TikTokers are telling viewers to drink or bathe in borax to achieve 'detox' or weight loss. Doctors say the trend is dangerous and misinformed.

• Borax is commonly used in household cleaning products, and as booster for laundry detergent.
• TikTokers are drinking and bathing in borax, incorrectly claiming it can help with ailments and weight loss.

TikTokers are drinking and bathing in borax, saying they think it might ease joint pain, inflammation, and remove parasites, but experts say it's dangerous and ineffective.

Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is a powdery white mineral that is commonly used as an ingredient in household cleaning products including soaps and detergents to help remove stains.

It is not intended for consumption, yet TikTokers say they are "hopping on the borax train," promoting potentially dangerous practices like adding it to their water or soaking in it.

The #boraxchallenge hashtag, which many of these videos are labeled as, has over 34 million views.

After Insider contacted TikTok with links to some of the videos spreading misinformation about borax, a number of them are no longer visible on the platform — although many others remain. TikTok did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Borax is banned in food products in the US, but some TikTokers are recommending adding 'a pinch' of it to your water

Although Borax is banned in US food products by the Food and Drug Administration, several TikTok videos are falsely suggesting that borax is a "great place" to get a mineral called boron, which is naturally occurring in various foods.

While its biological functions aren't completely understood, the potential benefits of boron for osteoarthritis, yeast infections, cancer risk, and bone health have been studied.

The World Health Organization estimates that an "acceptable safe range" of boron intake for adults is 1 to 13 mg per day, and the total median boron intake from dietary supplements and foods is about 1.0 to 1.5 mg per day for adults, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Kaitlyn Brown, the clinical managing director at the American Association of Poison Control Centers, told Insider that ingesting or soaking in any amount of borax is not recommended and that studies evaluating the supplementation of boron, borax, or other types of borate salts are inconclusive when it comes to health benefits.

Brown told Insider that ingesting borax can irritate the stomach, causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If ingested on a daily basis, it can build up in the system and cause excessive drowsiness, kidney failure, seizures, and anemia, she added.

Some TikTokers are using borax to create 'detox baths' seeming to believe it can remove parasites and lead to weight loss

It is unclear how the social media trend started. However, it appears to date back to 2021, when borax brand 20 Mule Team shared a tweet warning people not to bathe in or ingest borax, or apply it to their skin.

It states: "Borax is safe when used as directed as a laundry booster and a multipurpose cleaner. It is not intended for use as a personal care product or dietary supplement."

Still, some TikTokers are currently using borax to make "detox baths" that they say will help them lose weight, draw out toxins, and remove parasites. There is no evidence that this is true, and borax has not been studied as an antiparasitic agent. Insider has been unable to find any videos explaining the theory that soaking in borax can lead to weight loss.

According to comments sections of many recent TikToks though, users appear to be buying into the misinformed theories. One TikTok user told Insider they decided to try it after going down a "detox bath wormhole on TikTok."

Other videos have reported negative side effects after adding borax to their baths too, including skin pain, peeling, and redness.

On some forums, people refer to these symptoms as a "detox reaction," or "herxing," a term that describes the phenomenon that occurs in patients who are treated with antimicrobial drugs for certain parasitic infections, known as the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.

Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor is a medical toxicologist and the co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Center, a non-profit focused on preventing poisonings. She told insider that fevers, shaking chills, and vomiting are common signs and symptoms of the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.

However, she said the skin rashes and irritation that are sometimes reported by TikTokers who bathe in borax, and the symptoms reported after ingesting borax, are not consistent with the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. "Rather, they are direct manifestations of borax toxicity," she said.

Fatal doses for humans are variously estimated to be 5 to 6 grams for children and 10 to 25 grams for adults, according to the National Library of Medicine.

If you have been exposed to a potentially harmful substance, you should contact your local poison information center and seek immediate medical attention.