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What is alum? Chemical formula, properties, effects of alum. Be careful when using alum. Preparation of alum. Distinguish between alum and rock sugar. Some ways to combine alum to treat common diseases.

Alum is certainly no longer strange to everyone because it has been used for a long time with the outstanding use of purifying water. In today’s article, we will learn more to see what alum is, what its properties are, how it is prepared and if it has any other uses.

WHAT IS ALUM?

What is alum?

Alum, scientifically known as potassium alum, is a type of salt with crystals of irregular size, colorless or white, sometimes clear or slightly opaque. This salt is soluble in water but not in alcohol and is a double sulfate salt of potassium and aluminum.

Alum also has other names such as aluminum alum, Vu tat, Vu trach, crushed stone, ma xi phan, white phan, tat phan, sinh phan, suppress wind stone, dry phap, minh phan,…

CHEMICAL FORMULA OF ALUM

The chemical formula of alum is KAl(SO4)2

Normally, alum is found in crystalline form when containing 24 water molecules: KAl(SO4)2·12H2O or K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O

Find out information: What is Javen Water? Uses of Javen Water

PROPERTIES OF ALUM

• Alum exists in the form of small, irregular, colorless or white crystals, or it can be clear or opaque.
• This salt has an acrid, sour taste, is soluble in hot water and is insoluble in alcohol.
• Melting temperature is about 92-93 degrees Celsius.
• Boiling temperature is about 200 degrees Celsius.
• Alum is considered non-toxic because it only contains about 10% aluminum, at this level it is not harmful to human health.

USES OF ALUM

Uses of alum

Industrial applications

• • Alum is used to filter water because when added to water, the reaction will occur: Al3+ + 3H2O → Al(OH)3↓ + 3H+. In the above reaction, Al(OH)3 is a colloidal precipitate and this glue will stick to dust and dirt in the water, causing them to sink to the bottom.
  • In the paper industry, alum is used to prevent paper from smudging ink when writing. Specifically, people will add them to paper with table salt and aluminum chloride to create a stronger hydrolysis reaction, thereby creating hydroxide and this hydroxide will stick the cellulose fibers together and the paper will not smudge ink when writing.
  • For the textile industry, alum is used as a colorant.

Application in medicine

• • In traditional medicine, alum has the effect of detoxifying, disinfecting skin, enteritis, stomach diseases and effectively treating underarm odor.
  • In addition, it is also used to treat a number of other diseases such as vulvar itching, otitis media or missed mouth.
  • Not only that, people also use alum to prepare many medicines to treat different diseases such as toothache, eye pain, coughing up blood, helping to stop bleeding and other types of hemorrhage.

Application to food

• • Alum has been known for a long time for its use in increasing the whiteness and crispness of foods such as jam and pickles.
  • Help eggs stay fresh longer by soaking eggs in 5% alum solution for 15 minutes.
  • Alum is also used to remove the odor of pig intestines by grinding them into powder and rubbing them on the intestines, then washing.
  • Thanks to its weak acidity, baking soda stimulates the release of carbon dioxide, thanks to which alum is also used as baking powder to make baked goods. The cake will rise when it goes into the oven, but not when kneading the dough.

HOW MUCH IS THE PRICE OF ALUM?

Alum is quite cheap, you can buy it at any grocery store or market because it is very popular. Normally, 100 grams of alum costs about 20,000 to 50,000 VND depending on different uses.

NOTES WHEN USING ALUM

NOTES WHEN USING ALUM

• When using alum as baking powder, the safety agency’s maximum allowable level must be followed to ensure user safety.
• Alum also makes many people concerned about health safety when using it because it contains aluminum, which can cause many negative effects on the nervous system. According to some scientific studies, aluminum only causes nervous system toxicity in rats, but there is no evidence that it will have harmful effects in humans.
• To ensure health safety, European safety organizations – EFSA and the World Health Organization – WHO have proactively tightened the amount of aluminum allowed to be used in food. Specifically, weekly, the maximum aluminum tolerance level is 1mg/kg.

