Letter 15053

Boric acid, is it really safe on humans?

Michelle K
- Detroit, Michigan

MY MOTHER USED BORIC ACID ON OUR EYES WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN , I HAVE HAD BURNING , TEARING EYES FOR MONTHS NOW. I HAVE TRIED ALL EYE DROPS . THAT INCLUDES PRESCRIPTION ONES NOTHING IS HELPING. SO I AM GOING TO TRY THE BORIC ACID .WISH ME LUCK

JUDIE T
- BARDSTOWN ,KY USA

I have been searching for a Boric acid and sterile water wash. Only things I am finding are the bausch and Lomb products, etc. I have a friend in Italy that says boric acid a sterile water can be found in some stores. WHERE???? And if I were to buy boric acid, do I buy that stuff that says it will kill bugs. Or that product posted above.

June Van P
- San Pedro, Ca, U.S.

When my son was born in 1959 I was instructed by my doctor to use boric acid to clean out his eyes. It worked just fine, and I have used it through the years. I had cataract surgery last year and used it recently because I had trouble seeing and the eye just bothered me. In the two days I've used it the eye has improved 100%. The instructions I have on an old bottle of boric acid states as follows:
Dissolve one talblespoonful in a pint of warm water. If intended as an eyewash, prepare solution by boiling in water and store in a sterile container. Prepare sufficient qualtity for one day's use and dicard unused portion.

WARNING: Do not use as a dusting powder. Do not use on infants or take internally. Use only as a solution. Do not apply to broken or raw skin or to large areas of the body. In case of accidental ingestion consult a physician or contact a poison control center immediately.

Jacqualine N
Retired - Carmichael, California

I just cured an eye infection that hadn't responded to commercial eye infection drops with the good old boric acid water. Saved me before when nothing else worked. The reason I checked here was because now on the label it says "May irritate eyes, skin and mucous membrane. " I guess they mean the dry powder.
I think boric acid will come in handy for external applications against some of these superbugs that do not respond to antibiotics anymore, but then again, you can't patent boric acid, so who will promote it? Certainly NOT the drug producers, eh drug companies or their dealers, eh doctors.
To the question about the horse hooves. I think the gentian is safer, if boric acid gets into the bloodstream, micro gram amounts are beneficial (anti fungal, bone health) but large amounts are toxic. ( If it was me, I would go heavy on the gentian, they use this for nursing moms! and easy on the boric acid)
Lastly, when I lived in a moldy environment, a calcium supplement with boron (present as boric acid, in micro gram amounts) always helped me.

Rebecca S
- Ottawa, ON, Canada

A somewhat harder to obtain but infinitely more effective cure for eye infections is a drop of breast milk. When my child was an infant she kept getting "pink eye" from her day care. I was breast feeding at the time and the lactation nurse suggested using a drop of milk. I could not believe the results. If I put one drop in her eye at night all signs of the infection were completely gone by morning. Not only was it extremely effective but it was soothing instead of painful like prescription medications. BTW, it is just effective on adults. If you are fortunate enough to have a family member or close friend who will donate a teaspoon of breast milk, freeze the unused portion. The live antibodies (which is what makes it so effective) will keep in the freezer for up to a month. Talk about a simple and potent remedy from the past!

Ellen H
- Tallahassee, Florida, Leon County

boric acid has helped my yeast infections for years. i went to the pharmacy and asked for size 00 disolvable gelatin capsules that were safe for vaginal inserting. i then came home and used a douche mixture to get started of 1/8th cup boric acid and water i first douched 2nd i then packed the size doulble zero caps with boric acid and put one pill every night in vaginally for 7 nights straight(7 pills) and my yeast infections go away . warning wear a pad to bed and next day as it does drain out and that is what coats you and makes you feel better it's always worked for me. i was told by my dr if it doesnt then i would need to come in for her to check me as there is different things out there that can act like yeast & boric acid (pharmacy grade) won't help. i'm only speaking for myself. ask your dr whats best for you

Randi H
- sedro woolley wa -usa

The postings were very helpful. I too have used boric acid solution for years but became concerned when I read on the label that you should avoid eye contact. These comments were a confirmation of what I know works. We are currently fighting off an eye infection with my youngest "Tween". Started at 4pm and looking better already. There seems to be some controversy over actual amount used in the above comments. I read 1/4 tsp -1 tbsp. I personally use 1 tsp to 16 oz of water and has always worked great. Looking forward to get this one behind me.

Pam S
- Weatherford, TX, USA

Thank you all for your comments and recipes for mixing boric acid solution for eyes. After fighting an eye infection for months and getting a prescription from my eye doctor that cost me $80 for just a tiny little bottle of medicine that does not work, I am going back the the tried and true cure my mom and grandmother used. I'm tired of people asking me if I am crying when it is just a persistent infection.

