Itchy Skin

.I have been using borax for months now from the grocery store, I love it and also use it on my girls 5 & 7. Every now and then my skin would itch for no reason almost like crawling and it would keep me up at night scratching, until I found your site and tried it. I keep it in a container in the shower, soap up a wash towel then pour the borax in the towel (no measuring) just make a mound and wash my whole body w/it...it feels sooo good and I sleep like a baby, no itching, also do the same w/my girls and my husband, it feels like exfoliating and everyone loves it here, we have had no adverse reactions except soft beautiful skin. Thanks to everyone...I love your site and read for hrs.
Joint Pain

Initial Positive Results 3 weeks into Borax as supplement.
I have had bad joints since I was about 6 years old. Many times I would told my Surgeons that I had the right knee of a 90 year old man when I was 12 years old. Constant pain since about age 6. I have used every supplement for joint health you can imagine with some improvement but never remotely as promised. I even used DMSO through high school to allow me to play sports and get through the pain and it worked but at a high cost! The odor and skin irritation and constant taste of garlic was terrible on everyone in my family not just me. I had recently tried odorless DMSO mixed with essential oils and it was helping some.
So I decided to try boron. I started with 1/4 teaspoon of borax in a litter of water every day. At some point I just forgot to take the DMSO and did not notice I was not in constant pain. 3 weeks in my rh knee which has had surgery just stopped hurting. My left hand just stopped hurting. My shoulder pain just went away. I started to have diarrhea after the 3rd week so I went down to 1/8 of a teaspoon a day and the diarrhea has gone away.
I have had low Vitamin D reading fore years and even taking Vitamin K and 25,000 units of D3 a day I was unresponsive for years. So now that I am taking the Borax I will check my next set of labs which will be some months out and see what we see.
My Mom and Dad have many of the same issues with Vitamin D and joint issues. I have introduced them to Borax so we will see what we see. Oh I am 44 years old and played sports and ate well all of my life. My joints are well documented with X-Rays and MRI's and I have complete lab workup about 2X a year. I will keep track of any changes and let the site know what else changes. I have more health issues than I care to have at 44 years old so if I see any improvement I will let everyone know. I am very excited about the possibilities.
Joint Pain

Better But With Side Effects
Greetings!
I had been struggling, for many months, with extreme joint stiffness, after a back injury last year. After much research, it seems that perhaps I've been taking too much Calcium (3,000mg plus greens) and not enough boron to balance that out. So, I cut way back on supplements, and started the Borax as per Ted's instructions. The stiffness is nearly gone after 3 days! But, I get some very strange symptoms...wanting to run, jump and twist to get rid of a strange feeling in my bones... It is so wonderful to be able to walk easily, now, but am concerned about this strange feeling!! Could it be detoxing me too quickly? I took one small dose today...and feeling strangely now. I also increased magnesium to balance out the boron..'.please help! Thank you.
(Faithville, Usa)
10/25/2017
Yes, stick with your program, low dose and you will continue to improve...I'm doing the same
Joint Pain

I HAVE BEEN USING BORAX POWDER OFF AND ON FOR A WHILE...AND notice some pain in n legs and muscles...detox pain...and stopped for a few days and again used it...and off n on...and I began have hip pain and stiffness in joints around hips and legs..and I had not used borax for a few months..about 2 months and I began using it..again a few days ago...and the hip /joint pains have diminished..I dilute a cup of borax powder in a half gallon of water..and shake it up everyday...until the water is saturated.. with borax powder and the left over borax is on the bottom of the bottle..and I shake it up every day...i make lunch with a rice maker..i cook rice...chopped veggies...and change it up every day...but when...the rice maker turns off and its ready to eat..I add a half cup of the water infused borax solution..just one time every day for lunch...and in three days now...my hip/joint stiffness issues have noticeably....subsided a lot..so..I am going to continue this way of getting borax into my bod...and see what happens
(New Jersey)
10/28/2016
Hmm. Maybe I am doing my math wrong. But if you use half a cup of the borax water you are making (1/2 gallon water plus one cup borax) then you are getting 1/16th of the cup of borax, which is a Tablespoon of borax at lunch daily. That is 12 times Ted's recommended dose for men daily. Ted recommends 1/4 teaspoon daily for men.
A half gallon of water won't hold a half cup of borax but, STILL - you're absolutely right. It's STILL a whole LOT of borax! I use a teaspoon in 500 ml and just squirt a very small amount of that in a glass of water, once or twice a day. I don't know how much that is per day - I doubt it's even a half teaspoon - but even using small amounts of that same bottle to massage my feet a couple times, it will probably last me about a month.
I just started but even that small amount gave me loose stools a couple of times. When I added that little drizzle to water twice in the same day. Or...maybe it was on days I massaged my feet - hadn't thought of that...of course, I don't have any "issues" at the moment, other than letting the plantar warts on my feet come back a bit so I can try a sort of "leave-on" ascorbic acid/coconut oil scrub/mask I've been thinking about on them...
(Bon Aqua, FL)
08/11/2021
The weird feeling sounds similar to restless leg syndrome. This can be caused by fluoride. Borax detoxes fluoride. Agree you could be detoxing too fast and need to reduce your dose of borax. Magnesium citrate is the best form of mag to take to avoid possible diarrhea. Helps calm muscle spasms or need to keep moving.
Joints

