Pharmacology does not stand still. Pharmaceutical companies introducing new drugs into the market are pushing old ones into the background. Not so long ago, Soviet women in need of urgent weight loss had at their disposal Glauber’s salt, which could be bought at any pharmacy for a penny. Today, the pharmacist will shrug his shoulders in response to such a request. After all, now it can only be bought in veterinary pharmacies. And all because a more successful analog has appeared on the market — magnesium sulfate. However, there is a difference between these laxatives.
## Brief description
[Image of Glauber’s salt]Full chemical name: sodium sulfate decahydrate crystals
Other names:
* Glauber’s salt
* Siberian salt
* Mirabilite
* Sodium sulfate
* Gujar
Chemical formula: Na2SO4∙10H2O
Release form: coarse crystalline white powder
Description:
* Large transparent crystals
* Crystals of regular geometric shape — prisms
* Bitter-salty taste
* Odorless
* Quickly melts in the mouth, instantly dissolves in water
* Non-flammable
* In air, over time or when heated, it weathers and loses weight
* After complete weathering, it turns into anhydrous sodium sulfate
Main purpose: laxative
Dosage: orally, after dissolving in water
Pharmacokinetics: not absorbed in the intestines
Sources:
* mineral, mined in Canada, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Western Siberia
* sea water
* mineral waters of Karlovy Vary and Marienbad resorts (Czech Republic)
* deposits on rock salt and gypsum
History: first obtained in the winter of 1626 by the German alchemist, chemist, pharmacist and physician Johann Rudolf Glauber, from mineral waters
Origin of the name. Glauber called the substance he discovered “mirabilite”, which means “wonderful” in Latin. This salt cured him of typhoid fever at a time when his condition was extremely serious
## Main question
In medicine and veterinary medicine, Glauber’s salt is used as an effective laxative with a rapid effect. It is not surprising that it is popular with those who are losing weight. The problem is that not so long ago it was excluded from the register of drugs intended for use in humans, and now it is sold only as a remedy for animals.
This raises a major question for many who want to lose weight with Mirabilite: can people drink a solution of the powder sold in veterinary pharmacies and clinics?
Many sources claim that the Glauber’s salt that Soviet doctors once prescribed as a laxative is no different from the one now used in veterinary medicine. On the one hand, it is true that both there and there the product is presented in the form of a pure powder, without impurities. On the other hand, it is important to understand that medicines intended for the treatment of humans and animals have different requirements.
[Image of Glauber’s salt for veterinary use]No doctor will officially prescribe this drug to their patients today. However, on the Internet you can find a huge number of positive reviews about losing weight with its help. Therefore, deciding to resort to such a weight loss scheme, it is important to understand that in this case you take full responsibility for the consequences yourself. Are you ready to drink a drug that has the following warnings on its packaging: “For veterinary use”, “For animals”, “Not intended for human use”?
To lose weight, you can use many other laxatives that are functional analogs, but approved by official medicine — the same magnesium sulfate, for example. Yes, Mirabilite does indeed act faster, but at the same time it has a more aggressive effect on the intestinal walls and many more side effects.
Moreover, you should not order beautiful jars with the inscription “Glauber’s Salt for People” or “Glauber’s Salt for Weight Loss”, etc. from dubious Internet resources. It’s a scam.
## Impact
Benefit for the body:
* helps with constipation
* improves digestion
* normalizes metabolism
* increases bile production
* relieves the symptoms of poisoning
* blocks toxic substances entering the gastrointestinal tract with food, preventing their absorption into the blood
The main indications for the use of Glauber’s salt in Soviet medicine were constipation and severe poisoning.
Effect for weight loss:
* enhances intestinal motility, providing a laxative effect
* due to this, it frees the digestive tract from stagnant feces
* binds toxic substances in the intestines and removes them from the body
* improves lymph flow
* removes excess fluid due to its diuretic properties (less pronounced than laxative)
* detoxifies the body
Mirabilite promotes weight loss by removing feces, toxins, waste products, and other waste products, as well as excess fluid. However, it will not get rid of body fat.
Interesting fact. Paustovsky’s story “Kara-Bugaz” tells about the extraction of Glauber’s salt in Turkmenistan. After its publication, Paustovsky’s colleagues began to call him “the Mirabilite of our literature.”
## Possible harm
General recommendations before losing weight with any drug are a medical examination and consultation with a doctor and nutritionist. However, in the case of Glauber’s salt, such advice is completely useless: no professional doctor will prescribe a veterinary drug to a person. Therefore, choosing such an extreme way to lose weight, you can only rely on yourself. At the very least, you should familiarize yourself with its contraindications and side effects.
Contraindications:
* individual intolerance
* vitamin deficiency
* anemia
* dehydration
* serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, any intestinal disorders (especially diarrhea)
* cholecystitis
* exacerbation of any chronic disease
* pregnancy, lactation period
* children’s and old age
Side effects:
* dehydration
* deficiency of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that the body does not have time to assimilate, since Mirabilite actively removes them immediately after entering the digestive tract
* prolonged uncontrolled diarrhea
* vomiting (rare, but possible)
* deterioration of health
* excessive pallor of the skin
* bags and bruises under the eyes
* weakness, lethargy, drowsiness
* sudden mood swings, irritability
* allergic reaction
Given such an extensive list of side effects, it is not surprising that Glauber’s salt was replaced by magnesium sulfate. It acts less aggressively on the gastric mucosa.
## Application
Self-use of Glauber’s salt as a laxative for weight loss is difficult, since the instructions for the drug are written for animals. It specifies dosages for horses, cattle, deer, sheep, etc. All this is not relevant for a person. Therefore, you will have to use the drug in accordance with the recommendations of people who have lost weight with its help.
To get started, you can check out their recipes for losing weight using Glauber’s salt. Here are some of the most popular and effective (based on reviews):
