What Every Lover Should Know About Copper

5 Things to Know About Copper & Love

For everyone who has ever sunk deep into a copper bathtub and felt like a god or goddess, there’s a reason why. It’s not just because copper naturally conducts heat and radiates luxury.As the first metal widely used by humans, copper and our planet have a long and magical history. Both which happen to involve both love and chocolate. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here are some of our favorite facts about copper’s ties to all things love.

Copper Deficiency? Eat Dark Chocolate

Copper is an essential nutrient vital to the health of all living things, according to the Copper Development Association. Not only is copper nutrition important for pregnant women, but in all people it “enhances bone strength, red and white blood cell maturation, iron transport, cholesterol and glucose metabolism, heart muscle contraction and brain development.” The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends that adults consume about 900 micrograms of copper daily through foods such as dark chocolate, nuts, seafood, legumes, liver and green leafy vegetables. Throughout time, healers have believed that copper is capable of transferring energy to aid the healing process in both the body and mind. That’s why you will sometimes see arthritis sufferers don copper bracelets.

Copper Takes Out the Recycling

While there’s concern about using up our earth’s supply of resources, we’re in no danger of running out of copper.  Scientists estimate that the earth is home to more than 8 trillion pounds of it and that we’ve only mined about 1.1 trillion pounds of it so far. The best part: The metal we’ve already mined can be recycled and reused infinitely without compromising its integrity. To contribute to this cycle of sustainability, all Native Trails copper bathtubs and sinks are crafted from 100 percent recycled metal.

Copper Heals

In ancient Egypt, copper was used to sterilize wounds and drinking water. Ancient Aztecs gargled water mixed with copper to fight sore throats, and Hippocrates reportedly treated leg ulcers with copper. Today, scientific research has proven that copper has an antimicrobial effect, which is why more hospitals around the world are finding ways to use copper equipment to stem hospital infections. John Lynch, medical director of infection control at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, told The Washington Post, “We’ve known for a long time that copper and other metals are effective in killing microbes, so it wasn’t a great leap to incorporate copper surfaces into hospitals.”
The beauty of copper lasts long after Valentine’s Day. Whether warding off germs, reminding us of our shared history, nourishing our bodies or serving as functional art in our kitchens and bathrooms, this magical metal’s wonders are still being discovered.