Chlorine is a poisonous gas, but in the form of chloride compounds it is an essential mineral nutrient. chloride acts with sodium to maintain the balance between fluids inside and outside cells. Gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid, the production of which requires chloride. Table salt (sodium chloride) is our main source, but generally used to excess with harmful results.

The following quantitative list presents both plants and plant products containing significant amounts of this nutrient, in approximate order from highest to lowest content for a given weight. Unless otherwise noted, all items are fresh and unprocessed. Dried fruits are often included without their fresh equivalents because the dried versions weigh considerably less and therefore contain more nutrients than the same weight of fresh fruit:

1. Blackstrap molasses, coconut (dried), parsley, celery, bananas, coconut (fresh), kale, watercress, leaf cabbage, barley (pearled), dandelion greens, turnip greens, sweet potatoes, leaf lettuce, endive, hazelnuts, spinach, head lettuce, beets, Brazil nuts, carrots, rhubarb, kohlrabi, turnips (white), pecans, wheat (whole).

Other plants contain trace amounts, but many have not been analyzed.

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