Beneficial properties and harm of potassium alum - use for hyperhidrosis, price and reviews

What is potassium alum

Alum is a popular mineral of natural origin. They are used in medicine and cosmetology due to their enveloping, anti-inflammatory, and cauterizing properties. In appearance, potassium alum is colorless, transparent crystals of large sizes, the taste of which can be described as sweet. The mineral alunite has excellent astringent properties that help absorb excess moisture without blocking the sweat glands. During the processing process, the crystals are crushed: a white powder (powder) is obtained, the basis for pharmaceuticals.

Hazard class of potassium alum

Aluminum alum is an analogue of the mineral alum-k. Other names are artificial calinite, double salt, potassium alum, or crystal hydrate of aluminum and potassium sulfate. In the directory of chemical technologies, the compounds were assigned the 2nd hazard class of potassium alum, which means an insignificant, but quite real degree of threat to human health. Without special pharmaceutical treatment and medical use, this class of compounds can cause:

• eye irritation;
• redness on the skin;
• respiratory tract diseases;
• digestive disorders;
• vomiting

Notes

1. ↑ 123 Rukavishnikova V. M. Aluminum preparations in dermatological practice // MSD. - 2000.
2. Mashkovsky M.D. Medicines. - ed. 12 hours 1. - Medicine, 1993.
3. Vidal 2000, ed. 6, section E, pp. 15-20
4. Rukavishnikova V. M. Mycoses of the feet // MSD: paper.. - 1999. - P. p. 217 with illustrations..
5. Rozentul M. A. General therapy of skin diseases. - ed. 2. - Medgiz, 1956. - P. 181-330.
6. Rozentul M. A. Handbook of cosmetics edited by Rozentul M. A. - 1. - Medicine, 1964. - P. p. 160.

Application of potassium alum

The astringent property has made alum popular in the production of products for eliminating the odor of sweat. They like to add it to deodorants during their manufacture, and use it as a daily powder for interdigital folds and the skin of the feet. On the 5th day, the drug gives results: it helps relieve itching and the existing unpleasant odor. For small cuts, wipe your face with the product after shaving. For erosions on the skin and cracks, an infusion of alum has a regenerating effect.

The use of potassium alum is widely known for its preventive effect and treatment:

• fungal diseases (mycoses);
• excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis, including the armpits and palms);
• inguinal diaper rash and under the mammary glands;
• stomatitis caused by herpes viruses;
• with skin tightness;
• oily seborrhea;
• ingrown nails.

How to dilute potassium alum in water

The reagent has a detrimental effect on pathogenic bacteria. To achieve effectiveness, you need to know how to dilute potassium alum in water. First, you need to buy mineral powder at the pharmacy and prepare a remedy with which you can stop the bleeding. In a glass of water (250 milliliters) dilute 1/3 tsp. substances, moisten a clean cloth with it. The patient needs to apply a napkin to the affected tissues: the mineral has a contracting effect. The surface of damaged vessels dries out, and blood stops flowing.

Literature

• Burnt alum // Brief encyclopedia of household management / ed. A. I. Revina. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1960. - T. 1. - P. 250. - 770 p.
• Brief chemical encyclopedia. 1963, vol. 2, p. 534
• Medicines used in dermatovenerological practice. Edited by V. A. Chernov. Medicine, 1971, p. 58.
• Rozentul M. A. General therapy of skin diseases. Medgiz, 1956, ed. 2, pp. 181-330
• Rukavishnikova V. M. Mycoses of the feet. MSD 1999, 217 p. from illustration
• Directory VIDAL. Medicines in Russia. 2000, ed. 6, section E, pp. 15—20
• Handbook of cosmetics. Edited by Rosentula M.A., Medicine 1964, p. 160
• TSB, 1969, 3rd edition, vol. 12, pp. 7-8.

Instructions for the use of potassium alum

Mineral powder is used externally in 0.5–2.0% aqueous solutions, which can be used to rinse your mouth, make lotions and wash your face. Combine crystals with essential oil. If you have a nosebleed, you can dip a paper wick into this solution and place it in the nasal opening, tilting your head to the side. Alum is used in the compositions of Burov's fluid and hemostatic pencils.

It is convenient to provide instructions for the use of potassium alum, depending on the ailment, in the form of a table:

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Alum from sweat

The smell that is felt when sweating is caused by waste products of bacteria found on clothing and the human body. A product with deodorizing and disinfectant properties helps combat the strong smell of sweat and increased sweating. When using alum against sweat, microorganisms are immobilized, and due to its high hygroscopicity, sebum and sweat are absorbed. Alum dries and is a very strong antiperspirant that can reduce the secretion of sweat and sebaceous glands.

Potassium alum in gynecology

Healing minerals are effective against fungal and inflammation. They help relieve irritation and heal wounds, which makes it possible to use potassium alum in gynecology. They are used in the preparation of an aqueous solution for vaginal irrigation, douching, tampons, washes, and lotions. Women can fight thrush, which occurs when the vaginal microflora is disrupted and the immune system is weakened, by douching - a weak solution of burnt alum destroys candida.

Reviews

Most people consider burnt alum one of the best medicines. The use (reviews confirm the high therapeutic activity) of the powder has a positive effect on the condition of the skin. For many, the drug has become a panacea for dermatological diseases. The remedy received many enthusiastic exclamations from patients suffering from trophic ulcers.

According to reviews, after using it, wounds heal faster, bleeding and pain disappear. The best part is that burnt alum (it is still advisable to use it after consulting a specialist) does not cause harm and consists exclusively of natural ingredients.

