what is magnesium sulphate used for

Magnesium sulfate is used in a variety of medical, agricultural, and industrial applications. Medically, it is used to treat and prevent low blood magnesium levels, seizures in pregnant women with eclampsia, severe asthma exacerbations, torsades de pointes (a type of arrhythmia), and certain types of poisoning (barium chloride). It can be administered orally, by injection, or by inhalation. Magnesium sulfate is also used externally as bath salts to soothe sore muscles and for foot baths. In agriculture, magnesium sulfate is applied to increase magnesium or sulfur content in soil, particularly for magnesium-hungry crops like potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and roses. In food preparation, it serves as a brewing salt in beer making, a coagulant for tofu, and a food additive to bottled water. Additionally, in chemistry, anhydrous magnesium sulfate is widely used as a drying agent (desiccant) in organic synthesis. Other unique uses include preparing specific cements, testing concrete resistance, maintaining magnesium levels in marine aquaria, and flotation therapy in isolation tanks due to its density.