PREPARATION OF ALUM

• Clay, sulfuric acid and K2SO4 are the main raw materials to prepare alum.

DISTINGUISHING ALUM SUGAR AND SOUR ALUM

• Many people still mistake rock sugar for alum, but basically these are two completely different substances.
• Rock sugar is an organic compound, produced from sugarcane, with a chemical formula and ingredients completely different from alum.
• Alum is considered an inorganic compound.

IS ALUM EDIBLE? AND IS IT TOXIC TO THE BODY?

In a certain amount, alum is not harmful to the human body. However, you must be careful if using large amounts of alum! Because it will cause unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness and diarrhea.

Although the uses of alum are many, overuse of alum can lead to many health risks. The reason is because alum contains aluminum. If aluminum from alum is absorbed by the body, part of it will accumulate in the bones, while another part will be excreted. In case the body has too much aluminum, it will affect the nervous system and the risk of dangerous diseases is very high.

Learn more in the article: What are Isoamyl acetate and isoamyl alcohol? Find Out Now!

SOME WAYS TO COMBINE ALUM TO CURE COMMON DISEASES

Some ways to combine alum

Treat body odor:

• Use crushed, smooth alum and rub it into the armpit area after drying. Use once a day.

Cure foot water:

• Soak alum in water in the basin, soak your feet in, then dry your feet.

Treat ringworm:

• Combine 4 parts of alum and 1 part of calcined borax, then grind into small pieces, smooth and mix well. Use betel leaf juice to dab on the washed damaged skin area, then sprinkle the mixed powder mixture. Use 2 times daily until symptoms have disappeared.

Treating high blood pressure:

• Mix equal amounts of alum and tuliph (finely ground) then roll into tablets like medicine. Use 3 times a day, about 6g each time within about 20 days for 1 course of treatment (perform at least 2 courses).

Treatment of chronic otitis media:

• Drop alum water into the ear once a day.

Treating malaria:

• Use about 2g of alum every morning before breakfast.
• Or use 120g of green bean flour and about 60g of alum ground into powder. Add this mixture to the rice flour, stir into paste and roll into balls with pepper. Take 20 tablets with cooled boiled water about 1 hour before fever.

Support for vaginitis and vaginal discharge:

• Take 3 betel leaves, wash them, crush them and boil them with 0.5 liters of boiling water. When they are almost cool, add 4g of alum and stir to dissolve.
• Or: combine equal amounts of alum and soapberry, grind and decoct into water.
• Before going to bed, use the above medicinal water mixture to wash the infected vaginal area.

USES OF ALUM UNDER oriental medicine and some remedies to cure diseases from alum

USES OF ALUM UNDER oriental medicine and some remedies to cure diseases from alum

Uses of alum according to Oriental medicine

• Taste: sour, moist
• Relying on the meridians: Relying on the spleen meridians
• Functions – main treatment: Alum has antiseptic, blood-clearing, phlegm-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties. Mainly used to treat vomiting, heat, phlegm, bleeding, itchy scabies, pimples, electrolyte imbalance, jaundice, dysentery,…

Remedy from alum

Treat eczema and impetigo

• • Preparation: Tung Huong 200g, new lard 500g and Minh phan 1500g.
  • Instructions: Put lard and pine incense into the pot, heat until pine incense dissolves in the fat and let cool. Use alum to burn into dry alum, grind it into a fine powder, mix it with fat, and apply it to the painful area.

Treat skin diseases caused by rheumatism

• • Preparation: 2g mothballs, 1000g calcined plaster, 12g each of dry matter and sulfur, 63g of barley.
  • Directions: Grind the ingredients into fine powder, then store in a clay jar and cover tightly. When using, take a little medicinal powder mixed with oil and apply it to the painful area twice a day continuously for 5-7 days.

Eliminates phlegm and clears congestion

• • Preparation: 3 parts alum and 7 parts tuliph.
  • Directions: Grind the spices into powder, add water to form a dry mixture. Use 4 – 8g each time, twice a day and drink with calamus decoction or warm boiled water.
  • Note: If you have a lot of phlegm, you should use 40 – 60g/day.

