The Ingredient That Started It All: Magnesium Chloride

If you’ve been around Old City Apothecary for a while, you know our magnesium body butter is the heart and soul of what we do, but you might not know the full story of why magnesium chloride means so much to me — and how it completely changed the course of my family's life.

When my daughter was younger, she was diagnosed with 15 different food allergies. It turned everything we thought we knew about health upside down. We were doing everything "right," but she was still struggling — her body was in a constant state of stress and inflammation.

We started working with a holistic doctor who recommended magnesium to help support her gut health. At first, we used a powdered magnesium supplement

(I believe it was magnesium glycinate), but the more I researched, the more I realized there was a better way.

I went full mom-on-a-mission mode. I discovered that magnesium chloride — absorbed transdermally (through the skin) — could be even more effective. The skin, being our largest organ, allows magnesium to bypass digestion and get right into the body where it's needed most. Honestly, once I started seeing how much better she was doing, I knew I had stumbled onto something powerful. That's when I started making magnesium oil and body butters at home — first just for my family, then for a few close friends. It wasn’t long before word started to spread. Friends told friends, and eventually, what started as a little side project on a Facebook page blossomed into a full website... and now, six years later, Old City Apothecary is still growing and thriving. It's amazing that something as pure and simple as magnesium — combined with a little kitchen alchemy and a whole lot of love — could spark this whole journey.

Magnesium is an alkaline earth metal and is the 8th most abundant element in the Earth's crust.

Fun Fact: Your body literally CANNOT function without magnesium! It’s involved in over 300 vital biochemical reactions that keep you alive and thriving.

Why Magnesium Chloride Still Matters

Even after all these years, magnesium chloride remains the backbone of our product line. But it’s so much more than just a muscle relaxer — magnesium is essential for whole-body health.

Magnesium is responsible for:

• Energy production

• Muscle and nerve function

• Blood sugar regulation

• Healthy blood pressure

• Stress support

• DNA synthesis and repair

• Strong immune defense

  
  

Basically, if your body is doing something important (and it always is) magnesium is playing a key role behind the scenes.

Did you know? It’s estimated that up to 80% of adults in the U.S. are magnesium deficient — mostly because of modern farming practices, processed foods, and chronic stress.

Every cell in the human body needs magnesium

Magnesium deficiency symptoms? They’re sneaky. Fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, headaches, muscle cramps, restless legs, digestive issues... all of these can often be traced back to low magnesium levels without us even realizing it. That’s why using a high-quality, transdermal magnesium like magnesium chloride is such a game changer. When you apply it to the skin, it absorbs directly into the bloodstream — bypassing the digestive system — and gets to work replenishing what the body desperately needs.

At Old City Apothecary I’m intentional about sourcing only the highest quality ingredients I can find. Our magnesium chloride comes from Ancient Minerals and is mined from the pristine Zechstein Seabed, one of the purest natural sources of magnesium in the world. When it comes to healing ingredients, quality truly matters.

For our family, magnesium wasn’t just another supplement it was a major turning point in our healing journey and it’s the heartbeat of Old City Apothecary today.

"One simple ingredient. One big difference. Magnesium chloride changed our family’s life — and it might just change yours too."

Our best seller, Magnesium Body Butter

If you haven’t tried our magnesium products yet, I’d love for you to experience what made me fall in love with this incredible mineral in the first place. At Old City, it's not just about skincare, It’s about healing, heart, and holistic living. Everything I make comes from my family's journey, and I hope it brings comfort to yours too.