WONDER POWDER: Health benefits of baking soda, a versatile kitchen staple

03/19/2024 / By Olivia Cook

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, has been a handy all-purpose household staple for nearly 200 years. Baking soda is a non-toxic white crystalline powder that is affordable at roughly 52 cents an ounce. It is readily available in nearly every drugstore, grocery store, and big-box retailer.

Baking soda is known for its myriad of uses. It is used to eliminate odors in enclosed spaces, remove moisture and grease, whiten laundry, clean carpet stains, polish silver and clean surfaces. It can also be used to get rid of weeds and pests, and can also be used to extinguish fires caused by oil and grease.

But baking soda isn’t just for the kitchen. Here are some health benefits of baking soda. (Related: Baking soda is a super household aid.)

Supports healthy energy levels

Sodium bicarbonate is a popular supplement among athletes. Research suggests that taking it by mouth one to two hours before short-term, high-intensity exercise may possibly help men to train and perform longer at their peak.

One small study on 13 young athletes found that those who drank a baking soda solution before a high-intensity intermittent training session have improved performance and lowered fatigue. The participants who drank the baking soda solution also felt as if they weren’t working out as hard compared with those who didn’t.

Baking soda may help delay fatigue, especially during anaerobic exercises or high-intensity training and sprinting due to its high pH level, letting these athletes perform at maximum intensity for longer periods. A separate study found that cyclists who took baking soda exercised for an average of 4.5 minutes longer than those who did not.

Addresses heartburn and acid reflux

Sodium bicarbonate is a salt that breaks down to form sodium and bicarbonate in water, making an alkaline solution. This ability to neutralize acid helps reduce the high acidity in bodily fluids, making baking soda a popular antacid for heartburn and indigestion.

It is estimated that more than 60 million Americans experience heartburn at least once a month. Drinking a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of cold water may treat occasional heartburn or indigestion by neutralizing stomach acid.

Often used interchangeably with acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn is described as a bothersome feeling of burning pain or discomfort in the chest around the area of the heart that can be quite uncomfortable and sometimes mistaken for heart attack pain.

This heartburn sensation usually occurs after eating large meals, drinking too many carbonated beverages, or eating too many greasy, acidic or spicy foods. Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux and GERD, which is the chronic, more severe form of acid reflux.

However, baking soda is very high in sodium with 630 milligrams per 1/2 teaspoon – people who need to limit their sodium intake should be wary. Continued use of baking soda to address heartburn isn’t advisable as this may lead to metabolic alkalosis, a condition caused by too much bicarbonate in the blood.

Promotes a healthy mouth

Rinsing your mouth with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a cup of warm water for a couple of seconds and spitting it out is often suggested as a natural solution to bad breath. Baking soda has been proven to help reduce the acidity of plaque fluid (which builds up in the mouth) and the growth of odor-producing bacteria responsible for bad breath.

Baking soda is considered a good cleaning agent for your teeth. When you brush with a baking soda toothpaste, grains of baking soda disrupt dental biofilms (colonies of bacteria that attach to the surface of your teeth and eventually cause teeth and gum problems like gingivitis and cavities) like plaque, reducing the bacteria count and helping to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Since it is not acidic, baking soda causes no harm to the teeth, gums or bones.

However, it must be noted that using a baking soda rinse alone will not suffice for good daily oral hygiene. Thus, brushing one’s teeth remains important as if not done so, bacteria will form on the teeth, gums and mouth, releasing a gas that smells unpleasant.

Relieves skin issues

Baking soda possesses natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Thus, it has been reported to reduce pain, redness, swelling and relieve the itch associated with skin disorders that include acne, eczema, psoriasis (scaly, itchy skin), hemorrhoids, ichthyosis, mosquito bites, bee stings, rashes from poison ivy/sumac/poison oak and fungal infections of the skin and nails.

Addresses respiratory blockages

Not only does baking soda make breathing easier, but it also helps open sinus passages. Studies show that a saltwater rinse (from a mixture of concentrated saltwater and sodium bicarbonate) washes crusts and other debris from your nose – helping the nose work better and moving mucus out of the nose faster.

Supports a healthy immune system

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University reported that a daily dose of baking soda may help reduce the destructive inflammation of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. “We have some of the first evidence of how the cheap, over-the-counter antacid can encourage our spleen to promote an anti-inflammatory environment that could be therapeutic in the face of inflammatory disease,” they said.

The versatility of baking soda is unsurpassed and such a multi-purpose product should automatically secure a spot in your stockpile of prepping essentials. It never hurts to have a container on hand.

Follow Remedies.news to learn more about the uses and health benefits of baking soda.

Watch the full video below about how baking soda kills mycoplasma, the most common cause of cancer and disease.

This video is from the AlternativeRevelations channel on Brighteon.com.