Penny Stanway - The Miracle of Bicarbonate of Soda: Practical Tips for Health and Home

Thank you to my sister, Jenny Hare, for her joy in food and cooking; to my husband, Andrew, for his unstinting enthusiasm in discussing bicarbonate of soda and alkaline diets; to my family and friends for their good company and warm-heartedness when we eat together; to my agent, Doreen Montgomery, for her encouragement and support; and to my editor, Alison Bolus, for her patience, wisdom and common sense.

Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is a white crystalline mineral powder with a multitude of uses, both domestic and commercial. It is also known as sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, bread soda or, simply, bicarb.

I have called it bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in those chapters dealing with cooking, home hints and beauty, because this is the name most often used in these spheres of interest. However, in the rest of the book I have called it sodium bicarbonate, because this is how it is known by physiologists, nutritionists and doctors.

The names of certain other chemicals could sound confusingly similar to those unfamiliar with chemistry. These include:

• baking powder (which contains other ingredients besides sodium bicarbonate)
• sodium chloride (salt)
• washing soda (sodium carbonate or soda ash) and
• caustic soda (sodium hydroxide).

It is vital never to confuse any of these with sodium bicarbonate, so be sure that any container of white powder is clearly labelled.

Sodium bicarbonate is present (along with sodium carbonate) in the mineral known as natron, which is deposited from salt lakes in various countries. The ancient Egyptians used natron to clean their homes, their teeth and, when mixed with oil, their skin. They also used it to mummify dead bodies. Sodium bicarbonate can also be mined as deposits of nahcolite in rock, and it is present in the water flowing from many hot springs. Today, though, it is mostly produced in factories, mainly by a method that mixes salt (sodium chloride), ammonia, calcium carbonate and carbon dioxide in water. A total of over 1 million tons is produced this way each year in various countries, including the USA, Italy, Egypt and China.

Sodium bicarbonate is mildly alkaline in water but is also amphoteric, which means it can react with both acids and alkalis. It is useful in many commercial and domestic situations. It is used, for example, as a cake-raising agent, as well as to make baking powder, self-raising (self-rising) flour, soaps, domestic cleaning and deodorizing products, medications, water-softeners, dry fire extinguishers and pesticides. It can also be used to make toothpaste and bath bombs and to coat dental floss.

Last, but not least, our bodys own internally produced sodium bicarbonate is a vital part of the acidalkali balancing systems that keep us healthy. And by eating an alkali-producing diet and, perhaps, taking sodium bicarbonate or applying it to our skin, we can help to treat certain common ailments.

This important mineral is available in small quantities as bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) from supermarkets and grocery stores and as sodium bicarbonate from pharmacies (drugstores). You can also buy it in bulk online.