Re: Ted's High Borax Doses - Where Did He Get Them?
Art (California) on 08/21/2025
Since Ted is no longer on EC, we can only speculate at how he arrived at the dose that he used. I feel he may have used several factors to arrive at the dose he recommended for the purpose of arthritis.
The first thought is that he would have used the LD50 of borax in an animal model since there isn't an LD50 for humans and borax. In the rat model, the LD50 varies between 4.5 and 6.08 g/kg depending on sex and rat variety. This is discussed here :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0041008X72900373
If you convert the lower LD50 for the rat model (4.5 g/kg) to a human equivalent dose
That would look something like .729 g/kg. So for myself, I weigh approximately 80 kg, I would multiply my 80 kg x .729 = 58.32 g and that would represent the LD50 for borax in me, based on the rat model.
So this would suggest that borax has relatively low toxicity in humans, especially at the doses Ted was recommending. Ted's recommended dose for men is 1/4 measuring teaspoon. When I weighed that amount on my digital milligram scale it came out to approximately 985 mg or less than 1 gram. So based on the .729 g/kg conversion from the rat model, I am more than 50 times below the LD50 for humans.
So then why did Ted go higher than others in the world who had suggested borax for various forms of arthritis. To the best of my knowledge, Dr Rex Newnham was the founder of the idea that borax/boron could work as a remedy for arthritis based on soil content of boron in various areas of the world. His recommended dose was significantly lower than Ted's recommendation, but when I tried his dose for my arthritis it was ineffective for me.
When I tried Ted's dose for men, it put my arthritis into complete remission. When I tried Ted's dose for women of 1/8th teaspoon, it helped relieve much of the pain, but was not 100% effective.
I further feel that another reason Ted chose a higher dose is because the borax remedy does not work overnight and I speculate that Ted felt that giving a higher dose, that was still well below the LD50, would produce the fastest results and people would be more likely to stick with the borax remedy if they soon started seeing results, but might drop it if they didn't see any results in two or three weeks. People have reported seeing some benefit in as little as two or three weeks on EC. That might not have occurred at the lower suggested dosing schedules by others and may resulted in the testers stopping their testing.
To me, a minimum testing period for Ted's oral borax dose is one month. Dr. Newnham felt that maximum benefit from borax/boron in people with advanced arthritis was reached in 3 to 4 months. At one month, I clearly had benefit from Ted's remedy and at 3 months I was in complete remission and have remained there for over 17 years now. I'm pretty sure that I remember Ted saying that a lower dose could work, but it would take longer to do so.
For those who have a fear of taking oral borax or run into the upset stomach issue, I would give consideration to Borax Lotion (BL) which I describe using in a friend who didn't like taking oral borax because it caused a stair step pattern of dry skin on her skin. I made borax lotion for her and it made her arthritic hands completely pain free in 3 weeks with no stair step skin pattern. I tell her story and describe how I made BL here :
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/borax-lotion.html
I have taken hundreds of supplements in my life that helped many health issues in myself and many people, but borax was life changing for me as my psoriatic arthritis was severe and the pain was throughout my body. For me, borax was a miracle. It doesn't work for everyone and there are many forms of arthritis, but it does seem to work for the majority of people.
Art
Borax and Arthritis
chickenpatti13 (U S) on 01/18/2024
Borax is Amazing!
Sue (Westmoreland NY USA) on 07/22/2023
Anyway-I was looking for something to help w/Hidradenitis Suppurativa-which is basically cysts in your armpits, sometimes in groin & under breasts. It's horribly painful & can be embarrassing-especially when they burst. Doctors have no idea what causes it either & is treated w/tetracycline-a strong antibiotic or biologics &/or incisions & draining them.
That doesn't cure it-they come back. And no one should be on tetracycline or biologics all the time!
I started taking 1/8 of a teaspoon dissolved in a bit of warm water right after breakfast.
I started it on Monday-today is Saturday & the cysts are all gone! I'm shocked it worked so quickly!
I'm also an insomniac-I have been since I was a kid-& w/in a couple days I was falling asleep easier & staying asleep! I've been able to go off a couple of OTC meds I was using to fall asleep also in just a couple of days!
I also have fibromyalgia & usually have a flair up a couple times a week-but not this week! I'm knocking on wood that I don't have any more of them-but even if the flare-ups are just lessened it would be great news for me.
FYI-I didn't really have any herxing & I'm hoping I don't-but regardless, I'd continue taking this amazing mineral.
