Aroma salts can also simply be dilute ammonia dissolved in a mixture of water and ethanol, and most of the forms of “flavor salts” available on the Internet are the latter type of mixture. These blends should be more correctly referred to as “aromatic ammonia alcohols”. Aromatic salts are usually a combination of dilute ammonia, water, and ethanol. They can also be a mixture of ammonium carbonate and perfume.
Both solutions offer a physical stimulant. There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the safety or efficacy of aromatic salts for any of these uses. When aromatic salts reach the nose of a person who has fainted, ammonia vapors irritate the inner membranes of the nasal passages. It's only legal in the United States for a person to use aromatic salts to help someone regain consciousness after fainting.
If you're curious to know who devised this method to revive unconscious people, the Romans were the first to use aromatic salts to “awaken the senses”. There has never been a known case of a person dying from ammonia gas poisoning due to the use of aromatic salts. Still, a person should consult their doctor before using aromatic salts for sports performance to understand how they can affect their health. Aromatic salts are usually a dilute ammonia solution, while poppers are a broad term for inhalable alkyl nitrates.
As the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out, these types of blends are not actually aromatic salts and would be more accurately called “aromatic ammonia alcohols”. The levels that will be diluted in the aromatic salts will be much lower, hence the low risk to health and safety with brief and intermittent use. Aromatic salts are often used by athletes (especially boxers) who have been stunned or unconscious to regain consciousness and mental alertness. The use of aromatic salts was widely recommended during World War II, and the British Red Cross and St.
recommended all workplaces. But what are aromatic salts? Are they really an effective medical treatment? How do they work? Are they toxic and dangerous? Basically, aromatic salts are used to momentarily change the way an athlete breathes, increasing their oxygen intake and revitalizing them. Peyton Manning, Michael Strahan, Landon Donovan, Alexander Ovechkin, Samuel Eto'o, Brett Favre and Tom Brady are just some of the most prominent players who have admitted or been photographed smelling salt on the sidelines.