I've been taking 1/8 tsp of boron daily for about a week now and my joints feel better already, but my skin is super itchy. Is this related to the Boron or no? Thanks.
(Austria)
05/30/2023
Hallo
Wegen reinugung im körper Giftstoffe durch Haut ausgeschieden, auch bei der Tuvalette und Schwitzen...!
Hello
Due to purification in the body, toxins are excreted through the skin, even with the toilet and sweating...!
Knee Joint Pain

Hello, I'm going into my third week of drinking borax Ted's way. I am female but drinking the male amount of 1/4 tsp in a huge jar of water. My question is why the male and female dosage difference and should it be on an empty stomach? I try to get all my water in before noon and borax after noon 2 hrs after I've eaten. I struggle with weight, libido, and joint paint. Oh and yeast, lots of candida. Thank you for your time. My knees feel better after week 2!
Knee Joint Pain

I have been using Borax in the recommended dosage for about two years now. I have digested it two ways: in 1 litre of water and in my fruit smoothie. The latter being the easiest for me. I am now 67 years of age.
I started having serious pains in my knee joints about three years ago. I was recommended for surgery to undergo total knee replacement. First my left knee, then later, my right knee. I found an article on Borax, by chance, while waiting for a hospital surgery date. I decided to give Borax ingesting a try.
By the time I was given a date for surgery, I even attended the pre-op interview. At that interview, I decided to postpone the surgery and give my knees a second chance using Borax.
Two years later, I have both my natural knee joints in place. While I still have very minor discomfort, now and again, I am pleased I decided not to have the surgery.
It is not a "magic bullet" solution. It takes dedication and determination to go and stick with Borax. At my age, I feel my muscle strength and bone health to be as good as it was 10/15 years ago.
What I failed to mention: During my knee pain era, I was taking 2 - 4 pain killers everyday, only available on prescription. I have not used (Tramadol) for over 18 months now. Another "blessing in disguise."
I hope my story and it is a true story, is of benefit to someone out there.
Thank you and stay well.
(Ten Mile, Tn.)
07/26/2017
GEORGE,,,,,,,, you have done a great service to the folks on EC. I also do Borax, but addressed my bad knee with blood platelet plasma and ozone in a shot. Our medical folks say joint cartilage cannot be regenerated.
Most folks agree that Borax will control arthritis, but you are the first to say that it will regenerate cartilage. Hope you are right.... good buddy.
====ORH===
(Somewhere, Europe)
07/27/2017
ORH, doesn't gelatin regenerate cartilage?
(Columbus, Ohio)
05/26/2021
Thank you for sharing your story💞
Lice

Used borax to treat family for lice. Mixed dishsoap with 1 tbsp of borax to make a shampoo. Used borax in hot water to wash bedding, stuffies. Use dryer. Put borax in spray bottle with hot water to spray carpets and pillows and furniture that couldn't be laundered. Vaccuum. Be careful doing this around crawling babies or small toddlers or pets.
(Western NY)
10/28/2022

Use 1 level Tbsp Borax and mix with 2/3 cup very warm water. Stir well until dissolved. Add small amounts more warm water to dissolve any remaining Borax. Add 1/3 cup 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and mix. Pour this over your head and body in small amounts at a time until gone while rubbing into scalp and skin and let dry. Lice and chewing lice die when the come in contact or ingest it. Use on humans of all ages, horses, dogs and cats. Use an Elizabethan collar on cats so they don't clean and ingest it while it's wet. Stay warm while wet, and ask your Vet before trying this for the first time. Use a hair dryer to stay warm while drying. Cats with liver disease must ask Vet FIRST because it can cause death.
Lichen Planus