Thank you, Ted, for spreading the news of this natural medicine! You've literally changed my life!
Borax Protocol Update
Deirdre (Asheville, NC) on 09/28/2022
1. It took 3 weeks to get improvement in my trigger thumb, but my finger joint stiffness improved within the first week or so. Things continue to improve slowly.
2. Even though the women's dose is 1/8th teaspoon borax in 1 liter of water, the men's dosage, 1/4 teaspoon, seems to be what I need.
3. For the first 3 months, I could NOT do 5 days on and 2 days off because my thumb would start to get sore and stiff again after 1 day off the protocol. However, I am now able, in my 4th month, to take a day off here and there.
4. I use distilled water and add trace minerals to it in addition to the 1/4 teaspoon of borax.
Hope this helps. If borax isn't helping you, consider upping the dosage.
And stick with it for a while. Don't give up on it too soon.
I think the over 50 crowd (myself included) probably needs high-dose boron, quite frankly.
Borax for Back Arthritis
scott v (grand rapids, mi) on 08/23/2022
on the fifth day, I got out of bed and wow! no pain! I've been taking it for 10 years, every day. no issues. Doctors and nurses are amazed when I tell them I take it daily. it works!
Borax Dosage and Side Effects
John (Michigan) on 07/09/2022
Posted by Isolda (Beaufort) on 04/24/2022
Hello, I did the 1/4 tsp in a litre of water first day loading but by the time I reached 3/4 of the bottle about 5-6 hours later I started to feel antsy and nervous. I was a little anxious. Later in the evening I felt anxious again. Like it had a second cycle in my body. Probably going through my liver. I have read that the dosage of the 1/4 tsp = 114mg is incorrect. Can you please confirm that it is correct?
I find a lot of people but especially women do not tolerate the recommended doses on this site initially. I start people out on 1/16 of a USA teaspoon in liter of water. I will have them do this 3 times a week the first week. If that does not bother them next week I have them do that 5 days and take a break over the weekend. If they are an average size man or larger I will have them jump to 1/8th teaspoon 3 days a week and build up again to 5 days a week. IF they are women I have them try 1/8th teaspoon on one day and stay at 1/16th the rest of the week. The idea is to sneak up on the full daily dose without negative side effects. If they get anything more than a mildly upset stomach I will have them take a day or two off and back the dose down. Your body has been deficient your entire life on this trace mineral. Not everyone can jump in at a high dose. The goal is to heal your body not make yourself sick and miserable.
My wife only takes it once a week at 1/8th teaspoon and that keeps all of her joints pain free. I have been taking 1/4 teaspoon per day for years and it only helped my joint pain the first month or so. It greatly improved my Vitamin D absorption though! I am upping my dose though to 1/2 a teaspoon of Borax and Backing soda to see if a higher dose helps.
I started my Dad on 1/4 teaspoon of Borax and 1/2 teaspoon of backing soda each night before bed. It stopped his kidney disease and reversed it one grade and improved his joints and all of his other health markers. It also cured his constipation. He takes a lot of medications that cause constipation but that is not a problem now. It has not done anything for my joints, tendons or ligaments but I am convinced that it along with vitamin D and K2 removed the calcium deposits from my heart valves.
Before taking Borax no matter how much vitamin D3 I took I was always deficient. So start slow this is not a race. Take what you can and titrate the dose upward as your body can handle it. Do not be afraid to stop it and let any side effects go away before restarting!
Another Borax Success Story!
Art (California) on 07/06/2022
That helped reduce her pain level, but still the pain persisted after months of daily use. Next I suggested Deirdre's DMSO / Borax topical blend. This was more effective than the borax lotion, but she still had pain in both hands and her fingers would still lock in place such as when she was holding her steering wheel while driving and she would have to pry them open which she said was very painful and they would often make a loud popping noise when she would pry them open, which she said was very painful to do.
After explaining that the borax was helping and that she simply wasn't getting enough to the affected joints, she finally agreed to give oral borax a test. She agreed to use Ted's dose for women of 1/8th teaspoon for 4 or 5 days of the week while taking weekends off.
After about three weeks of use, she related that her hands had further reduced pain, but her fingers were still locking when she would drive. After a month of use she told me that there were areas of her hands, the padded areas, that were no longer painful and her fingers also had less pain, but here fingers were still locking.
