Естен танғандарды ояту үшін қолданылған аммоний карбонатының тарихы

Ammonium carbonate used in the past to restore consciousness after fainting
the record by Trailer Bride

Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants, spirit of hartshorn or sal volatile, are chemical compounds used as stimulants to restore consciousness after fainting. Historically, smelling salts have been used on people feeling faint, or who have fainted. They are usually administered by others but may be self administered. Smelling salts are often used on athletes (particularly boxers) who have been dazed or knocked unconscious to restore consciousness and mental alertness. Smelling salts are now banned in most boxing competitions.

Smelling salts have been used since Roman times and are mentioned in the writings of Pliny as Hammoniacus sal. Evidence exists of use in the 13th century by alchemists as sal ammoniac. In the 17th century, the distillation of an ammonia solution from shavings of harts' (deer) horns and hooves led to the alternative name for smelling salts as spirit or salt of hartshorn. During this time, smelling salts were commonly dissolved with perfume in vinegar or alcohol and soaked onto a sponge, which was then carried on the person in a decorative container called a vinaigrette. The sal volatile appears several times in Dickens' novel Nicholas Nickleby. The use of smelling salts was widely recommended during the Second World War, with all workplaces advised by the British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance to keep smelling salts in their first aid boxes.

Ammonia gas is toxic in large concentrations for prolonged periods and can be fatal. The irritant nature of smelling salts means that they can exacerbate any pre existing cervical spine injury by causing reflex withdrawal away from them, although this has been found to be a result of holding the smelling salts closer to the nose than recommended.