Hi Ted, I have SLE/Sjogren's syndrome since 18 years, and for the past few years had a rash on my right leg shin and gradually its spread on my other leg, over my body. the rash is called lichen planus. as the itch is driving me mad, im up to try anything to relieve me as it is getting worse, the medicines are not helping so i stopped everything. currently detoxing, having a complete vegetarian diet, juicing and started to drink the soda bicarbonate. I have washed my infected wounds with borax, it helps drying but makes it very itchy. could you recommend anything for this skin condition please. Much obliged, shahnaz
EC: Hi Shahnaz,
The Q&A page on the Lichen Planus section has one answer from Ted: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/lichen_planus_questions.html#Question_1159
Borax helps drying, however, to stop the itch, a tannic acid solution may be needed. A weak one for topical application is 1/2 teaspoon of tannic acid per 1/2 cup of water. It is then applied and the itching should stop within about 2 minutes. To remove the drying after the itch goes away, a couple of more applications maybe needed, then apply moisturizing oil. The oil I use is grape oil mixed with some aloe vera oil, or any appropriate moisturizing skin care oil might be helpful.
The only problem is in some countries, such as Canada, tannic acid is not obtainable. An appropriate substitute such as tea tree oil, lavender oil and some sunflower oil in equal amounts might help. If tannic acid is taken internally a very low dose such as 1/4 per liter of drinking water is free of side effect and further help the SLE conditions also by denaturing them and prevent their spread. I am now currently using borax/tannic acid/ and H2O2 for similar symptoms, and baking soda as in 1/2 teaspoon twice a day in a cup of water will further reduce the symptoms.
(Northern Michigan, US)
01/16/2015
Hello Shahnaz, I want to comment on your SLE. Please look into using Celtic Sea Salt. It has a lot of minerals we cannot get anywhere else but from a live salt. CSS has not been refined, processed, bleached, leached or otherwise. It is not that expensive and a ceramic hand grinder is the best to use with a wet salt.
Too often, an autoimmune disease is cause by mineral deficiencies, in my experience.
Best, Robin
Lichen Sclerosus

I keep trying so hard to do the borax drink. 1/8 tsp in a liter of water. Every time I try it (drink the whole bottle by days end), I get nerve pain. All of my skin burns like a sunburn. Mostly my face and upper back.
Last time, I persisted for several days but gave up. It was too painful.
Tried it again just yesterday after a 2 mos break and again, the skin burning!
Any ideas anyone? I wanted this to work so much because I have Lichen Sclerosus (genital) and just was diagnosed with Oral Lichen Planus. They are thought to be autoimmune but it has not been proven for a fact but for now, I consider them auto immune.
I also have stiff legs and left side sciatica with a numb baby toe on the left foot. I wanted this to help with muscle stiffness (joints are fine) that may be fibromyalgia.
Thanks all...
(Tennessee)
10/29/2016
Dear Lynn,
Every remedy is not for every person. Maybe borax is not for you. Or maybe you need much smaller amounts. (My husband uses only a tiny pinch a day or he gets side effects. Over many months though, we have seen results from that tiny amount.)
You might consider topical magnesium oil instead for your pain and stiffness.
I hope you feel better soon.
~Mama to Many~
(Somewhere, Europe)
10/29/2016
Lynn, how about trying much less Borax?
(Arizona)
12/11/2016
First Lower your dose till you can take it without any issues. Try going from 1/8 to half of that, 1/16.
If you still have issues half the dose again.
Also, add only a few flakes of Epsom salts. The magnesium will assist the Borax. You only need a pinch per table spoon of borax so a flake or two a day is enough.
Once you have found a dose that works for you start doing that for 3-5 days on the borax supplementation and 1-3 days off supplementation.
Lastly, It is important to consume the liter of water on your days off of supplementation. Putting water in your body is going to be one of the most important factors in assisting the borax. I recommend always using distilled water. If distilled is not available you want the cleanest water possible with no added minerals. The borax and epsom salts you added are the minerals you want.
Hope this helps! Remember your healing is in your mind and your hands.
I have a friend who can not take borax at any dose, even a few grains of borax will result in intense itching that lasts for a day or two......possibly an allergic reaction, but borax is not doable for this person. Failing the borax, she tried using boron which started to help her arthritis, but within days of starting on boron supplementation she started to become depressed......the type of depression where you don't want to get out of bed or do anything. She tried decreasing her dose to just 3 mg per day and the depression persisted so she stopped taking it for a few months and tried again, only to return to that depressed state, so she stopped taking boron altogether.
As far as drinking distilled water always, there seems to be varying opinions on that idea. Here is what Dr. Mercola has to say on that subject, suggesting that always drinking distilled water may harm you in the long run and result in early death. I would tend to agree with his findings.
http://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water.htm
Art
(Ten Mile , Tn)
12/13/2016
ART,,,,,,,, glad you have chimed in on the dangers of distilled water. What folks need to understand is that distilled water is a powerful solvent because the hydrogen bonding has an affinity for all positive minerals. It will leach them out of your body. Not overnight, but over a period of time.
I have written about this years ago and got beat about the head and shoulders. Thanks for your input.
=======ORH=======
ORH,
Yes, I try to limit my distilled water intake to the colloidal silver that I use. For regular consumption I generally drink filtered water.
Art
(Oregon)
04/23/2017
About distilled water.... I just remember being instructed by our dog's veterinarian to only give our dog distilled water at one point for a medical condition unrelated to anything neurological and the dog started having seizures. Our dog was then prescribed phenobarbital for those seizures - which really sedated him and we weren't happy about. We couldn't believe this was happening.
After about four days of distilled water and the phenobarbital, the seizures kept getting worse. We stopped the distilled water and went back to putting regular tap water in his water dish. The seizures stopped and we stopped the phenobarbital too. We never had a problem with seizures after that.
I learned to have a lot of respect for distilled water and to be very careful how it is used after that.
EC: Elaina, we have cross-posted your important feedback to our pets section - epilepsy page. Thank you!
(Florida)
06/29/2017
Dr. Mercola is wrong. I've been drinking 1 1/2 gallon a day since 2014 and after 4 or 5 days I started to get a pressure headache, which was a detox symptom. After 18 to 30 days I had more energy. He also said it will leach minerals from your body, it will but only the bad ones, not the ones you get from fruit and vegs.
(Missouri)
04/24/2018
Elaina,
You have to replace the minerals that were removed in the distilled water. Himalayan sea salt, the pink kind, makes distilled water the healthiest water you can drink. The exact minerals our bodies need are in this salt, all 84 of them.
(Minnesota)
01/10/2017
Lynn, the directions I've found elsewhere are after mixing up the bottle is that you're only supposed to take an 1/8 tsp of what you just mixed up. Don't drink the whole bottle in 1 day!! I think you're only supposed to take around 7mg a day.
(California)
01/16/2017

Lynn, I have the same reaction of feeling sunburn on my hands and face after taking 4 mg of Boron. It does mention a dose of borax of 1/8 tsp for fungal infections or other health issues, but that is a big dose to start with, 1/8 tsp will have about 50mg of Boron in it, I only took 4 mg today and I burned on my hands and face. I am considering reducing to 2 mg/day for a week, with added magnesium, and see if my burning reaction subsides, then increase. Have you tried taking it with aspirin as mentioned above - did it reduce the burning?
(California)
04/20/2017
UPDATE to my post from 10/29/16.
I tried again a few days ago with 1/8 tsp in 1 liter water and this time...no nerve burning pain! What is different this time is that I have gone off my daily multivitamin 2 weeks ago and have been taking a daily Ginger Root capsule (to help with heartburn and Fluoride detox from taking cipro last year). I don't know if these two things (or just one of them) is the reason I'm not having the nerve burning this time but I'm just glad I don't so I can continued on. This is day 3 of using it.
(Florida)
10/24/2017
The increasing the pain is caused by the "HERXHEIMER EFFECT" (it's a reaction to treatment in which the symptoms of disease gets worse at the start of therapy a paradox sign that the infection source of the disease is under attack.....It's getting worse before getting better.
Please keep me updated....
Good luck....
(Tx)
01/05/2018
Lynn, have you tried an autoimmune gut healing protocol like GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome/gut and physiology syndrome) or AIP (auto-immune paleo protocol)? I had symptoms of lichen sclerosis for years (it started more like interstitial cystitis) until my daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies including foods that are eliminated in both of those diets. When I adjusted the food our family ate to accommodate her food allergies my symptoms went away! Now if I eat much wheat/gluten (like if we're visiting relatives and I have little control over what I eat) my symptoms tend to start coming back. It could also make a huge difference to get the guidance of a functional medicine doctor too. A lot of FM docs are chiropractors. You can find an FM doc on a search engine.
(California)
11/05/2020
I agree. I've been drinking distilled water since I got a MegaHome distiller nearly 5 yrs ago. I herxed the first week. My body appreciates distilled water. I get my minerals from my food.
(Rogers AR)
11/22/2020
Hello Jill,
I also have lichen sclerosis and have for 4 years. I was excited to hear you controlled your symptoms by taking gluten out of your diet. I have currently gotten thru week 1 of no gluten ( but no changes yet).
How long did it take you and any other suggestions? Thank you for any help!
(Virginia)
08/22/2023
Perrin's Blend is the best cream for LS that I have tried. I've had LS for almost 20 years. I am so sorry you have to deal with this also. I believe a vaccine in my seventh month of pregnancy may have caused mine. Only God knows. Within two weeks? Diagnosed. Never had issues until then. 😔
Long Term Use of Borax

The borax dosages that EC quoted from Ted are quite correct. Also bear in mind that borax has the same toxicity profile as common table salt. When you take the male dose of 250 mgs of borax(1/4 tspn) you are only actually ingesting about 113 mgs of boron -- and the woman's borax dosage(1/8 tspn) is ony about 55 mgs of boron.
To further help you to understand the dosages, usefulness and importance of Borax for our bodies, you should watch this video:
The Boron and Borax Miracle (Dr Jorge Flechas)
I've also been using Ted's male Borax Water dosages on a regular basis for about the last 11 years (since 2007) without any problems at all -- and I'm 68 y o.
Lupus

Borax treatment for Lupus: I am on day 5 of my 1/4 tsp borax & 1/2 tsp baking soda w/ acv treatment for my Lupus & it is Working!!
I have severe skin problems, butterfly rash, redness on farhead, etc., it is really getting less noticeable each day.
Still have a little brain fog & head pains, some joint pain but all lesser, I did camphor 10% alcohol rub (couldnt find powder), with eucilyptus, and it did help. Im wondering if after 2-3 wks all symptoms are gone if they come back again??
(Earth, Ny)
06/11/2011
After doing this, try a pinch of borax in your drinking water. Also check out Dr. Hilda Clark's website and try all of her cleanses. They have worked wonders for my Candida. Colloidal Silver worked to cure my Rosacea!
Mental Clarity

I've been using Borax for exactly one week now. 5 days on, 2 days off. I use a 1/4 teaspoon per 100ml of distilled water. I also take a triple magnesium supplement along with zinc. I am now going to incorporate food grade hydrogen peroxide. I haven't felt this clear in a long time. I also experience gas like side effects. That's about it. I will continue to use this for the next 4 months.
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
06/09/2022

I've been on Borax twice a day, morning and bed time for the last 8 years, I feel the good News is it works… as long as I set reminders to remember to do it…
I share info at times, never pushy about it, seems to be a great surprise is that anyone still does Home Doctoring.
Lamar
(san diego ca.)
06/11/2022
Lemar, I do not understand your last paragraph ... hoping it's not a side effect.
(NY)
05/29/2023
"I share info at times, never pushy about it, seems to be a great surprise is that anyone still does Home Doctoring."
Seems pretty clear to me. He's saying that he's not pushy about his great findings (a lot of people only go to the Cabal for doctoring), and he's surprised people are still doing old tyme home remedies.
EC: Bit confusing but he's saying it's a great surprise to others whom he shares the borax remedy with, that people are still doing home remedies.
Mg. in Borax
The description of this article says 1/4 teaspoon contains 940-1000mg. of boron in 1 liter of water. Just before reading this I watched a video from the same Earth Clinic site, titled ''Borax Cures and Health Benefits". In this, at 4:18 the lady says 1/4 teaspoon of Borax in 1 liter of water provides 110 mg. of boron. One of these should have a correction.
EC: Hello Denise,
Thank you for bringing to our attention that the paragraph in the article is confusing. We will revise it to ensure clarity.
Additionally, there seems to be an error in the word you typed. Instead of "940-1000mg of boron," it should be "940-1000mg of borax."
As mentioned in the paragraph above the one you copied from our article, one gram of borax contains 11.3% boron. Therefore, ¼ teaspoon of borax is roughly equivalent to 113 mg of boron, which is close to the amount we stated in our previous 2016 borax video.
Mites
Hi Ted, thanks for the info. I've been trying the HP Borax solution on some moderately bad rosacea for the last week or so. I've seen some improvement but I notice you say Borax should be taken internally to effectively kill the mites. I'm very hesitant because I'm three months' pregnant and I've received advice that it could cause miscarriage. I'm hoping you or anyone else might have some knowledge about this or might be able to recommend a safer alternative. Many thanks.
(Brisbane, Australia)
10/05/2010
Hi Sussanah, I take borax about 4-5 days a week at about 1/4tspn in 1 litre of water then stop for a week. I would not recommend taking it while you are pregnant. It is just not worth the risk. Start taking it after you have finished breastfeeding.
(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
10/16/2010
Hi Lily, many thanks for getting back to me. That's pretty much what I thought -- I'll hold out until after breastfeeding and look for other safer remedies.