Applications of magnesium sulfate monohydrate MgSO4 · H2O How is magnesium sulfate monohydrate $\ce{MgSO4 * H2O}$ used for in chemistry and how does it work as a valuable laboratory drying agent?

I could not find too much information in my book or the internet besides the basics (chemical formula, physical or chemical characteristics, etc.), but I did find what it can be used in. For example, fertilizer, feed additives for livestock, nutrient flavor enhancer, pharmaceuticals, leather and fur production, coloring fabrics, fermentation in beer, paper production, sewage treatment, cosmetics, but nothing about how or why chemistry labs would use it. What is its purpose? 

Each time I tried to look it up other products that sounded similar but not the same appeared such as $\ce{MgSO4 * 7H2O}$ , manganese sulfate, manganous sulfate, etc.
Magnesium sulfate is frequently used in the laboratory, especially after aqueous work-up.
Aqueous work-up is a common technique in the lab to get rid of residual impurities after completion of a reaction.
For this the organic solution of the reaction is cooled to room temperature and mixed with water. Specific impurities will then diffuse into the aqueous phase and can be separated with a separatory funnel. 
Unfortunately some residual water will stay in the organic phase and this can have negative impact for following characterization of the compound.
Therefore magnesium sulfate is added, which is able to catch the residual water in its crystal lattice. After filtration of the solid magnesium sulfate, the water is reduced to a non-significant amount and the compound ready for further investigation.