The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Garrett (Wichita, Ks, Usa) on 02/15/2011
All right, I've been doing research for about two weeks now and it seems to me that ingesting Sodium Tetraborate is potentially dangerous due to the fact that you are not VERY SPECIFICALLY measuring the amount of Boron you are receiving. The upper alowable limit for boron is around 17-20 mg per day for HEALTHY ADULTS. Now when you take borax, in amounts such as 1/4 teaspoon per day, this is very unregulated. The boron atom in sodium TETRAborate is multiplied by four so anyone taking this amount is putting themself at risk. Just do it right by taking a boron supplement.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this info on Boron. It's very simple and straight forward. It explains ALL your negative side effects. I will be using this as a guys to my anti-flouridation efforts upon myself.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/894.html
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Piper (Toronto, On) on 01/08/2011
I tried drinking at the suggested rate. I found that my hair started falling out much more than normal. A friend told me that that hair falling out is a sign of kidney problems. I stopped drinking and my hair stopped falling out at such a drastic rate.
I will bath in it. I bath my kids in it too. I think your body absorbs things from baths-magnesium, boron. I haven't found any harm in bathing with it. I put about a 1/4 to a 1/3 cup in the water.
In laundry, if you wash colours in hot with laundry soap and about 1/4-1/3 cup of borax the colours come out remarkably bright. The water has to be hot, not warm.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Randy (Jc, Nj) on 01/04/2011
I don't like the sound of those trace minerals found from the mining site. My concern is that these 'minerals' might be metals or other harmful substances. I sent an email to the company asking to be more specific about the minerals. I will repost if/when I hear back.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 10/07/2010
Hi Everyone,
Peter from Chicago emailed me yesterday to ask if I would contact the manufacturer of 20 Mule Team Borax to find out if there are additional ingredients in the Borax. (Thanks, Peter!) Below is the customer service response I just received.
Deirdre
P.S. Here's their product page for more info: http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/about - click on the FAQ tab at the top.
October 7, 2010
Dear Ms. Layne:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding Twenty Mule Team Borax.
Borax consists of the elements: Sodium, Oxygen, Boron & Water
Boron = 11.56%
Sodium = 12.06%
Trace Minerals (0.5%) found at the mining site
Thank you again for contacting us.
Consumer Affairs
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Clcball (Buckeye, Az) on 10/03/2010
I just saw my post... Correction it is 1/8th of a teaspoon of borax, plus I added a lot of other "stuff" like sea salt, baking soda, acv, kelp, took l-cysteine a few times as well as acetyl-l-carnitine, 1 drop of clove oil from time to time, olive leaf extract and cayenne and h2o2 3 drops in 8 oz. Of water , sodium ascorbate of course ALWAYS paying attention to the amounts as to not get too much or a bad mix, I did not take ALL at the same time or anything, just trying to make sure and follow All instructions to rid myself of any bacterium and rebuild my system. I am grateful for this site. None the less weary of being here in the States were they do not have to list all ingredients. I will still self heal, just gotta make sure and get a good source for the products!
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Lisa (Lafayette, La) on 10/03/2010
To clcball: Surely you don't really mean 18 tsp in one litre of water? Please correct this amount to read 1/8 tsp in one litre (approx 32 oz) of water, or I just might hyperventilate at the thought of you drinking that much borax!!!
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Clcball (Buckeye, Az, Us) on 10/03/2010

