Borax is a potent and effective remedy that deserves to be widely used, and should be in every home. It is so cheap and effective that pharmaceutical companies have done their utmost to discredit it. They have managed to get it banned in Europe and America. However in countries where the big Western pharmaceutical companies do not have the same lobbying power, such as China, Japan, Turkey and Russia it is widely acknowledged and used. In those countries pharmaceutical companies find it much harder to lobby (bribe, threaten and lie to) lawmakers and regulatory agencies. See What the law allows pharmaceutical companies to do.
A limited amount of boron is absolutely essential for good health. Here are some of its properties: