Walk down the vitamin aisle and you’ll quickly notice something a little confusing.
There isn’t just one magnesium.
There’s magnesium glycinate, citrate, oxide, chloride…and suddenly choosing one feels a little overwhelming.
So what’s the difference?
First, let’s talk about magnesium itself.
Magnesium is an essential mineral your body relies on every single day. In fact, it’s involved in more than 300 processes throughout the body, helping support everything from healthy muscles and nerves to energy production and normal muscle function.
The different names don’t mean they’re completely different minerals.
They’re ALL magnesium.
The second word simply tells you which form of magnesium you’re looking at, and each form has become known for different uses.
- Magnesium glycinate is a popular oral supplement because it’s generally gentle on the stomach.
- Magnesium citrate is another oral form that’s well known for supporting bowel regularity.
- Magnesium oxide is inexpensive and commonly found in supplements but tends to be less well absorbed than some other oral forms.
- Magnesium chloride is the form most commonly used in topical sprays and magnesium baths.
Think of it like choosing the right tool for the job.
They’re all magnesium.
They simply have different strengths.
At Copper Barrel, we chose magnesium chloride because we wanted to create a beautiful topical spray that could target areas of the body in an easy no mess kind of way. In the next Field Guide, we’ll explore why magnesium chloride, and why the quality of where it comes from matters just as much as the botanicals we paired it with.