After 5 weeks of use, she said that the pain level continues to very slowly diminish, but more importantly, she told me that she was now having days where her fingers aren't locking and popping! She is starting her 6th week of oral borax each of 4 to 5 days per week and she said the pain is at a new all time low and her fingers no longer seem to be locking up on her. She also said that her knees which would occasionally cause her some pain had not given her any pain lately. She is also knitting again which had gotten to painful to do as she liked to do. She said she can push and pull with her hands again without pain, making her hands much more functional again!
She no longer has a fear of oral borax at Ted's suggested dose of 1/8th teaspoon in a quart of water each day for 4 or 5 days per week. I reminded her that the original founder of borax for arthritis, Dr. Rex Newnham said that in more severe cases of arthritis it can take up to 3 to 4 months to reach the point where borax has done all it can to relieve your arthritis. I also reminded her that borax is helpful for staving off osteopenia and osteoporosis. She said she plans to continue taking it for the rest of her life!
Art
Borax Helping Herniated Disc, Arthritis
Rick (Irvine CA) on 06/28/2022
I had my wife start taking about a year ago and now she is pain free of the arthritis she was experiencing. She too is now a firm believer of Boron. She didn't want to sip the soap solution of borax so I got her the 6mm pills from AMAZON. 300 pills for $10 bucks. No wonder the pharmaceutical industry poo poos the solution. THEY CAN'T MAKE ANY MONEY OF OF A MINERAL.
Multiple Cures With Borax
Nice Lady (United States) on 06/24/2022
For me, I am a little heavier at 200 lbs and a woman and what works for me is I started with the 1/8 tsp in water, it worked well for me, I started slowly for a week or so and I also read to take a magnesium capsule once daily to offset any symptoms as this borax seems to work hand in hand with the magnesium. I take one 500mg magnesium capsule in the morning with breakfast. This works for me. After doing well with the 1/8 of a tsp of the 20 mule team borax I upped the dosage to where I take this two times per day in a hot large cup of coffee.
I have taken this for a month now and it seems to be helping me with the stiffness in my shoulder joints which I could not raise above my shoulder level without pain before and can raise straight up now, much stronger with very little pain if any and I run my rototiller about once a week, have a large garden and work daily on two acres, keeping it mowed and taken care of. Plus I am almost 70 yrs old. This has also been helping to dissolve my kidney stones and has helped my IBS very much. Helped my partner's arthritis in his knees a lot also. So for me this works well.
Re: Borax Dosage Tips
Nice Lady (United States) on 06/24/2022
For me, I am a little heavier at 200 lbs and a woman and what works for me is I started with the 1/8 tsp in water, it worked well for me, I started slowly for a week or so and I also read to take a magnesium capsule once daily to offset any symptoms as this borax seems to work hand in hand with the magnesium. I take one 500mg magnesium capsule in the morning with breakfast. This works for me. After doing well with the 1/8 of a tsp of the 20 mule team borax I upped the dosage to where I take this two times per day in a hot large cup of coffee.
I have taken this for a month now and it seems to be helping me with the stiffness in my shoulder joints which I could not raise above my shoulder level without pain before and can raise straight up now, much stronger with very little pain if any and I run my rototiller about once a week, have a large garden and work daily on two acres, keeping it mowed and taken care of. Plus I am almost 70 yrs old. This has also been helping to dissolve my kidney stones and has helped my IBS very much. Helped my partner's arthritis in his knees a lot also. So for me this works well.
Borax for TMJ
Amy G. (Michigan) on 06/11/2022
I follow Ted’s Borax protocol of 1/8 tsp in 1 liter of distilled water 5 days a week for 4 weeks. I’ve had to repeat the protocol a few times over 10 years.
Re: Borax for Osteoarthritis
Bill (Philippines) on 06/09/2022
And the reason you must take the borax solution every day on a 4-day-on and 3-day-off basis is because supplementing borax always causes increased gland secretions in the human body. In particular, it will stimulate and increase the sex hormones in the body, which is not a bad thing in itself but might, in the end, have the effect of straining those glands due to increased or excessive hormone production. And that's why you should always take the borax solution on a 4-day-on/3-day-off basis.
Just to also let you know that there is no reason to fear taking borax. The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet, which is the Bible for chemical safety and toxicity) for borax shows that borax actually has the same or similar toxicity profile as common table salt.
