Borax was first mined in the Mojave Desert in the late 1880s, when wagon teams of 18 mules and two horses pulled huge loads of it out of Death Valley. A chemical compound, borax contains the element boron. Three-quarters of the world’s boron reserves are in Turkey, while the rest is mined from the town of Boron, California.
Since it was discovered, borax has been used for many reasons and has recently been the subject of a popular TikTok challenge. However, the challenge claims that it will improve a variety of health conditions, ranging from arthritis to erectile dysfunction, which isn’t backed by scientific evidence.
People are consuming borax by mixing it into water or another liquid. Others are bathing in it. But spreading this misinformation could put some people's health at risk. Here are 4 reasons why you shouldn’t try this challenge.