I started using 20 mule team borax for killing mycoplasma and rebuilding my bone structure and hormone regulation. It has been close to a month and I used it approximately 11 times 18 tsp to 1 ltr of water. I don't know if this is the cause or not, but I have developed 100`s of cherry angiomas all over my body and now have muscle spasms visual disturbances and an overall not right feeling(shakes, lungs hurt, and involuntary muscle movements). Also I have been using it to wash my hair and body. I started looking into the reason for the angiomas and found that it is possible for cleaning companies to add certain components without labeling it! They are not required to add it to the label when they add ingredients according to San Francisco chronicle. "It's difficult for consumers to know whether their favorite cleaner contains the chemical because manufacturers aren't required to list it on the label. "
So I urge you EC to please ask one of your multitalented partners to find out if this product may possibly contain 2-butoxyethanol so that we may find a different source of the very useful borax. Plus, if it this harmful substance is found to be in the 20 mule team borax, how can I get rid of the toxic side effects I am experiencing, and are they reversible? Thanks a mil... CLC
Borax Side Effects
Posted by L (Red Deer, Alberta Canada) on 09/26/2010
This is in response to Dave from Surrey, BC. My Genetics doctor decided last year, I'm in remission. I said, "Huh, that's funny, I've done the opposite of what you tell me. " With my kidney, liver, and heart condition, I'm told not to take potassium and magnesium. Well, I not only take those, I also take baking soda with the magnesium and potassium, once, twice, or three times a day. Additionally, I did take borax and H202, for four years. All these supplements, I started with small doses, as mentioned on earthclinic. Over time, I increased the dosages of all of these. So, I think there might be something else not quite right, going on with you:)
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 09/25/2010 392 posts
Sorry, don't have time to answer all the details, but briefly please refer to "UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION International Programme on Chemical Safety, Environment Health Criteria 204, Boron"
http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc204.htm
1.1.3 Kinetics and biological monitoring
The pharmacokinetics of boron appear to be quite similar across species in the following respects:
a) Absorption of borates is essentially complete (approximately 95% in humans and rats), and boron appears rapidly in the blood and body tissues of several mammalian species following ingestion.
b) Distribution of boron in mammals appears to occur by passive diffusion throughout the body fluids. In contrast to soft tissues and blood, bone shows selective uptake of boron (>4 times higher than serum) and significantly longer retention times.
c) Metabolism of boric acid is thermodynamically unfavourable in biological systems. Thus, the ionic species in systemic circulation are expected to be equivalent across mammals. This eliminates a major source of potential uncertainty for risk extrapolation, as interspecies differences in enzymatic pathways and/or metabolic rates do not need to be taken into consideration.
d) Elimination kinetics (especially route of elimination and terminal half-life) also appear to be similar for humans and rats. The similarities in pharmacokinetic parameters between humans and rats, the species defining the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for laboratory studies, reduce the uncertainty for risk extrapolation between these two species.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Shaun (York, Uk) on 09/24/2010
Miroslav, Have you have got your math wrong by chance? Are you mixing up mg (milligram's) with mcg, µg or ug (microgram's) by chance? Too many folk get their '00's/'000's all mixed up (such a mix-up cause's many, many deaths in hospitals). It seems to me that Ted's arguments (and math) are very, very sound indeed. I personally must report that I have been taking Borax (a [sea salt-like dash / quantity in my porridge daily) for about 3 years, and have nothing but positives to say about it. My partner is a little bit bashful about such matters, but she would otherwise confirm this! I'm nearly 60 by the way, and go about life like a 30 year old. I would hate that folk here on Earth Clinic forego the undoubted all round benefits of borax - as I'm sure some perspicuous posters like 'Bill' and 'Alain' would also heartily attest. Tra-la! It's borax forever for me!
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Miroslav (Prague, Czech) on 09/23/2010
Ted, I'm writing the same. Except one important detail: You assume doses for rat (per body weight) can be applied to human. But I'm confident we are not rats. Possible fatal intake for adult human was found at 15 to 20,000 of boric acid (or 40 mg boron/kg BW). And as I noted before, this value was established for a reason. Rat is more tolerant to boron intake likely by a factor of 10. So this is why I'm having concerns about dosage and this is probably the reason why people are reporting adverse effects. It is also worth to warn 1 tsp of borax is not 4 g, but rather about 100 % more.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 09/23/2010 392 posts
There are a couple of wrong information here. The LD50 of boric is 2.66 grams per kilogram, but not borax, but for convenience purpose in calculation I used just 2. gram per kilogram, just to be safe. The borax LD50 is LD50 for
borax was 5400 mg/kg in male rats and 5000 in female rats, see Borax Pesticide fact sheet. Toxicity Category IV, Table I, Oral. The correct name for borax is sodium tetraborate decahydrate. It's molecular weight is 381.37 while it has a boron molecular weight is 10. 81. In a typical borax, there is 11.33% boron content. That means there is 4 boron molecules in a sodium tetraborate hexahydrate. The dog and rat studies on testicular atrophy is based on boron content rather then borax content or boric acid content.
