Lye water | SA Health (2024)

Arabic - عربي
Chinese (traditional) - 中國傳統
Chinese (simplified) - 中国简化
English
Khmer - ភាសាខ្មែរ
Nepali - नेपाली
Pashto - پښتو
Persian - فارسى
Spanish - español
Swahili - Kiswahili
Vietnamese - tiếng việt
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Arabic - عربي
Chinese (traditional) - 中國傳統
Chinese (simplified) - 中国简化
English
Khmer - ភាសាខ្មែរ
Nepali - नेपाली
Pashto - پښتو
Persian - فارسى
Spanish - español
Swahili - Kiswahili
Vietnamese - tiếng việt
More Languages

Uses

Lye water is an ingredient used in Asian and African cooking for cooking meat, rice or noodles and vegetables like corn, beans, maize or okra to soften or add flavour or keep vegetables colour. It is usually added as part of the recipe in small amounts (spoonfuls).

Lye water can also be used in soap making and as a cleaning agent.

Health concerns

Lye water is a strongly alkaline (caustic) solution which can cause severe injury in the form of corrosive burns, especially to the throat, oesophagus and stomach if swallowed. These injuries can result in hospitalisation and permanent damage in severe cases.

Lye water can be dangerous if:

accidentally swallowed straight from the bottle, which can burn your mouth, throat and stomach
splashed on skin, which can burn your eyes and skin.

Alternatives to use

Salt crystals or powders that do the same job as lye water include:

bicarbonate soda (bicarb)
sodium carbonate
sodium bicarbonate
lye salt
uvusaaru
combo
soda ash
magadi soda

Ways to minimise harm

do not store lye water where children can reach the bottle, for example in the fridge
do not forget that children can climb up to reach cupboards
do not measure lye water into a cup or spoon and then leave it on the bench where children could accidentally swallow it – add it to your cooking straight away
do not pour lye water into another container for storage
make sure you put the lid on tightly
put the bottle away straight after you have finished using it
if swallowed undiluted, phone 000 immediately for SA Ambulance Service (or 112 from mobile phones)

Translated fact sheets for parents

Translated fact sheets detailing some of this information is available in the following languages:

Arabic (PDF 1072KB)
Dinka (PDF 223KB)
English (PDF 189KB)
French (PDF 202KB)
Kirundi (PDF 270KB)
Sudanese (PDF 313KB)
Swahili (PDF 218KB)

Further information

For further information on lye water, contact SA Health's Scientific Services on

Phone: (08) 8226 7100
Email: Health.ScientificServices@sa.gov.au

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Last updated: 02 4月 2022