Is Rain Water Healthy To Drink? Know Its Health Advantages
You have often heard about collecting rainwater for different purposes. Some people use rainwater for watering plants, cleaning, or bathing. But have you ever wondered, can we drink rainwater? And if yes, is rainwater healthy to drink? The short answer is: Sometimes. Now, this might be surprising for you and must be curious to know what are the situations when it is safe to drink, how pure it is, how to treat rainwater for drinking and, last but most important, what are the benefits of drinking rainwater?
These questions may put you in a dilemma as soon as you know that rainwater can actually drink for some good reasons. Let’s start answering your questions one by one and make your doubts clear so that you can leverage rainwater by collecting, drinking, and using it in the right way.
Is Rain Water Safe To Drink?
There is nothing wrong or unhealthy with drinking rainwater as long as it is clean. In fact, many communities around the world are treating rainwater as their primary source of drinking water. That said, rainwater is completely safe to drink. The level of pollution, mold, pollen, and other contaminants are possibly lower – which makes it even safer to drink than the public drinking water supply.
However, several physical and environmental factors can quickly turn fresh and clean rainwater into potential health hazards. That is why rainwater falls in heavily polluted areas or comes into contact with contaminants such as animal feces or heavy metals may not be appropriate for human consumption.
Thus it is not advisable to start collecting and drinking rainwater unless you’re 100% certain it’s clean and safe for human consumption.
Perhaps this information is enough to clear your doubt on – Is rainwater safe to drink?
How To Make Rainwater Drinkable?
While you know rainwater is safe for drinking, the next step is to know how to make rainwater drinkable. If you’re concerned about the safety of drinking rainwater, you can take two key steps to filter or purify rainwater that includes boiling and filtering. Boiling rainwater can kill pathogens and filtering it will remove dust, pollen, chemicals, mold, and other contaminants.
As far as the acidic rain is concerned, most rainwater is naturally acidic because of the interaction between water and carbon dioxide in the air. The average pH of acidic rain is around 5.0 to 5.5 which is not dangerous to consume. In fact the coffee, orange juice that your drink has a 5.4 and 4 pH balance which is slightly harmful to health if not taking moderation into consideration. The rainwater that should avoid drinking is rain that falls around an active volcano.
Now after so much fair discussion on rainwater safety, and drinking quality, it is the right time to discuss its benefits.
Benefits Of Drinking Rainwater
If you conduct the sources on internet searches on the Benefits of drinking rainwater, you’ll find fewer claims on healthier benefits of drinking water.
Although, drinking clean rainwater can be perfectly healthier to stay hydrated.
Other popular claims regarding the health merits of drinking rainwater include-
- Improve Digestion System – Rainwater has the same pH as distilled water or RO water. It provides health benefits like detoxification and a healthy digestive system.
- Chemical-free – Tap water is high in chlorine and fluoride to kill germs that can cause many health problems such as headaches, gastritis, etc. Whereas rainwater is free from such chemicals.
- Anti-cancer Properties – It is believed that the rain from the first monsoon has more advantages and has anti-cancer properties. Anti-cancer herb experts in India suggested that cancer patients should drink rainwater to kill bacterias.
- Treating Stomach Pains- Rainwater is slightly alkaline in nature due to which it is advisable to drink 2-3 tablespoons of rainwater on the empty stomach every morning if you have some stomach issues.
- Great Alternative To Keep Yourself Hydrated – In case you have no safe water to drink around you, you can use rainwater to keep you hydrated as long as it is clean and meets the quality check.
Some other benefits of rainwater other than drinking
- Promote Hair Growth– Washing hair with rainwater helps to take away dirt more effectively since rainwater goes well with shampoo or soap and promotes hair growth.
- Healthy Skin – The alkaline property of rainwater makes it efficient in providing enough moisture and elasticity to the skin. Rainwater is mild in nature, it helps cleanse the skin and prevent acne.
- Regenerate Body -Showering with rainwater also makes the mind calmer, feels you refresh, and energize after a hectic working day.
Probably you have got to know how pure is rainwater to drink but only under certain prerequisites and its benefits.
However, you need to take the collecting methods into account. Collecting rainwater in a container through indirect ways like through the pipe from the roof seems an easier way to obtain water, but it may not always be safe to drink. But at the same time, environmental pollution, bacterias, and metal elements can make rainwater unhealthy for drinking purposes especially. So, collecting rainwater directly from the sky is a reliable option to get pure rainwater that also gives you health benefits.
So, yes rainwater is safe to drink.