So if they were to calculate that the limit of boron is 20 mg per kilogram content per dose, this would mean if I were consuming borax, to get the same amount on a per kilogram basis, I would need to consume 20/.1133 = 176 mg per kilogram per dose. This means, I weigh 70 kilograms, I would need to consume 176 mg x 70 kilogram = 12,320 mg of borax, or 12.32 grams. Assuming that one teaspoons has 4 grams per teaspoon, this would mean consuming 4 teaspoons per dose to get a testicular atrophy. In a typical dose of 1/4 teaspoon this would be only 0.25/4 x100 = 6% of the unsafe dose. Animal studies of LD50 is based on per dose, rather then per day. This means the scientist has to literally stuff the chemicals down the throat. In a typical borax diluted in one liter of water, few people actually drink this in one sitting. The likelihood from suffering from death by water intoxication of taking all 4 teaspoon would require taking 16 liters of water in one sitting.
Sorry, but I can't go into further details, regarding individual studies, I have limited time at the moment.
Ted
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Rob (Manhattan, New York) on 09/22/2010
Interesting information Miroslav.. Thanks.. In my experience I found just a few sips (about 4oz) from a 1/4tsp, per liter solution before bedtime, had relatively strong effects, with increased night sweating and vivid dreams along with a calmness.. My intuition told me this was enough... So I would used up the bottle over a 4 or 5 days. Though I really did like the effect it seemed to wane on the following nights. I also need to hear more positive long term results do this for any legth of time..
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Miroslav (Prague, Czech) on 09/21/2010
Ted, your experiences are interesting and welcome, however I was looking for more informations about boron which I'd like to share. There are many science papers about boron & rats. It was stated sterilization occurred on rats/dogs exposed to boron. 300 mg boron/kg BW/day is usually fatal to rats and around 600 mg/kg BW in single dose is fatal to rats. Based on accidental intake of boron by humans, lethal dose is guessed at 15,000 to 20,000 mg of boric acid, which equals to 3 000 mg of boron, which (70 kg person) is roughly 40 mg boron/kg BW. Looks like rat is more tolerant to boron by the ratio of 10 . Regarding to studies made, it was found that around 20 mg boron/kg BW/day is a level which does not affect testicles/health of rats. Higher boron intake leads to testicles atrophy either temporary or permanent, depends also on dosage. If 20 mg/kg BW/day is a threshold for rat, considering 10 ratio, it could be less than 2 mg/kg/day for human.
For 70 kg person, it is less than 140 mg of boron or 1400 mg of borax (safe for daily human intake). Now 1/4 teaspoon of borax is 5 ml/4 = 1,25 ml of borax or 2,000 mg of borax. Since measuring 1/4 tsp is not accurate in all cases and some people tend to take more the stuff to improve results of remedy, one can expect dosage can reach 4,000 mg/day or 2,500 mg boric acid/day. It is more than 10 % of dosage which is being lethal. It is 3 times more than safe level I guessed above. Therefore I've concerns this remedy/dosage is quite dangerous with strong damaging potential. It is also a fact people experienced side effects. Anyone can search Internet for document boron. Pdf, title 'Boron in Drinking-water', which is a comprehensive review of known facts about boron and laboratory tests on animals.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 09/20/2010 392 posts
If the concern of borax or borates is converted to boric acid, then just add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in case the hydrochloric acid of the stomach should convert to boric acid. Also stomach acidity varies greatly throughout the day. It is very high before meals, but is very low acidity after meals. Therefore this can be taken after meals, or before sleep. If kidney problem does occur, simply discontinue them until it does get better. To neutralize any borax negative effect, I usually take magnesium chloride drops and just skip a week or at least three days, allowing the body to get rid of excess borax from the body. Most lower back pain I have found turns out also taking excess calcium and not enough magnesium also.
Yes, I do receive emails of testical pain from taking borax from a few men. I got one person from Vietnam who is an earthclinic reeader and came to Bangkok on a tour packaged, and managed to find time to see me about his hair loss condition. He mentioned that taking borax did cause his testicular pain, but that went away because he masturbated. Apparently what I found was borax caused the pain from higher sperm volume and sperm count and as resulted the masturbation reduced that and made him feel more like a man. In other words more sexually responsive (getting it up) when having sex. It's the viagra effect for people who have low male hormone levels. Apparently, this particular person thought not masturbating was a normal thing because he had no desire, and got used to that line of thought. The borax remedy made him change some behavior to masturbate at least weekly, as he reports of much larger sperm volume he never he had it before. It should be noted that if person does not wish to masturbate at least weekly or need to abstain from sex, then borax is clearly not good.
The other problem concerning borax used is it's tendency to make women get pregnant too easily. If people do not wish to conceive, and have unprotected sex, you get pregnant much more easily. I have over four cases here in Bangkok of women becoming pregnant from taking this, but luckily most of them are married, or wish to have a child, so they were happy. One has been struggling to have a child for 10 years and got pregnant in just 1 month after taking the supplements. It seems it increases women's fertility and men's fertility also, through increasing sperm count and sperm volume. Therefore borax is not something a person will use if that person does not wish to have a child or requires sexual abstinence. The opposite is also true.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Miroslav (Prague, Czech) on 09/19/2010

