How does Epson salt work?

There are no published scientific experiments anywhere that prove Epsom salts are absorbed through the skin. Published experiments subject to peer review and testing by the scientific and academic community are the only acceptable
methodology in any country. Manufacturers claims do not count.

Epsom Salts got its name from a practice of boiling off the water from mineral springs in Epsom, England. This left a salt, magnesium sulphate plus other dissolved salts behind in crystal form.

Only certain medications in the form of nano particles can be absorbed through the skin. The molecules of Magnesium and Sulpher are too big, just like water to pass through the skin. The practice of soaking in a bath with epsom salts to relieve muscle soreness is common and the claims that it helps probably stem from the heat of the water aiding recovery and not the salt. It would not matter one way or the other if you used table salt or epsom salt in the water.

If our skin was not both waterproof and impervious to everyday molecules in nature we'd die in minutes from being poisoned. The outer layer of our skin comprising a mix of dead skin cells and keratin can be 'puffed up' if we soak it in water or apply various potions and oils to it but it only goes as deep as the first layer and that's where it stops. Any further and every bacteria and chemical known to man would be swarming to get through to our tissues and kill us.

Epsom salts do have some known medical benefits if you swallow it, such as a laxative effect. The myth of soaking in it to get any benefit is sadly just a myth.

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Epson Salts, or Magnesium sulfate, when used through soaking with a 1% solution, can soothe muscle pains and give a feeling of well-being. Magnesium and sulfate are absorbed through the skin.
Magnesium can be ingested as a nutritional supplement, but studies show that a wide variety of factors - the presence of specific foods or drugs, certain medical conditions, even the individual chemistry of a person's stomach acid - can interfere with their effectiveness. But all of the subjects in a recent study experienced increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with magnesium sulfate crystals, commonly known as Epsom Salt.
Raising your magnesium levels may:
-- Improve heart and circulatory health, reducing irregular heartbeats, preventing hardening of the arteries, reducing blood clots and lowering blood pressure.
-- Improve the body's ability to use insulin, reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes.
-- Flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances.
-- Improve nerve function by regulating electrolytes. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.
-- Relieve stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating neurotransmitter within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation. A magnesium-deficient brain is also more susceptible to allergens, foreign substances that can cause symptoms similar to mental illness. Deficiency of serotonin can result in migraine headaches and depression.
While increasing your magnesium levels, Epsom Salt also delivers sulfates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Sulfates serve a wide variety of functions in the body, playing a vital role in the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and are believed to help detoxify the body's residue of medicines and environmental contaminants.