Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), or redox potential, measures how effectively one substance can oxidize or reduce another substance. Generally speaking, higher ORP readings mean the substance is more oxidizing. In comparison, lower ORP readings indicate that the liquid is more reducing – and, as a result, more anti-oxidizing.

What Does ORP Measure?

There are many applications for ORP, including:

• Assessing the health and safety of drinking water, swimming pools, and bodies of water. The ORP of a water body is an essential measurement of its ability to clean itself or break down waste products. For this reason, ORP readings can be helpful in assessing the health of water bodies.
• Measuring the antioxidant reserves available in a body's system. For instance, high readings can signify the presence of an oxidative stress state, and low readings can signify that the body is lacking antioxidants.
• Measuring the antioxidant qualities of foods, such as Bamboo Salt.

ORP and Bamboo Salt

In the book Bamboo Salt is Science by Si-woo Park, the author describes an experiment that tests whether putting a rusty nail in three different types of salt solutions would produce an oxidation or reduction reaction. The different types of salt – bamboo salt, solar salt, and refined salt – were used to understand how various kinds of salt would react.

Here's how the author explains the results: 

This finding is significant because it demonstrates that bamboo salt has anti-oxidizing properties (antioxidants counteract free radicals, which damage your cells and DNA, potentially leading to a number of health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular issues, and skin damage).

And this may explain why bamboo salt has so many health benefits associated with it.