According to Wikipedia "Borax is also easily converted to boric acid and other borates, which have many applications. Its reaction with hydrochloric acid to form boric acid is: Na2B4O7·10H2O + 2 HCl --> 4 B(OH)3 [or H3BO3] + 2 NaCl + 5 H2O"
There is enough HCl in our stomach so I expect borax is being converted into boric acid inside. Borax is not as rich in boron as boric acid is. Therefore I undestand receiving borax is equivalent to receiving lower doses of boric acid. I'm on day 5 of 1/4 teaspoon of borax solution daily (against mites) and my testicles started to hurt. Sometimes also feeling presence of my kidneys now. I'm terminating the remedy and hoping there was no irreversible damage made.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 09/16/2010 392 posts
If you think it's causing kidney problem stopping them is just fine. Boron increases both magnesium and calcium retention for the bones. Too much might cause kidney pain. However, I haven't had a single case of problem at that dose here in Bangkok. For most women the average dose is about 1/8 teaspoon taken for only a month. Most kidney pain I have encountered with had do to with taking excessive calcium, which can really cause kidney pain and muscle pain. So obviously foods high in calcium with borax supplements may worsen the condition of kidney pain that way. Calcium deposits occur if too much diets are high in that, usually found eating coral calcium, potatoes (high in calcium) and nearly all calcium supplements. Obviously the antidote for excessive calcium retention is to take lemon juice for an entire day for about 2 to 4 days. This will significantly reduced calcium retention from either taking too much calcium, or diets too much with boron and calcium.
Ted
Borax Side Effects
Posted by John (Greenport, New York, Usa) on 09/16/2010
Borax is fine in moderation, but skin problems usually means you have an acidic body and deficiency in omega 3 oils, as well as vitamins A, D, C, and E. You must take mineral and enzyme supplements at each meal, and drink ionized water as much as possible. Once a day take a tablespoon of cod liver oil and a non-synthetic multi-vitamin. In addition take 4000I. U. Of vitamin D3 everyday (must be D3 only). Avoid acidic processed foods and eat mostly organic fruits and veggies (raw - use blender) with the usual meat, fish, eggs, butter, and virgin olive, coconut, and palm oils. Avoid table salt as much as possible, but use plenty of sea salt and crystal salt instead (trace minerals). Don't forget that a good probiotic is always necessary.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Piper (Toronto, On) on 09/16/2010