Jo-Ann Noort
- Henderson, NV, USA

I considered looking for info on Boric Acid for months now & was very pleased to find this site. My mom & dad used boric acid solution made from the powder to cure eye colds, pink eye,& crusty eye infections. It always worked & did not sting. After reading all the above ideas what I remember is: First my mom boiled a cup of tap water. She let it cool a bit & then I believe added 1/2 tsp. boric acid to that cup of water. When completely cool @ room temperature she then used a glass eye cup whereby we would look into it & then tilt our head back so the solution would wash the infected eye. Clean the eye cup out & again do the same for the other eye. This always worked & since I saw this done many times I tried to find boric acid @ pharmacies only getting the same answer from the pharmacist on duty, "We don't carry it & that would be dangerous to put into the eye." My obvious conclusion was did the chemical change over the years, or do the drug companies not want us to use an inexpensive method that has been proven for years, as I am sure that my mom learned this from her mom. I too have tried eye drops that are rediculously expensive & am glad that this site exists to prove that this is an old time solution that works. My only caution would be to dilute to the lessor amount as I feel that 1 T boric acid to 8 oz water is much too strong. And, yes, I do believe that some larger crystals will fall to the bottom that do not dissolve. Mom kept this solution in a sterile jar (boiled the mason jar in water first) & would keep it for only 3 days, usually the infection would go away by this time anyway. And by the way Jerry Baker has suggested the Borax POWDER as a use to kill ants. We just bought on older condo & found the powder in all the inside outlets. Interesting! NOW---the question is where do I find the good grade stuff & not some cheap stuff that could be contaminated?

Claudia Swinteck
- W. Bloomfield, MI, USA

I have to laugh when I see people that are so worried about boric acid. It is harmless. The bottle at the drug store has clear instructions on how to use it for cleaning cuts and clearing up eye infections. The only reason people are so afraid of it is because it is also used to kill insects. All it does is absorb moisture. Insects have an oily (moist) exoskeleton. It draws moisture out of the bug and it becomes dehydrated. It has no ill affects on humans at all. Stop letting alarmists scare you about every little thing.

This is a letter that I sent to people that were worried about using it for insect control.

Hello all! I like what you have going on here but, I have a bit of information that you may not be aware of. Because I work in the pest management industry, you may be tempted to shut me out. Don't run off so quick. I'm on your side! Just hear me out. You may be surprised about what I have to tell all of you. It's good news for those of you that care about your health and the environment. I can appreciate what you are trying to do in the way of environmentally friendly, health conscious, do it yourself pest management. What you may not know is that most, if not all, of the methods you are using, are the exact methods that have been used by the pest management industry for the last 12-14 years. In some cases, we have been practicing these methods even longer than 14 years. On the outside, my industry is perceived in a bad way. It's really sad too because, this has led to people over applying and misapplying pesticides, with the intention of reducing the negative effects associated with commercial pest management practices. We (the pest management industry) are thought of as rotten polluters and dullards, unconcerned with the health of animals and humans. This could not be farther from the truth.

There is no one person, or industry, more concerned with these issues than we are. To understand this you must realize the extreme liability that is involved with what we do. Every single day we are contracted to remove hazardous pest problems in schools, restaurants, homes, hospitals, day cares, office buildings and many other places that are concerned with, not only pests but also, they are concerned with pesticides. This is why we are the best qualified when it comes to controlling pests in a sensitive environment. Our customers don't want pests. Nor do they want to be exposed to hazardous materials. As a result, our industry has evolved into one that looks a lot like what you are all trying to do on your own. I read all about all of your, homemade, boric acid bait concoctions and other home remedies. We have been using boric acid baits for decades. (Only we apply ours into cracks and wall voids, not as big blobs that lay around for the dog to eat) I read about your use of organic pyrethrum and pyrethrins to control insects on plants. We use these things all day, every day. We have been using them for decades but we apply them at rates that are safe when applied according to the label.

Non-professionals double and triple doses until they finally fail and give up. You don't need to use more pesticides if you are trained where to put them and what to use. All of these "Green" or "Non-Toxic" products that you think are exclusive to environmentalists or specialized "Green" pest management firms are common coin throughout our industry. In fact, even if we had the desire to use a highly toxic pesticide (We don't have this desire. We don't like to get sued.), we couldn't find one simply because, the manufactures don't even make things like that anymore. Even if they did, our industry would have no use for them because we don't want a thing to do with the lawsuits that would be associated with the use of harmful products. I sit here and I read about all of these things that you are doing to safely control your own pest and I have to laugh because, you are not only using the wrong products but, you are using way too much of them and, you are putting them in the wrong locations. Your attempt to lower the environmental impact and expose yourself to fewer pesticides is resulting in the exact opposite. You talk about pouring boric acid all over the place, for roach control, when a tiny placement of a gel bait (many times boric acid based and placed in a crack) would do the trick. This is just one of many examples of over application. You should call a professional if you want less exposure to pesticides. We are just not the nasty kind folks that we are made out to be. We are way more concerned about this stuff than you are. We are concerned about it in ways that you will never understand. It is not about the environment for us. It's about that and more for us. Thanks for reading me.

Keith Gordon
- Grimes

My cat has an eye infection so, remembering using Boric Acid on my kittens when I was little with my Mom, I began my search. I finally found Boric acid at Rite Aide. Hope this helps those in search of it.
Also, people are misinformed when they think that because it is called "acid" it's the corrosive battery acid type stuff. Acid is merely less than 7 on a pH scale. 1-14 (1-6 acid, 7 neutral, 8-14 basic)
The action of this product is that it inhibits protein synthesis in microorganisms.

Mikki Palum
- Newport, MI, USA

I want to respond to this boric acid thread.

 

I want to post a question or inquiry of my own which is not related to boric acid.

 

This letter is within a monitored forum, very much "alive" here in 2008. If you spot any broken links or obsolete info, please advise!