn, and fungal infections. Use 1 pound (455 g) per bath. To treat sunburn, add 1/2-cup baking soda to a tepid bath and soak for 20 minutes. OR A warm bath of ginger and baking soda will help pacify anxiety. Use 1/3 cup ginger and 1/3 cup baking soda in a tubful of water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. OR For extra healing and muscle relaxation, apply the mahanarayan oil on your back and then follow with a hot bath in which you put some ginger powder and baking soda (1/3 cup of each). Soak in the tub for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat this bath 2 or 3 times a week. OR If the problem is hemorrhoids, take a baking soda bath, soaking the hemorrhoids in warm water with 1/3 cup baking soda added. Then apply neem oil to the hemorrhoids. OR Salt and baking soda in the bath may reduce the effect of minor exposure to X-rays.
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate for Skin
For dermatitis trouble due to external causes, the most effective treatment consists of applying a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and olive oil. The alkaline sodium neutralizes the poisonous acids formed in the sores and oil keeps the flesh in a softened condition. A paste of baking soda and water can be applied to diaper rash to reduce skin inflammation and irritation. For allergies, drink a mixture of 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water.
Poison Ivy and Chicken Pox
Don’t scratch yourself raw when mosquitoes or other insects have made you the day’s buffet. Instead, mix a little water with baking soda and apply the paste to the itchy areas. A baking soda paste can also help ease the itching of poison ivy and chicken pox. For bee stings, extract the sting and apply a paste of baking soda and water to neutralize it.
Sodium Bicarbonate for Heartburn
Heartburn occurs when the highly corrosive hydrochloric acid in the stomach splashes upward into the esophagus, causing a temporary chemical burn. You can get relief by taking a sodium bicarbonate tablet or a teaspoon of baking soda, with a few drops of lemon juice, mixed in a glass of water. When you down this fizzy stuff, it neutralizes hydrochloric acid by converting it to harmless sodium chloride and carbon dioxide. The effects last only about 30 minutes, but they occur almost instantly. Don’t use this remedy too often, however, because baking soda contains a lot of sodium, which may raise your blood pressure. Lemon juice helps dispel some of the gas baking soda can form when it combines with stomach acid. For nausea, add a pinch of horseradish and a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water and drink a gulp every 2 hours until relived. Rest in a dry, shaded area.
Side Effects and Precautions
Baking soda should be used only externally on children and babies. Consult a physician before taking baking soda if you have high blood pressure or heart trouble.