I had an itchy scalp and problems with acne and was using borax to cleanse mites and parasites - borax water 1/8 tsp in a litre of water and borax baths. I also used borax to clean home and in laundry. I was doing the borax regime for a couple of weeks and I started to experience hair loss and that may indicate kidney problems. I have now stopped drinking borax water. I do use Ted's mange cure for a facial wash and it is great. Any signal from your body should be heeded. Borax may help, but too much may not be good either.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Katey (Apex, Nc) on 08/30/2010
Upon further reflection and 3 total days in pain, I realize it was most likely intestinal pain (front) rather than kidney pain (usually manifests in the back). I fasted for a day and then upon eating the pain was significantly reduced.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Frank (Budapest, Hungary) on 08/27/2010

I am on day 3 of the borax remedy, taking 1/4 teaspoon in 1 liter water and sipping throughout the day. I am getting a very bitter soapy taste on my tongue when I eat. Just wondering if this is normal. I don't get this taste from drinking the borax solution. The taste will go away 1/'2 hour after eating and then return as soon as I eat again.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Katey (Apex, Nc, Usa) on 08/25/2010

I also am having kidney pain today after having 1/8 tsp. in over a liter of water yesterday. Also curious to know if Ted has a possible scientific explanation for this as I really don't want to mess with kidney damage but I could really use the benefits borax is supposed to provide.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Theo (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) on 08/11/2010

Last year I tried 1/8 teaspoon borax and sea salt in 1 liter of water to test if flouride was causing my health issues. After a couple of days I too experienced kidney pains. Since I had never felt internal pains like that before, even after trying many natural remedies and supplements over the years, I was quite scared. I stopped taking borax immediately. It didn't make sense to me that kidney pains would be a sign of detox. In conclusion, I no longer believe borax should be taken internally.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Robin (Chicago, Il) on 07/30/2010
Response to "Jgrau from Coquitlam, Bc"
Clearly, you have NOT read anything on this Web site regarding the differences between "boric acid" and "borax". They ARE NOT the same!! One is acid aka boric "acid", and one is alkaline - borax. Even the Web site you noted states "boric acid". COME ON, PEOPLE. TAKE THE TIME to "READ". This is a forum for sharing experiences, not one in which to exhibit your shortcomings... Furthermore, boric acid IS used medicinally, often for women who do not respond to conventional therapy for yeast infections. It is put into a capsule, placed into the vaginal canal, and actually works very well.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Jgrau (Coquitlam, Bc) on 06/21/2010
This is a response to "David from Surrey, BC". And it is important for anyone trying Borax as a remedy.
No male should ever expose themselves to Borax or Boric Acid. David's symptoms (testicle and kidney atrophy) are classic case of Boric Acid poisoning -- just a few weeks of daily exposure to Borax is known to cause testicle atrophy and sterility in dogs and is suspected in sterility of humans that work with the chemical. It also damages kidneys and to lesser extent the liver. Please, people do not even let Borax touch your skin if you're a male. Look it up on Google and you'll find articles like http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/boric_acid_risks.htm
While there is a threshold below which Borax is fairly safe, if you go over that threshold it is quite dangerous. The threshold is very dependent on body weight -- definitely don't let Borax anywhere near an infant or a pregnant woman. So there certainly may be people who use it without noticeable adverse affect, it is not worth it to have some people seriously injured by it -- it is dangerous advice.
I understand your suspicion of flouride, but then you should be suspicious of all environmental chemical exposure -- why are you exposing yourself to a chemical with more proven risk than flouride?
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Lara (Sarasota, Florida) on 06/20/2010

I am on day 4 of the borax protocol (1/8th teaspoon in 1 liter of water, sipped slowly throughout the day). I didn't experience any side effects until this morning when I felt slight brain fog. At about noon I looked in the mirror and discovered that a blood vessel had burst in my left eye. I have had these before, but usually only after flying. I am guessing that this is related to the borax. I have also been regularly taking lugol's iodine (3 drops a day in water) for months but have never noticed this side effect. Anyone else experience this? I found some information on Dr. Weil's site about how certain supplements can cause a burst blood vessel in the eye, but nothing mentioned about borax or iodine.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400019/burst-blood-vessels-in-the-eye.html
I stopped the borax solution right away and am going to wait 3 days to pass before trying again. Will send update.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Helen (Galway, Ireland) on 06/15/2010

on my secound day of borax, i have just got a hot itchy prickly rash all over, really worried, is this normal?
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Siri (Chicago, Il) on 03/26/2010
Hi Rob. Thanks for the reply. I will try to do it slowly. I am taking borax primarily to detox as i had done 2 yrs back and found that it created an alkalizing environment and prepped the hormones conducive for pregnancy. Ted had replied to the same effect but unfortunately that had ended in an ectopic pregnancy. After waiting for an yr, I have been trying again for almost 8 months without any result so I am trying my luck with borax as well as lot of other supplements like manganese zinc wheat germ oil etc .
Thanks
Siri
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Rob (Manhattan, New York) on 03/26/2010
1/4 tsp per litre and a whole glass is most likely too much. Try 1/8 and little sips throughout the day. When experimenting with this I found strong effects at this amount (1/8tsp per liter) and would only consume about half the bottle in a day. Also, why are you taking it? If to get pregnant there are most likely other safer and time proven ways.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Siri (Chicago, Il) on 03/25/2010