I'm also a 72 y. o. guy and I've been taking borax on a daily basis for about 15 years. I now just take a couple or three pinches of borax a day in my drinking water or coffee or whatever. I completely trust my usage of borax and I've never ever had a problem with my borax usage. I've been using borax as a successful preventative against arthritis but I also use it to prevent fungal infections as well -- borax is the ultimate anti-fungal! Borax is also useful to help detox and remove fluorine from my body.
Re: Borax Dosage
Art (California) on 04/05/2022
I have taken the 1/4 teaspoon dose each day for 4 days per week for well over a decade and it has worked very effectively to keep my arthritis in remission. Look up the toxicity of Borax and then look up the toxicity of table salt and that will give you a better idea of the safety profile of Borax.
Arteries Unblocked with Borax
Jon (Az) on 09/24/2021
Sodium tetraborate
I’ve taken it for close to 8 years. I never get sick and it helps in many areas. I primarily take it for unblocking arteries. It has done that.
Multiple Cures Reported With Borax!
George S. (British Columbia) on 06/17/2021
Within a week, the pain in my shoulder was gone.
My wife had a calcite spur in her foot. Very painful. I told her that the boron in the Borax would help her body regulate the calcium and the magnesium in her body and may make the spur go away.
It went away within a week.
Recently, my dentist checked my jaw bone to see if I had enough bone to install a dental implant (it's unusual for someone my age [65] to have enough bone to safely do an implant without extra preparation to the bone). He was surprised/shocked to find out that I have no bone loss at all. I told him it was because I "take boron supplements." (I didn't dare say that I take BORAX--he would have flipped! )
I put 1/4 teaspoon of Borax in a 2-liter bottle of water. Then I drink about 1/2 cup of Borax-water each day, for about 4 or 5 days per week.
The $5.60 box of Borax that I bought on 24-Dec-2012 is still mostly full. It will last until I am about 130 years old or more.
Borax Causing Weight Loss
Pan (El Paso) on 04/09/2021
Re: Borax Bath
Pan (El Paso) on 04/09/2021
One cup of borox should do nicely. It does clean very well and soaking your hair in it will leave it soft. I would highly recommend showering afterwards. It will leave you feeling rejuvenated and full of energy. Ahhh like brand new. I soak 10 to 15 minutes. Thank God for boron. God bless you.
Re: Borax for Psoriatic Arthritis
Art (California) on 02/26/2021
I was in a ton of pain all over as the original post explains and I have remained symptom free for well over 12 years at a cost of less than a penny a day using Borax. No apparent side effects that I have found through the many years of use. I'm still using Borax 4 to 5 days a week and remain pain free from PA.
Art
Borax for Herniated Disc and Sciatica
Krusty (Greece) on 01/30/2021
His seizures of pain became vary rare and less acute. Me too my back pain doesn't bother me any more after six months of using cheap borax. I was limping six months ago due to my herniated disc.
We have been taking 1/4 of teaspoon 5 days per week.
My father did not do or take any other supplement at all, so it must have been the Borax. I feel my back stronger now after some months of taking Borax. I have tried exercises before with very small results. I think the problem can be helped more biochemically and Borax can strongly help. Maybe some other substances like collagen and MSM can also help.
Re: Borax Side Effects
Art (California) on 07/18/2020
This is approximately the exact opposite of what boron studies show. Boron is quite useful as an osteoporosis antagonist, especially when combined with vitamin D and its cofactors such as magnesium, calcium, vitamin A etc.
Here is a typical study of boron in relation to osteoporosis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30262295/
By the way, 3 mg of boron is almost nothing! For comparison, let's use Ted's recommended dose of Borax for women for the purpose of ameliorating arthritis symptoms. He recommends 1/8th teaspoon of borax for women which is around 480 mg of borax. Borax is approximately 11.3% boron. Multiply .113 x 480 = 54.24
So in his arthritis remedy for women you would be getting approximately 55 mg of boron per day for 5 days of the week with Saturday and Sunday off!
When I took 3 mg of boron, it gave absolutely zero relief from my arthritis. Whereas when I took Ted's dose of borax for men which equates to approximately 110 mg of boron per day, my arthritis went into complete remission for well over a decade now! No pain at all!
The men's dose as recommended by Ted is double the women's dose, so a 1/4 teaspoon of borax for men instead of the women's dose of 1/8th teaspoon. Btw, these are USA based baker's measuring spoons.
Lastly, if osteoporosis or osteopenia is a concern for you, consider the following article which should also help you steer away from osteopenia or osteoporosis:
https://www.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/blog/maligned-prunegood-your-bones
Good luck!
Art
