History Main / SaltSolution

* An evil troll named Spring-Heeled Jack is defeated in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' by sprinkling him with salt, causing him to be TakenForGranit.

!!Examples:

* Averted in ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}''. One character escaped from a Crossed when he tripped into a large amount of salt, and so thinks they're allergic to it. The other characters are dubious, thinking it was getting large amounts of powder exploding in its face that confused it. They are later proven right when the character tries to protect his family by spilling a bag of salt in a circle around them, and they all end up raped to death as his wife calls him an idiot.

SuperTrope of SaltTheEarth.

[[quoteright:298:[[{{Digimon}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/salt_solution.jpg]]]]

* Averted in ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}''. One character escaped from a Crossed when he tripped into a large amount of salt, and so thinks they're allergic to it. The other characters are dubious, thinking that was getting large amounts of powder exploding in its face that confused it. They are later proven right when the character tries to protect his family by spilling a bag of salt in a circle around them, and they all end up raped to death as his wife calls him an idiot.

* In ''Exile's Quest'' by Richard Meade, salt was used to scare away arm sized leeches.

* In the novel ''They Thirst'' by Robert [=McCammon=], salt water is revealed to be an anathema to vampires; burning them like acid.

* In ''Literature/ShamanBlues'', salt has AntiMagic properties - a border of salt can block {{Ley Line}}s and stop ghosts, and when Witkacy downs a vial of saltwater, the effects of confouding magic working on him are dispelled.

Sodium Chloride. One of man's greatest discoveries. Its many uses are but not limited to as a preservative for food, a kitchen ingredient and as a [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers weapon against misfortune.]] Even in fiction, salt or saltwater is used to defeat antagonistic forces or at least in averting a disaster.

Salt's ability to absorb water makes it a lethal compound for many organisms. Its also a good against supernatural creatures, [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] in particular.

Salt is also known to make a wound more painful - the saying "adding salt to the injury" is based on that.

* In ''Literature/ShamanBlues'', salt has AntiMagic properties - a border of salt can block ley lines and stop ghosts, and when Witkacy downs a vial of saltwater, the effects of confouding magic working on him are dispelled.

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* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' salt has been the first line of defense for the Winchester boys from the beginning (that, along with ColdIron and KillItWithFire were pretty much their only defense early on). Since demons can't cross it, they still use it to fortify positions when they expect an attack. Part of the reason ShotgunsAreJustBetter is because they can be loaded with rock salt, making them one of the few human weapons effective against ghosts and demons.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E3ImageOfTheFendahl Image of the Fendahl]]" salt is deadly to the soul sucking Gallifreyan EldritchAbomination in question, and that effectiveness is --in universe-- the origin of the superstition that throwing salt over your shoulder wards off evil.
** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp." The Doctor's been poisoned, but has a procedure to save himself. Part of this requires salt, but he then declares that actual salt is too salty and uses anchovies instead.

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* [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-612 SCP-612 ("Aggressive Cable")]]. A solution of aqueous sodium chloride (AKA salt water) stuns SCP-612 and renders it temporarily inert.
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** Module C1 ''The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan''. The monster known as Tecuziztecatl (AKA "The Lord of Snails") is a type of giant slug. Contrary to the standard 1st Edition rules it is vulnerable to salt, taking 1-4 HitPoints of damage per combat round from having salt on its skin.
** 2nd Edition ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} Monstrous Compendium Appendix''. Bloodrose plants are extremely vulnerable to salt. Each gallon of salt water poured on a patch does 1-10 HitPoints damage, and anyone coated in salt will only be attacked once by a bloodrose - it recoils in pain and knows not to attack that target again.

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* In ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'', a gigantic mushroom like monster is destroyed by plunging it into the Great Salt Lake.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Snorlock (a slug that thinks he's a snail) is first threatened, then later attacked, with a few grains of salt. This falls under LogicalWeakness as slugs and snails really are vulnerable to salt, though the damage a single grain did is somewhat exaggerated.

* InvertedTrope: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilling_salt Spilling salt is believed to bring bad luck,]] and can be countered by tossing it behind one's left shoulder.
** Played straight in the initial explanation of how this belief came to be: due to the high value of salt, spilling it was said to be the work of Satan pushing or nudging you into spilling it. So you threw it over your shoulder, right into Satan's face, scaring him off.

* Canned, processed, and packaged foods typically have longer shelf lives because of their high sodium content.
** Canned tuna preserved with oils is safe for humans, but is not safe for housecats (we can digest things they can't). Canned tuna preserved with water and salt is safe for both us and our housecats, but not really all that good for them. Housecats can eat tuna in small quantities, and they really like it, but tuna doesn't have all of the nutrients that a housecat needs to stay healthy.

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* Salt on roads before ice storms causes a freezing-point depression, yielding more navigable roads with less ice accumulation.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode, "Comic Book Capers", Gosalyn tries to improve Darkwing's story by adding a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Giant Slug Monster]] from Mars. Darkwing defeats the monster by loading his gun with salt.

* ''Film/TheSlimePeople'', as featured on ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'', had the protagonists thwart the invasion of the slime people with ordinary salt.

* ''Film/KillBill'' a minor example, but Budd needs to incapacitate the Bride without killing her. She's a better fighter than him, and regular firearms are out because it would likely kill her. So what does he do? Shotgun full of rock salt.

* ''TheSlimePeople'', as featured on ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'', had the protagonists thwart the invasion of the slime people with ordinary salt.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', Judges Guild supplement ''Wilderlands of the Magic Realm''. Markara Worm island is infested with markara worms, which viciously attack and devour all living things. The only safe place on the island is at the seashore, because makara worms are repelled by salt water.

** Jake's brother Jermaine uses special salt to keep away demons trying to get to the items his father has stolen from them. Since he doesn't use the salt for anything else, he has become used to eating bland food, so he's delighted when Jakes makes him a meal seasoned from salt... until he discovers that Jake took the salt from the circle that keeps the demons from entering, leaving enough room for one of them to go in.

* In OnePiece, in Thriller Bark arc, the zombies' weakness are being fed by salt (as well as getting immolated or falling into the ocean). This is because [[OurZombiesAreDifferent the zombies are powered by shadows of]] [[CastingAShadow Gecko Moria]]'s victim of shadow-cutting. Since Moria's source of power is Devil Fruit (like many other people in the verse), one of Devil Fruit users' weaknesses being the ocean itself, and salt mainly comes from the seas... You get the idea.

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* Iodized table salt can provide iodine to human populations which don't ingest enough seafood or iodine-bearing plants to meet their need for this element, without which hormones vital to our metabolic rate can't be produced.

* In the episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "Skinner's Sense of Snow", Springfield Elementary gets snowed in, and is eventually saved by a salt silo collapsing nearby.

Supertrope of SaltTheEarth.