Hi, I have been following Ted 's remedy for borax. I had done it last yr and suddenly got pregnant. It resulted in miscarriage. Now i am trying to get pregnant and want to alkalizs my body. I have a question regarding the side effect. I am taking 1/4 tsp of borax in 1 ltr of water . As soon as i drink 1 glass of this water my head starts spinning i feel a feeling of rush in my head. I want to keep on doing the drink , but would really apprecitate if ted or someone can throw some light on it. Thanks.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Tessa (Naperville, Il, Usa) on 02/03/2010

I would be so grateful if Ted could address this question. I'm at the end of my second day of taking 1/8 tsp borax in 1 liter of water for treating rosacea and like some others experienced, beginning this morning I could feel slight kidney discomfort. I wouldn't say the kidneys hurt exactly, but they're making their presence known. In all other respects I feel fine. I tend to believe this is a sign my body is detoxing, but I don't want to be too little worried :) Could this be a sign of detox or is it a sign that I should stop immediately?
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Nj (Chicago, Ill) on 01/15/2010

today was my first try of the borax remedy. I was fine right until the end of the liter but around the end i developed what seems to me like pain in the kidney area. A couple other posters had reported this also. I will wait a day or so to see if it goes away and will try it again. Anyone know if this is transient, benign pain or is this dangerous?
EC: Hi NJ, how much borax did you add to 1 litre of water? Thanks...
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Lilly (Margate, Fl) on 11/25/2009
I just wanted to reply to any post that discredits the use of Borax (store brand), I have no complaints, aches or pains but just wanted to use the borax for my own peace of mind and study if you will, to see what would happen if I injested it and not the proper way either. I was my own guini pig, so I filled a empty vegie cap "00" with borax and took it w/a cup of water. Waited a day or so, nothing happened so I did it again, still felt no change or ill effect, I continued this for a wk and still got no ill effect or change in urine or stool, no headache, no rash, no flushing or anything, I will report back to this site w/my latest findings. I also have been taking epsom salt the same way for months and feel great, my stomach is flat finally and not bloated after any meals.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Harmonious1 (Littleville, Southwest USA) on 06/30/2009
If, as stated, borax will move flouride out, then I suggest people who use it with flouridated water may be setting themselves up for these side effects. Flouride detox can be very painful, as I found out when I started taking iodine. When the flouride was stirred up and recirculated through my body, I had a lot of bad symptoms. And it takes a while for your body to get rid of it then.
I suggest using purified water, not city water, as it may be flouridated.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 04/15/2009 392 posts
A woman's dose is 1/8, a man's dose is 1/4 dissolved in one liter of drinking water. I can't say much about this poster since sufficient details are not mentioned, except for the fact that he's prediabetic, which borax has a tendency to normalize blood sugar. So I find this posting fishy on many points. A lot of people through private emails actually take a much larger dose that this.
Loss of sex drive has never been reported except for fluoride. Most report an increase in sex drive. Most of the problems reported are associated with boric acid, not borax because boric is acid. Acid eats up kidney, whether it's boric acid or acid forming foods in general.
So I have many regrets on this email. A genuine poster would also email directly to me before posting them and give sufficient details. An intentionally fake poster will report unusual side effects, lacking in sufficient details, on Earth Clinic without telling me. So you can see why I find this a suspicious post.
Ted
EC: We had emailed Ted for more thoughts about this post. The above is his 2nd response...
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Paula (Coloma, Michigan, USA) on 04/16/2009
I am on Premarin due to having a complete hysterectomy 8 years ago. I'm only 37 but have lost the majority of my sex drive since the surgery. I was hoping the borax would help with the sex drive and to lose weight. I'm also doing the oil pulling and taking Apple Cider Vinegar supplements. Should I quit taking the borax all together?
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 04/15/2009 392 posts
The problems I have encountered with facial breakouts, as this came from the fact that one of the person who reported this similar occurrence was taken estogen (Diane) and anti-androgen (androcur). Both the product apparently had a double dose of cyproterone. That caused a shutdown in the adrenals. To make the matter worse, the person also took a lot of whey protein to build muscles, that lead to protein coagulation in the body causing an acne.
In any event, one doesn't take borax without a reason. If a known fluoride poisoning exist, tor that a person has autoimmunity, or a person had rosacea, morgellons, will experience different effect.
If a person happens to have a Morgellon's having demodex mites, the borax DOES cause a breakout as the demodex mites to come out of the skin, killing most of the demdodex mites. Which is the mode of how borax kills the demodex mites. It flushes them out of the body. Same thing with certain types Rosacea, it flushes them out too.
Since I don't know the reason for why borax was taken, the two possibility that I have encountered are the ones I mentioned here. However, people can take it for different reasons and different reactions are encountered.
Ted
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 04/15/2009
This is not the correct way to do it. The proper method is to dissolve the borax 1/32 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon in ONE LITER of drinking water and drink throughout the day. It was not designed to take in pure powder form, usually to rid of autoimmunity disease or a known fluoride poisoning. In rabbit test the dose is roughly lower than this concentration to protect against fluoride poisoning when they added lethal dose of fluoride.
Ted
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Paula (Coloma, Michigan, USA) on 04/15/2009

