Bulgaria is second to Iceland in Europe in natural mineral water sources, unique in composition and drinking qualities. To the beautiful nature and tasty food and wine we add the mineral waters known for centuries with their specific qualities good for prevention and healing of different illnesses by using different spa-procedures and drinking. The most significant mineral springs with proven qualities of the mineral warter are 500. The total volume of mineral water deposits per year is around 100 mln cubic meters, and only 6% of these are well researched. At present there are 146 springs with debit capacity 4185 l per second or 132 billion litres per year. Along with the balneological and curative properties are preffered also for its drinkable qualities. In old times and nowadays different springwaters are used to cure differnt gastric, kidney, liver, gall-stone, metabolic, orthopaedic, nerrvous diseases.

A map of mineral and thermal springs of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is one of the few countries in the world where the tap water is suitable for drinking. Besides, there is a great variety of bottled water which can be divided in spring, mineral and table water. The first two, spring and mineral, are provided from Nature and the third one is treated. So in Bulgaria we have the opportunity to choose the type of water we drink every day. In Bulgaria there are more than 225 mineral spring deposits. The diversity is really great but here are the most used in Bulgaria:
I. Spring water Spring water is produced much closer to the ground - at depth of 0-100 m, at temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius. It has very low mineral content - typically 80-100 mg/l. In order to be considered as spring water there must be a direct connection between the spring and the enterprise, i.e. the water must be bottled at the spring. As the springs are high in the mountains, it is quite difficult and expensive to organize the production process. Therefore only 2% of all the bottled types of water are spring water. The most widely consumed types of spring water in Bulgaria are: · DEVIN (pink label) · GORNA BANYA · MIHALKOVO
II. Mineral water Mineral water is usually extracted from a depth of 300 to 700 m. In a process, which has taken more than 1,000 years, in the water cavities of the Earth minerals from the rocks have undergone into water. Therefore, these types of water have a higher overall mineralization and spring with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. Mineral water contains minerals that are generally useful for the human body. According to its mineralization the types of mineral water are: • Very low mineralization - up to 50 mg / l; • Low mineralization - up to 500 mg / l; • High mineralization - more than 1500 mg /l. Most suitable for everyday use are those with low mineralization. Mineral water has a strong influence on the human body with its temperature and dissolved nutrients in them. Here are the benefits of their most common ingredients:
Potassium and sodium They regulate metabolism in the human body. Also they play an important role in conducting nerve impulses.
Chlorides They aid digestion as they are an integral part of stomach acid.
Magnesium It improves the coordination of muscles and nerves, increases the ability to concentrate and makes the human body tougher.
Iron It helps the formation of red blood cells.
Calcium It contributes to strong bones and teeth.
Iodides They participate significantly in the formation of thyroid hormones.
Sulphates They stimulate digestion, help to remove harmful substances in liver metabolism.
Fluorides, They act against caries, also they are useful for tooth enamel.
Hydrogen carbonates They help with indigestion and especially against heartburn.
Damp It improves the taste of water, influence well the digestive and nervous systems.
Therefore all various types of mineral water can successfully be used as a cure in different diseases.
Depending on what ingredients predominate in each type of mineral water, it can be healing, not have a significant therapeutic effect or even be harmful in various diseases. Everything depends on the condition of the individual patient. So you should use them after competent medical judgment. Mineral water can be used as a medicine in two different ways:
Drinking it and
Taking baths.