Seawater has a long history as a source of wellness and treatment. It is Mother Nature’s original medicine cabinet. For ancient civilizations the oceans were the primary sources for health care. Soaking in the nutrient rich waters and often drinking seawater in moderate doses, provided great relief and therapy for any number of ailments from aging and rheumatism to psoriasis and digestive issues. Over more than 4000 years the oceans have been a pure and perfect source for health solutions - seawater contains every naturally occurring element.

In Ancient Greece Hippocrates encouraged the use of seawater therapies. He noticed the positive effects seawater had on the injured hands of fishermen. Not only did the seawater prevent the threat of infection, but those who used it found seawater greatly effective in pain relief as well. Other enlightened cultures from the Ancient Egyptians, to the Greeks and Romans, to the Japanese discovered and used seawater for its curative benefits as well as a preventative therapy. Later, in 18th and 19th century Europe, treatments became more organized, regimented, and even prescribed with the advent of seawater hospitals and thalassotherapy centers.

One of the most significant steps in understanding the underlying reasons for seawater benefits came in 1904 when the noted French researcher, René Quinton, published his findings on the chemical similarity between blood plasma and seawater. The two substances have a near identical ionic composition. Later during World War II, Allied Forces authorized the use of seawater as a blood plasma substitute. Quinton’s research and it’s later field use are the foundation for the critical role saline solution plays in the medical field today.

Seawater provides all the building blocks for human life. Seawater contains constant concentration of nutrient rich trace minerals providing the fortification and balance of healthy supported life.

Up Next: The link between seawater and cell nutrition.