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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / Where to Buy Epsom Salt. Supermarket, Pharmacy or Healthfood Store?

Where to Buy Epsom Salt. Supermarket, Pharmacy or Healthfood Store?

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Where to Buy Epsom Salt
  • Different Grades of Epsom Salt
  • What is the Difference?
  • Epsom Salt for Plants
  • How to Use Epsom Salt at Home

where to buy epsom saltWhile on a recent trip out of state I found myself in need of an Epsom salt bath to help resolve a mild injury.

Not knowing the town very well, I checked for some at a nearby health food store.

I was shocked to see that a small, one pound container cost a whopping $30. At home, I normally pay $2.99 for a 4-pound bag!

On the label, the words “Pharmaceutical Grade” were boldly emblazoned. This got me thinking about whether the kind I’ve been buying at the supermarket all these years was inferior stuff. So, I decided to investigate.

Here’s what I found out! I think you will be delighted as I was.

Where to Buy Epsom Salt

Figuring out where to buy Epsom salt is a relatively easy process in the United States. Supermarkets, pharmacies, and health food stores all typically carry it in sizes ranging from 1-6 pounds (1/2 – 2.7 kilograms).

You can also find it at many feed stores and nurseries for animal and agricultural applications, respectively.

In other countries I’ve visited, it seems a bit trickier. In the Netherlands, for example, I could only find a very small container in a nichey health food store. The supermarket and pharmacy nearby didn’t even know what I was talking about when I asked about it.

Different Grades of Epsom Salt

Like many substances such as vegetable glycerin, azomite, and diatomaceous earth, Epsom salts are available in different grades. While all contain the two naturally occurring minerals of magnesium and sulfur, there are different ways of manufacturing and packaging it.

These various processes are necessary for different applications. Some are for human use (both external and internal) and others are for agricultural applications.

What is the Difference?

According to the Epsom Salt Council, magnesium sulfate that is suitable for human use is identifiable in the following way.

Any package that has a “drug facts” box or that’s labeled “USP” has been manufactured, tested and certified to meet stringent regulatory standards of the FDA and the United States Pharmacopeia, and is deemed safe and acceptable for human use. For human use, the Epsom Salt Council recommends only Epsom salt with the USP designation.

This means is that a bag of Epsom salts from Walmart is essentially the same as the container from the health food store.

Both are equally safe and effective whether you plan to use magnesium sulfate crystals for internal or external use.

In other words, there is no need to spend 10 times as much for a container stamped “pharmaceutical grade”.

The inexpensive bag of Epsom salt with a “drug facts” box on the package or labeled “magnesium sulfate USP” is just as good!

The most inexpensive way to buy it is in bulk bags if you use it a lot in your home like we do (this brand is great and includes free shipping).

Epsom Salt for Plants

Magnesium sulfate for plants is typically available at hardware stores and nurseries because it makes excellent fertilizer. Feed stores also sometimes carry it.

This type of Epsom salt is of technical or agricultural grade and not for human use. It tends to be a bit cheaper and can be purchased in bulk (such as this brand).

How to Use Epsom Salt at Home

Once you’ve sourced a container of magnesium sulfate marked “USP” and/or the package has a “drug facts” box on the label, feel free to use for foot soaking, cleansing detox baths (particularly good for mild bruises or sprains), and as a safe, mild laxative.

If you are sensitive to the sulfur and/or on a low FODMAP diet, try magnesium bath flakes instead.

“Pharmaceutical grade” Epsom salt, however, is not necessary. Such labeling seems to be nothing more than a ploy to charge (a lot!) more.

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Category: Detoxification, Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Comments (25)

  1. Rose Bohmann

    Aug 25, 2019 at 10:47 am

    Just a tip: in the US at least, you can find USP epsom salts a lot of places for $1 a pound or less, making it much cheaper. And there’s no shipping (to your house) involved, since it’s available where you normally go anyway.

    Reply
  2. Nancy R.

    Jul 14, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Years ago I started doing magnesium baths with E salts from Walmart. I am a very sensitive person but I had several extreme reactions, almost like a PMS meltdown reaction. I have no doubt that they contained heavy metals. I switched to Saltworks (the brand you recommend) and had nothing but positive results. We buy all of our salts from Saltworks because of their purity. I have no doubts it was tainted but in your opinion, is this possible?

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Jul 14, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      It’s certainly possible. I’ve used Epsom salts from so many places and had consistently good results, although I have not used Epsom salts from Walmart.

  3. Derek Wood

    Feb 20, 2019 at 2:53 pm

    I get mine from CostCo…it’s one of the good items they sell, and the price is hard to beat anywhere.

    Reply
  4. Toni

    Feb 7, 2019 at 12:08 am

    Interesting that in the article, you state that the epsom salt for plants is cheaper, but the link provided is $10 more than the USP epsom salt on the other link! Might as well just get the USP for both!
    Thanks for cluing us in on the best buys!

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Feb 7, 2019 at 7:22 am

      I agree! I noticed that myself. Both are a very good price. Lesson being, I suppose, that buying in bulk is definitely the way to go 🙂

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