Harm of potassium alum

Mineral powder is safe when used externally and does not cause harm to health. Individual intolerance and hypersensitive reaction to aluminum salts may be harmful to potassium alum and contraindications for use. This happens extremely rarely, but cases of dermatitis have been observed when using deodorants with alum. The drug is not intended for internal use and can cause irreparable damage to health, so you need to practice folk recipes yourself with great caution.

pharmachologic effect

Burnt alum is obtained by heating potassium-aluminum alum at a temperature of 160 degrees until the original volume is reduced to 55%. What remains is ground into powder and sifted. The resulting powder is white, crystalline, inert, chemically stable, absorbs moisture well, and odorless.

Reviews of burnt alum are positive; the product has an anti-inflammatory, drying, antimicrobial, cauterizing, enveloping, and hemostatic effect. In addition, they relieve itching well.

Price of potassium alum

To independently prepare cosmetic and medicinal recipes, you can buy burnt alum crystals or powder at a very reasonable price. An inexpensive product can be ordered through a pharmacy kiosk, catalog, or purchased in an online store specializing in the chemical industry. People who want to avoid wasting time on homemade recipes can be advised to buy a natural mineral deodorant containing alum. It is more convenient to provide information in the form of a table of prices for potassium alum per 1 kg:

Story

Alum received its name in the 15th century from the Slavic word “kysati” - to sour - for its astringent taste [1].

In non-medical practice, potassium alum is used in the form of crystalline hydrate - K 2 SO 4 ⋅ Al 2 ( SO 4 ) 3 ⋅ 24 H 2 O ⋅ {displaystyle {ce {K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O.})}

However, the instability of potassium alum to weathering (loss of water of crystallization during storage in air) is inconvenient for use as a pharmacopoeial drug; it requires dehydration. When heated, alum becomes dehydrated and loses the water of crystallization included in the structure of the salt crystal lattice.

The dehydrated product is then crushed and sifted. In pharmacology, the resulting powder is called burnt alum [1].

Burnt alum is a white hygroscopic powder, poorly soluble in cold water.

What are the benefits of burnt alum as an antiperspirant?

The most common way to use alum is externally, and it can be applied both to the skin and to mucous tissue. Alum is considered a convenient, safe and economical remedy for solving dermatological and cosmetic problems.

The wide possibilities of the drug are explained by the nature of its biochemical interaction with the skin:

• enveloping - when applied to a small cut or inflamed area of ​​the mucous membrane, potassium alum promotes the coagulation of proteins and the formation of a film that prevents the penetration of microbes into the tissue;
• drying and antimicrobial - due to its high hygroscopicity, alum instantly absorbs moisture and thereby deprives microorganisms that have fallen on the treated surface of a comfortable habitat and reproduction; in addition, the product destroys their shell, as a result of which many microbes die;
• anti-inflammatory and hemostatic - the dense albuminate film formed when applying alum has a hemostatic effect on the superficial vessels, due to which pain is quickly extinguished and the temperature at the site of inflammation is reduced.

Recipes

The recipe for preparing alum to tighten the vagina is quite simple. In order to achieve the desired effect. One teaspoon of alum is quite enough, which must be poured into water and stirred thoroughly. Everything else is simple. A sterile piece of cotton wool is dipped into the resulting solution and carefully inserted into the vaginal cavity.

You should consult your doctor before using this recipe. Some women may experience allergic reactions when the mucous membrane comes into contact with sulfuric acid salts. This phenomenon is explained by the individual characteristics of the body. And even if there is no negative reaction, the time of use of alum must be limited.

A gynecologist will help you decide how long the procedure should be. But it is most convenient to douche with alum. A small amount of alum can be much more effective than new-fangled drugs.

Burnt alum can be used not only to tighten the vagina. In the initial stages of thrush, a weak alum solution can stop the growth of pathogenic fungi. To achieve the desired effect, it is enough to treat the vaginal mucosa several times a day with a weak solution of salts.

Another gynecological disease that can be successfully cured with alum is cervical erosion. In this case, it is best not to insert a cotton swab soaked in the solution, but to douche. It is recommended to carry out a similar procedure twice a day, morning and evening.

The entire course should not exceed fourteen days. Next, you must not carry out medical procedures for ten days. After this period, douching can be resumed. If you have undergone vaginal surgery with sutures, using alum will help significantly reduce the recovery time. Alum can reduce the amount of discharge.

In order to narrow the vagina with an alum solution, you will need a regular syringe. This system must be decontaminated before use. Since it is undesirable to boil the syringe, it can simply be treated with any alcohol solution.

To prepare a solution in the required concentration, take one teaspoon of alum and five hundred ml of water. To treat thrush, the amount of alum is reduced by exactly half.

Inflammatory diseases of the genital organs are treated using sitz baths, into which alum solution is poured. Additionally, copper sulfate and boric acid can be added to the bath solution. The duration of such a procedure should not be long, no more than seven minutes. It is most convenient to prepare baths before bedtime.

All procedures using alum must be carried out extremely carefully and in compliance with the required dosage. A solution in high concentration strongly dries out mucous membranes

And cracks can easily form on dry mucous membranes, which in turn, when microbes attach, can become the basis for the onset of an inflammatory process; moreover, such cracks usually bleed. Therefore, when the concentration of the solution is exceeded, the vagina not only narrows, but also gets injured.

Alum can be a salvation for those women whose menstruation occurs with heavy and prolonged discharge. In this case, a decoction of oak bark is added to the alum solution. When douching with this product, not only does the vagina narrow, but also the amount of discharge during menstruation is normalized.

It is not recommended to use alum solutions during pregnancy. In this case, the balance between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms can very easily be upset. The process of rapid multiplication of pathogenic bacteria will begin, which will pose a serious threat to the fetus.

Alum destroys pathogenic bacteria, but does not do so selectively. With prolonged use of the solution, beneficial flora may also die. Using alum to tighten the vagina is not one of the official uses of alum.