Hi, I've been using 1/8th teaspoon of borax with 1/8th teaspoon of sea salt in 1 liter of water and drinking it 5 days a week for the last couple of weeks. I'm now experiencing what I would call a hive like breakout on my face, neck, chest and arms that lasts for about an hour and then fades away. It started randomly about a week after I started taking borax, but now it's almost a daily occurence. I don't know if I should quit taking it all together or if something else could be causing this. I use to have it happen after drinking certain wines years ago, or after a workout...but now it's happening while I'm at my desk at work and it has my co-workers freaked out. I haven't told them what I'm doing because they aren't into alternative medicine as I am and they already make fun of how many supplements I take a day. Please help. Thank you.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Dave (Surrey, BC) on 04/15/2009

I slowly went from 1/32 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon dose borax to remove fluoride from the body. I quit after about 2 days on the 1/4 teaspoon dose. I mixed it properly in pure water according to the directions that I found here. I had to go off of the borax due to aches and pains in the testicles, kidneys, and head. I was very frightened, especially about that kidney pains. Unfortunately, the pains indicated damage. I now, months afterwards, have pain in the kidneys every day, and I have actually LOST almost all of my sex drive. The pains indicated damage that seems permanent. Being prediabetic, perhaps I shouldn't have risked kidney damage!!!! But I miss my sex drive more. It's gone, and borax is not only as toxic as salt to me. Not by far.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Janet D (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) on 07/15/2008

I tried Borax remedy for my persistent fungus problem in my mouth. I tried Borax internally because Nystation didn't get rid of it ( only partly it did). I used store brand Borax, 1/8 tsp in one liter of distilled water. The first day I experienced a nasty headache all day long and at the second day, my kidney started hurting. So I had to stop taking Borax and I'll never try it again. The pain persisted 5 day after I stopped taking it. It was really scary! I read Ted's comment stating that he uses the store brand Borax when he can't find pure grade Borax. I have read most of user comment and Ted's email before I decided to try Borax remedy. I would like to post my experience about using store brand Borax so that people can least expects what can happen.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Janet D. (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) on 07/15/2008

I tried Borax remedy for my persistent fungus problem in my mouth. I tried Borax internally because Nystation didn't get rid of it ( only partly it did). I used store brand Borax, 1/8 tsp in one liter of distilled water. The first day I experienced a nasty headache all day long and at the second day, my kidney started hurting. So I had to stop taking Borax and I'll never try it again. The pain persisted 5 day after I stopped taking it. It was really scary! I read Ted's comment stating that he uses the store brand Borax when he can't find pure grade Borax. I have read most of user comment and Ted's email before I decided to try Borax remedy. I would like to post my experience about using store brand Borax so that people can least expects what can happen.
Borax Side Effects
Posted by Carrie (Longmont, Colorado) on 01/07/2008

Thank you Ted and Earthclinic for such wonderful information! I have a question for Ted: I started the Borax cure 8 days ago to treat fluoride poisoning and candida. I've been taking 1/8 tsp. Borax in 1 liter of purified water every other day. On day 4 I started manifesting flulike symptoms--extreme chest congestion (very, very thick mucous) and cough, extreme fatigue, all over body aches, mild fever. Today I'm still sick but I am slowly getting better. Would you classify this as a normal detox reaction or did I probably get a virus on top of detoxing?
EC: Read more about Borax here.