Finding salt in the Wilderness for survival

Throughout history, salt has played a significant role in the survival of civilizations. In fact, it’s so vital to our survival that numerous wars have been fought over salt, including the French revolution which was in part caused by a salt tax in France.

Salt is mostly sodium chloride, and is one of the essential minerals that your body needs to function and survive. It plays a critical role in ion and water homeostasis in the body, which is probably why it’s one of the one of the five basic taste sensations.

Fail to eat enough salt your body can begin to experience:

• muscle
• cramps
• dizziness
• fatigue

In an energy zapping survival situation your body can lose a lot of salt through sweating. In fact, a lot of the popular sports drinks on the market today work by replenishing your body with the salts you lose during strenuous exercise.

Your body can lose a lot of salt from sweating, it’s important to have a source of salt to keep your body in top shape.

Having salt tablets in your medical or survival kit can be a big help in a survival situation, but more important is having the knowledge of where to find it in the wilderness.

Do you know where your Salt Comes From?

Where to find salt in the wild:

Sea Water – Sea water can be diluted with plenty of fresh water to get the salt your body needs. (Never drink pure sea water, doing so can be dangerous to your kidneys.)

Plants – In America, you can get salt from the root of a hickory tree. Simply boil the roots until everything evaporates; you will be left with salt crystals.

Foods that naturally have salt:A variety of foods contain a natural amount of sodium, here are some of the best options:

• Seafood – A 1/2 cup of cooked shrimp can contain up to 400 milligrams of sodium.
• Celery – one stalk of celery has over 30 milligrams of sodium.
• Artichokes – one cup of artichokes contains almost 100 milligrams of sodium.
• Carrots – One medium carrot contains bout 42mg of sodium.
• Poultry and most animals.

Salt Licks – A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals lick to get their intake of salt. You can also find them in farming areas, set out for cattle.