Treat low apples

• • Preparation: White powder and pepper jelly are equal in amount.
  • Directions: Grind the ingredients into fine powder, use 4g each time, 3 times a day (should be taken with porridge).

Treatment of hepatitis causing acute jaundice

• • Preparation: Clearness and clearness are equal in amount.
  • Directions: Grind the ingredients into fine powder, then put into capsules, take 2 – 4g, 3 times a day.

Treats bloody defecation, bloody vomiting, hemorrhage, nosebleeds and other bleeding disorders

• • Preparation: Babies tea and white ginseng are equal amounts of each.
  • Directions: Grind the ingredients into fine powder, take 1 – 1.5g each time and drink with water.

Treat vaginal discharge

• • Preparation: Equal doses of dry and sifted soapberry.
  • Directions: Decoct the herbs and use water to soak the vulva.

Treat eel acne in children

• • Preparation: Cinnabar and dryan are equal amounts.
  • Directions: Grind the medicinal herbs into a fine powder, then mix with sesame oil and apply to the skin area to be treated until symptoms are completely relieved.

Treats ulcers, swelling, and rheumatism

• • Preparation: Hung Hoang and Minh Phi are equal in amount.
  • Directions: Grind the ingredients into a fine powder, mix well with strong tea and apply to the painful area.

Treats epilepsy, excessive phlegm and sore, swollen throat

• • Preparation: 1 – 2 rock sugar.
  • Directions: Mix with water and drink directly.

Treats boils all over the body, boils and boils on the back (bursts)

• • Preparation: Enough beeswax and 1 amount of leucorrhea (raw).
  • Directions: Heat beeswax until melted, mix with crushed white ginseng to form tablets the size of black beans, take 10 – 20 tablets and drink with hot water.

Treats headaches and loss of appetite due to phlegm in the throat

• • Preparation: 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 amount of white ginseng.
  • Directions: Decoct the white powder with 1 cup of water, mix the remaining 1 cup with honey and drink directly. After drinking, the patient will vomit phlegm. If you cannot vomit, drink more until you vomit and vomit.

Treat babies who cry a lot due to cold in the mother’s womb

• • Preparation: Bach complain.
  • Directions: Heat on fire for 1 day, grind the powder into pellets with corn kernels, grind 2 pellets with milk and let the child drink regularly until cured.

Treat children who cannot breastfeed due to white tongue

• • Preparation: 1 cup of alum.
  • Instructions: Grind the powder until smooth, take a chicken feather and dip it into the powder and rub it into your mouth.

Treat stomach ache and cholera

• • Preparation: 1 cup of alum.
  • Directions: Drink with boiled water.

Treat underarm odor with alum

• • Preparation: Powdered alum.
  • How to do: Wrap in a handkerchief and rub it on the underarm area every day.

Treats scalp scaling and itching

• • Preparation: 3 amounts of Tung Huong (powdered), 0.5 kilos of fresh elm and 1 and a half kilos of dried elm (powdered).
  • Directions: Stir the pork belly with pine incense, cook until soft, then let cool and mix with dry flour, stir well and spread the paste.

Treated by a speech ban

• • Preparation: 15g armor and 30g white powder.
  • Directions: Powder each flavor separately, then use 3g/time to drink with cooled boiled water.

Treating epilepsy due to phlegm

• • Preparation: 5 small winged sweet soup and 30g white ginseng.
  • Directions: Grind the medicinal herbs into powder and mix them with honey to make balls the size of black beans. Adults take 15 tablets, children take 5 – 6 tablets to drink with hot water.

With the above sharing about alum, Trung Son hopes to help you better understand this type of salt that has been commonly used for a long time. Alum, when used properly, indeed brings many benefits to health as well as in industry and some other fields. Hopefully with the above sharing, you will be able to use them properly to achieve the desired effect. If you still have any questions about alum or any chemicals, do not hesitate to contact Trung Son immediately for answers. Please leave a comment below the article.

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