The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [132]
But obviously not all natural water is suitable for food. The greater part of the water in the world is contained in the ocean; another large portion consists of spring and river waters, which (apart from the issue of pollution by civilized human beings) are commonly so mineralized as to be unfit for ordinary drinking; or of other water in certain sluggish rivers, stagnant ponds, and marshes, which contain too large a portion of animal and vegetable matter to be palatable or wholesome. (I would include chlorinated tap water somewhere on the “unsuitable for human consumption” list too, and I’d place artificially fluoridated water at the very top of that list.)
SOURCES OF WATER FOR HUMAN USE
Common fresh water can be divided according to its source. We are aware of rain, snow, spring, river, well, lake, and marsh water. These divisions are not so useful, however, as the source of water is not always indicative of its quality. From water’s extensive solvent powers, it is obvious that in its natural state it must be more or less contaminated with foreign matter. Common water from different localities and sources possesses innumerable shades of differences. What is more useful for us as consumers and manipulators of water is to view water as soft and hard.
Soft water contains only a sparse amount of impurities, ordinarily tastes good, and when used with soap readily forms lather. Hard water is impregnated with mineral salts, most commonly sulfate of lime, which often doesn’t taste so good, curdles soap, and is relatively unfit for most domestic purposes.
Rainwater and snow water are the purest kinds of natural water; in effect they are produced by natural distillation where ground water evaporates, leaving any dissolved materials behind, condenses in the atmosphere forming clouds, then returns to the earth as relatively pure rain or snow. Rainwater, however, as it lingers in its cloud form, ordinarily dissolves and thereby contains atmospheric air. It is carbonic acid that is dissolved and gives this water its lively fresh taste.
In its purest state, rainwater is best collected in large vessels away from buildings and at a time well after the rain has first begun to fall. Otherwise rainwater will be contaminated with the dust and various organic and inorganic matters that float in the atmosphere or have been dissolved in the air, and by impurities derived from rooftops, etc. Speaking of rooftops, rainwater can be collected in a relatively pure state even in cities by taking advantage of a heavy rain after it has descended for a considerable time and washed away every impurity, and is collected as it flows from roofs and spouts.
Snow water has a peculiar taste, because when water freezes the ice crystals formed are free of any and all compounds that may have been dissolved in the water. Therefore, when snow is newly melted it contains no air constituents (no dissolved carbonic acid) and this accounts for its rather stale, lifeless taste. Melting snow and exposing it to the air for some time allows it to take up the constituent gases of the atmosphere, and it will taste like other natural waters. Rain and snow water are both well used as food, and in the preparation of herbal medicines, fomentations, and baths. Water equal in purity to distilled water can be obtained by melting perfectly clear and transparent ice under conditions that protect it from dust and other impurities. Also sea water, with all its dissolved salts and minerals, can yield ice of as great a purity as river water (sea ice that is crystalline with a bluish cast has very little salt in it—gray or opaque sea ice is salty).
Spring water’s purity and taste depend entirely on the strata through which it flows; it is usually found to be purest when it passes through sand or gravel. The refreshing taste of many spring waters is mainly due to the presence of the carbonic acid they have