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Trace Mineral Drops

Concentrated seawater or Great Salt Lake brine sold as '72+ ionic trace minerals'. In practice they are a magnesium and chloride supplement with negligible amounts of everything else, and the '72 minerals' figure is a chemistry curiosity rather than a nutritional one.

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What the science says

  • Provides 72+ essential trace minerals Limited evidence

    Mass-spectrometry of seawater does detect dozens of elements, but at nutritionally trivial concentrations. A standard 40-drop serving delivers roughly 250 mg magnesium plus sodium/chloride/sulfate, while elements like zinc, selenium, copper and chromium arrive in microgram-to-nanogram amounts — often under 1% of the RDA. Most of the '72' are non-essential (rubidium, strontium, titanium) or outright undesirable (lithium, boron aside, trace arsenic).

  • Deep ocean minerals speed recovery from exercise Limited evidence

    A crossover trial in 12 male athletes found deep ocean mineral water improved recovery of aerobic power and reduced muscle soreness at 24-48 h after dehydrating exercise compared with placebo water. This is a single very small study, likely driven by magnesium and rehydration rather than exotic trace elements, and it has not been replicated in a larger sample.

  • Improves insulin sensitivity or metabolic health Limited evidence

    A randomized trial of deep-seawater magnesium in adults reported modest improvement in insulin-resistance indices over 8-12 weeks. The active variable was magnesium at supplemental doses — the same benefit is available from a cheap, well-studied magnesium citrate or glycinate tablet with a known milligram content.

  • Ionic form is better absorbed than tablets Limited evidence

    No head-to-head human absorption study supports 'ionic drops' beating conventional magnesium salts. Magnesium chloride (the main constituent) is a soluble, reasonably bioavailable salt, but so are citrate and lactate; the differences among soluble magnesium salts are small compared with the dose difference between products.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseLabel servings are typically 10-40 drops (0.5-2 mL) daily, delivering roughly 60-250 mg elemental magnesium plus 500-1500 mg chloride. Manufacturers advise starting at 10 drops and titrating up because of the laxative effect. Studied doses in the deep-seawater trials were expressed as magnesium: roughly 100-300 mg/day.
SafetyThe dominant side effect is osmotic diarrhea from magnesium chloride — the same dose-limiting issue as any magnesium salt. Extremely salty taste; the sodium and chloride load is minor at label doses but matters if you take many servings. Products derived from inland brine bodies can carry measurable lithium, boron, arsenic and other elements — choose brands publishing full heavy-metal panels. Avoid in advanced kidney disease, where magnesium clearance is impaired and hypermagnesemia can occur. Magnesium interferes with absorption of tetracyclines, quinolones, bisphosphonates and levothyroxine; separate by at least 2-4 hours.

How to take it

TimingTiming does not matter; spread larger amounts across the day.
With food?In a large glass of water or juice, with or without food — undiluted it is unpalatably salty.
Worth knowingStart at 10 drops and increase slowly; the diarrhoea threshold, not the label serving, is what sets your actual dose.

Interactions

With medications

  • tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics

    magnesium chelates them and reduces antibiotic absorption separate by 2–4 hours

  • levothyroxine

    reduced levothyroxine absorption separate by at least 4 hours

  • bisphosphonates

    blocked absorption separate by at least 2 hours

With other supplements

  • other magnesium supplements

    the drops are largely magnesium chloride and add to your total, including the laxative threshold count them toward your daily magnesium rather than treating them as a separate category

Well-established interactions only — this is not a complete list. Always tell your doctor and pharmacist what you take.

Frequently asked questions

Do trace mineral drops really provide 72 minerals?

Only in trivial amounts. Trace mineral drops are essentially a magnesium chloride supplement: a 40-drop serving gives roughly 250 mg magnesium, while zinc, selenium and copper arrive at often under 1% of the RDA.

Do trace mineral drops help exercise recovery?

The evidence is limited to one crossover trial in 12 male athletes using deep ocean mineral water, likely driven by magnesium and rehydration. It has not been replicated.

Do trace mineral drops cause diarrhea?

Yes, diarrhea from magnesium chloride is the main side effect of trace mineral drops. Start at 10 drops and increase slowly, and count them toward your total magnesium intake.

Are ionic trace mineral drops better absorbed than tablets?

No human study shows ionic trace mineral drops beat conventional magnesium salts. Citrate and lactate are also soluble and reasonably well absorbed, and the dose difference between products matters more than the form.

Scientific references

Where to buy

Swanson Vitamins, Ionic Trace Mineral Drops, 8 fl oz (236 ml)

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