Smelling Salts? In the 21st century? If you’re not fainting, try peppermint instead
If you’re not an athlete, sports enthusiast, or a medical professional, you may not know that smelling salts are still quite popular. I’m not any of these, so it was quite a surprise! Apparently, athletes use them pre-game and sometimes during the game to boost performance. Do they work, and are they safe?
Smelling salts have been around since at least Roman times and seem to hit popularity in the Victorian era as a method to revive fainting ladies. They’re not actually “salt” but in solid form look like coarse salt grains of ammonium carbonate ((NH4)2CO3), which are then dissolved in water, alcohol or perfume to produce fumes. If you’ve ever gotten a whiff of ammonia, you’ll know that it instantly irritates your respiratory tract, triggers an inhalation reflex, and alters the pattern of breathing, resulting in improved respiratory flow rates and possibly alertness. (Smelling Salts) It’s like a cup of coffee in your nose!
So, fast forward to the 2020’s, and yes, many collegiate and professional athletes use them to improve their “game”. They are legal in all sports (even the Olympics) except boxing, because the use of smelling salts may interfere with the diagnosis of head injuries, and the head-jerk reaction of most people can exacerbate any neck injury. In October 2024, however, the NFL received a lot of criticism for giving smelling salts to quarterback Josh Allen after he sustained a big hit which they deemed not to be a head injury.
Do smelling salts actually improve performance? A 2014 study by the Journal of Exercise Physiology found that the use of smelling salts offers no boosts to athletic performance, while a 2018 study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found potential positive effects on the amount of force muscles can exert, which can be partially attributed to psychological or confidence-based factors (a “psyching up” effect). (Athletes turn to smelling salts for energy boost despite risks)
Are smelling salts harmful long-term? Most smelling salts contain ammonia at a concentration of 50 to 100 parts per million, enough to cause nasal, mouth and throat irritation if used for two hours. However, the majority of athletes only use smelling salts for a few seconds at a time, so trainers allow them on this reason. (Athletes turn to smelling salts for energy boost despite risks) Dr. Anthony Alessi, a practitioner of Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at UConn Health, wrote in 2018 that smelling salts should only be used in limited situations under the guidance of a health professional. As an expert in concussions and neuromuscular disease, his concern is that the use of smelling salts among professional athletes encourages highschool and college football and hockey players who incorrectly believe this reflex will counteract the effects of concussion. For this reason, he advocates that coaches, parents and athletic trainers are crucial to ending the inappropriate use of smelling salts in young athletes. (Improper Use of Smelling Salts a Growing Concern).
What are the alternatives? Of course, one can down a cup of coffee, energy drink or a caffeine supplement, but these also have adverse effects. I found a study several years ago that showed inhalation of peppermint odor–yep, the concentrated form of candy cane flavor–resulted in increases in running speed, hand grip strength, and number of push-ups (but had no effect on skill related tasks such as basketball free-throw shots). (Enhancing Athletic Performance through the Administration of Peppermint Odor) This seems to be quite the substitute for smelling salts, and much more pleasant! Seeing that peppermint oil can be used in many other places in the home (diffusers, cleaning, massaging, etc.), this could be the perfect addition to your arsenal the next time you– I mean we non-athletes–need a burst of energy to clean the house or run after the kids or the dog. Everybody needs a burst of energy sometimes, let’s just leave the smelling salts to…reviving fainting ladies?
Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash
