Natural Remedies

Borax and Breastfeeding - Safe?

Posted by Julia (Ohio) on 12/01/2021 4 posts

Hi! I was wondering if I could get some advice. From those who have/ haven't done this. ( mama to many)?

is it safe to take borax while breastfeeding a 5 month baby?

if so, how should I take it and how much?
and is prescribed for life brand borax the same as mule brand?

I have been fighting with arthritis in my hip joints for several years and just found out about this! thank you in advance!

Replied by Art
California
12/01/2021

Julia,

Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate.

I looked up the product you mentioned on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Prescribed-Life-Household-Activator-Multipurpose/dp/B07255QHHM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=E964MYFCZD7R&keywords=borax%2Bprescribed%2Bfor%2Blife&qid=1638387804&sprefix=borax%2Bpre%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-5&th=1

It's plain old Borax sold in a way to help people who are afraid to take a laundry booster as a supplement to make it easier to take their repackaged borax. Borax in the laundry aisle is less than 8 cents per ounce. their product is $2.88 per ounce. This is 36 TIMES THE PRICE OF BORAX IN THE LAUNDRY AISLE!!!

However, if you spend 36 x the price for their product, it comes in an attractive resealable plastic bag and includes free shipping!!

!A box of Borax is 65 oz. or 1.842 kilograms and costs about $5 in the laundry aisle. The other brand sells 1 kilo for $74.99 or 2 kilos for $129.99! So you can buy a box of Borax that weighs just shy of 2 kilos or 1.842 kilograms for $5, or you can buy a full 2 kilograms of their product for $129.99.

That attractive bag and the free shipping is tempting, but I think I will stick with the $5 box of Borax in the laundry aisle at my local grocery store!

Replied by Mama to Many
TN
12/01/2021

Dear Julia,

Personally, I would have been comfortable taking small amounts of borax in my breastfeeding days. The typical dose for women is 1/8 t. in a glass of water, I think 5 days a week. But because borax can affect hormones, and it affects different people differently, I would probably do half of the women's dose. (1/16 teaspoon in a glass of water 5 days a week) and keep an eye out for any side effects. Because you are aiming to get the boron that is in the borax, another option would be a vitamin that contains boron.

Pregnancy and then carrying a baby around really does a number on the hips. A good chiropractor or physical therapist is essential for all women during this season of life, in my opinion. I have less hip pain now in my 50's than I did with one of my pregnancies (16 years ago), when I was using a cane. So, there is hope.

I do find, unfortunately, that sugar aggravates my arthritis.

Turmeric is also a good anti-inflammatory to consider.

Also, I don't know anything about the brands of borax, other than Mule Team, which I get from the grocery store. I have used it internally, externally, and, of course, for laundry. :)

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Madelyn
Idaho
12/02/2021

Hi Julia,

Yes it is perfectly safe. I am a mother of 5 and breastfed all my kids. You can safely take 1/8 of a teaspoon 5 days per week. I just dump it right in my mouth and follow with water.... but that is what is convenient for me. I also give it to my kids, probably 3 times per week, and a smaller amount based on weight. Since men take 1/4 teaspoon and women 1/8, I do follow that guideline for kids and adjust for weight. I really don't stress is since it's perfectly fine to take a little more or less.

20 Mule Team borax is the company who sells the most borax. Borax is simply boron and sodium. It's mined from the earth. Safe as taking salt in our diet. I actually drove by the borax mine when I was in the California desert. I wanted to stop and take a look around :) Prescribed for Life is selling the exact same thing as 20 Mule Team. Go with the cheaper option!

You can also soak in a bath with borax added. I do that for myself and kids from time to time so our bodies can soak up more boron if needed.

Dr Jorge Flechas has some excellent information on boron and how amazing it is for our health and longevity. He's got several videos on YouTube if you want to learn more.

Julia
Ohio
12/20/2022
4 posts

Hi Madelyn,

I wanted to double check with you. You said you took borax while breastfeeding? Even with a newborn?
what kind of side effects would there be if it seems dangerous??

I plan to do 1/8 teaspoon, but then I got unsure and wanted to ask again!

Thank you for your time!

Julia

Madelyn
Idaho
12/27/2022

Hi Julia!

Yes you are correct. I took borax while breastfeeding. I just had a baby this past August and am currently breastfeeding. I took borax throughout my pregnancy and am still taking it. It is completely safe and harmless.

Think of it this way- just like we mine the earth for sodium chloride (salt) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), we also mine for sodium tetraborate (borax). All are naturally occurring, nontoxic mineral compounds. I've even read that borax is less toxic than salt. In other words, scientists have defined what the minimum lethal dose would be for various substances. Salt had a lower minimum lethal dose than borax. This means it would take ingesting a lot of salt to kill someone, but it would take even more borax!

So rest assured- it's very safe. But we don't take it because it's safe- we take it because it is the best source to provide our bodies with the much needed mineral BORON.

Fluoride (like from sodium fluoride) can over accumulate in our bodies if we are lacking in boron. There's tons of info about why and how that's harmful to our health. You can research all about the harmful effect of fluoride toxicity.

Boron / borax also has excellent antifungal activity and benefits our bodies by keeping those pathogens in check.

Another phenomenon- some people can't get their vitamin D levels up despite supplementing with vitamin D, and despite even getting vitamin D injections. I'm fairly certain that it's because their bodies are severely lacking in adequate boron. My friend has gotten a few vitamin D injections from a naturopathic physician, and his levels are still only at the very bottom of the “normal” range at 30 ng/dl. 30 ng- 100ng is what doctors usually say is a good range. But based on my research 100-150 is much better, and 30 is way too low. Anyway, his naturopath said she sees this occurring quite often in people where their vitamin D level won't budge any higher regardless of supplementing with high doses of vitamin D. I told my friend what to do… if he supplements borax and brings his boron levels up, then I'll have him get a couple more vitamin D injections and then have his levels checked. If he follows through, I'll report back the results :) My vitamin D level was at 99 when I last had it checked. I was taking vitamin D supplements every other day or so, along with boron and other necessary vitamins and minerals (see bottom of this post for more info).

So back to boron- if you're taking borax while breastfeeding that's great so your baby will have healthy boron levels. However, if you have never supplemented borax you may want to start slowly and work your way up. Some people find that they detox fluoride or candida/ funguses in the beginning. So you don't want to detox too fast.

I have been buying and using 20 mule team borax for at least 10 years now. I probably take 1/8-1/4 teaspoon once, maybe twice a week. But I don't feel I need to take it 5 days a week like some people do because I love using it as a scrub in the shower. I use it about every other day. I simply mix a couple drops of some essential oil into a cup of containing some borax powder. I gently massage the powder into my skin in the shower. Borax is easily absorbed through the skin. I also add borax to my baths from time to time. (I alternate with baking soda, magnesium sulfate, or magnesium chloride). So I'm sure my boron levels are more than adequate after all these years. You may want to try soaking in a bath with a cup or 2 of borax added to help bring your levels up that way as well. Bath bombs are made out of borax- so you may have done this before without realizing it!

I have heard some people got a rash or headache when beginning borax. But again- these were because their bodies were getting rid of the toxins faster than they could eliminate them. These reactions are just temporary and a sign that your body needs the mineral.

You can start with maybe half as much (1/16th teaspoon) and only take it a few times a week. Also take a couple of borax baths and showers. Soon your levels will increase and you'll be good to go with the 1/8th teaspoon (5 days a week).

Just remember- you can treat this more like food than a medicine. You can take a half a teaspoon, for example, and you won't be poisoned or harmed. You can take the borax when you want (a few days a week) or whenever you remember. It's not like a medication that needs to be taken in a precise dose and on a fixed schedule.

I hope that helps and gives you plenty of assurance in its safety.

I read what the others who replied to your first post have written. They also provided very helpful and accurate info. I think the more you read up on it and learn, the more you'll come to appreciate what good a little borax can do for you and your little ones. I was actually excited to start taking borax after reading about its many amazing benefits in the writings of Walter Last.

Is there a particular reason why you've decided to start taking it other than everyone needs boron in their diet? It really comes down to the soil that our food is grown in. Unless the soil levels contain adequate boron, or we have high levels of boron in our drinking water, we probably need to take a supplement.

One last quick note since I had brought up vitamin D (which I believe is a hugely important factor in our health). When supplementing vitamin D- you always need to make sure to take it with the following supplements because as our levels of vitamin D increase, our bodies require more of these other nutrients: magnesium, boron, vitamin A, vitamin K, and zinc. For more info, see the writings of Jeff Bowles.

Replied by Katzie
Canada
12/23/2022

Sure, it's safe! It's simply a natural salt, after all. And 1/8 Tsp is not very much. It's mined from dried up salt lake beds.