Using Laundry Detergent To Fight Arthritis… Is This TikTok Health Trend Most Dangerous Yet As Young Women Follow The Latest Social Media Craze

Young women are risking organ damage by following a social media craze that promotes drinking a toxic cleansing product to relieve joint pain, fight infection and lose weight.

Experts have warned that at best, the concoction can cause diarrhea and vomiting, while at worst it can cause lung problems and even liver cancer.

Hundreds of clips posted to the social media app TikTok show proponents of the worrying trend mixing an American all-purpose cleaner called Borax with water and drinking it daily. And on Facebook, users recommend that soaking in a bath containing it can relieve joint and muscle pain. But Borax, which contains the mineral boron, is poisonous even in amounts as small as a quarter of a teaspoon.

Also known as sodium tetraborate, it is a white, powdery cleaner that can remove stains from fabric, destroy mold, brighten whites, and kill pests. It was banned in Britain in 2010 due to concerns about human health risks. Despite this, some online stores still sell similar products to UK customers.

It’s the latest in a string of dangerous health trends to emerge on TikTok, which The Mail on Sunday has been documenting over the past year. We’ve reported women getting filler injections into the tip of their noses to look like a fairy, risking blindness, covering the face with calamine lotion for perfect makeup while damaging the skin, and using bleach to dissolve earwax .

Borax fans on TikTok say that when ingested or applied to the body, it can “reduce inflammation,” “remove toxins,” and “provide all the minerals your body needs.”

In a video that has since been deleted, a woman named Melody shares her experience of drinking the product for three days with her 49,000 followers. “Many people have noticed a difference in their inflammation and pain levels,” she says. “My lower back feels significantly better.”

Another woman, with the pain condition fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, claims her suffering was “drastically reduced” after drinking a drink containing borax for three days.

Hundreds of clips posted to the social media app TikTok show proponents of the worrying trend of mixing an American all-purpose cleaner called Borax with water and drinking it daily

And Florida-based alternative medicine practitioner Dr. Anthony G Beck seems to recommend using Borax as an intimate wash to treat vaginal infections. “It’s a great treatment for when the girl roles aren’t doing so well,” he tells his 72,000 followers. ‘Add a quarter teaspoon of Borax (to the water) – that’s all it takes. You’d be amazed what it does to the chemistry and flora down there.”

But amid the seemingly miraculous results are horror stories. In the Facebook group Borax For Arthritis And Health, which has about 40,000 members, user Lisa writes, “I soaked in a hot bath last night with a cup of Borax, a cup of magnesium chloride, and a cup of baking soda.

‘I lost track of time and was chatting for 1.5 hours! It was amazing! (But) after I had explosive diarrhea (couldn’t even get out of the bath in time). Is this normal if you get soaked?’

Last week, US health chiefs at the National Capital Poison Center responded to the trend with a stark warning. “(Borax) may cause stomach irritation and if ingested may cause vomiting or diarrhea,” wrote toxicologist Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor. Over time, it can cause anemia and seizures. Soaking in Borax can cause a rash that causes the skin to fall off.”

Boron, like other minerals, is found in trace amounts in a wide variety of foods. It plays a role in bone formation and regeneration, and some studies have previously suggested that boron supplements may reduce bone pain.

‘But the amount needed to help patients was so high that it caused bad side effects,’ says Professor Penny Ward, an expert in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London.

She adds that the amount TikTokers drink is likely about 100 times the amount we ingest through food each day and twice the World Health Organization’s daily safe limit. “The short-term side effects of low doses — even a big pinch — are nausea, upset stomach, and vomiting,” she says. ‘And at a higher dose, for example a teaspoon, you get convulsions.’

But most concerning, Prof. Ward says, is the possible effect on the liver. ‘Research shows that if you eat small amounts daily for a long period of time, the liver – which processes the mineral – will be damaged. And we know that an accumulation of damage can lead to liver cancer.’

Bathing in the dust is also not without risk. ‘Boron is a known skin irritant – in the 1960s the public was advised to wear gloves when handling it to prevent itching and rashes,’ says Prof Ward. “Breathing in even for a short time has been shown to irritate the lungs, which can lead to permanent damage over time.”

A 1994 US study of factory workers found that just 15 minutes of exposure to boron produced symptoms of lung irritation, including persistent coughing and nosebleeds.

‘The impact depends on the amount of boron in the atmosphere. So it’s unlikely that one or two baths will have the same effect unless you use a lot of the stuff,” says Prof. Ward.

The origins of the dangerous craze can be traced back to November 2021 and the Covid pandemic – and has been compared to President Trump’s infamous suggestion that the virus could be treated by injecting bleach into the body.

American alternative health gurus took to social media with recommendations to rid the body of the Covid-19 vaccine – which they falsely claimed was toxic.

An influential TikTok video from osteopath Dr. Carrie Madej, who has since been removed, recommended bathing in baking soda, salt and Borax to drive out “nanotechnologies” she claimed were in the sting. The video was shared hundreds of thousands of times and the so-called ‘detox bath’ was imitated by dozens of TikTok users.

Many of those jumping on the latest Borax trend have shared previous posts making false claims about Covid-19. Dr. Beck, for example, called the jab an “injection cult” on his Instagram page, which features anti-vax content. “In short, it is not a good idea to drink or bathe in this remedy,” concludes Prof. Ward.

And as for the potential weight loss benefits, she adds, “Well, I’d expect you’d lose weight if you had to run to the bathroom every five minutes after eating.”