Natrii tetraboras, or Natrium tetraboricum, are the Latin names for sodium tetraborate, a substance having the chemical formula Na 2 B 4 O 7 . In appearance it is a crystalline ordinary white powder. It can be added to boiling water, glycerin or diluted with cold water. You need to store in a place where there is no moisture and sunlight. It is known that a substance is in nature in a natural state, but in industry it is produced in huge quantities.
A bit of history
In the old days, when pharmacological products were not as demanded as they are today, a vial with borax (sodium tetraborate was so trivially called) was necessarily stored in every house for medical and nutritional purposes. In the Russian Empire, borax was mined on the Kerch Peninsula or on Taman, digging hills with volcanic sediments there. Later, with the development of the chemical industry, it began to be mass produced through the reaction between
soda ash and boric acid. The resulting substance was called "sodium tetraborate." It has found application in various branches of heavy industry, in everyday life and in crop production, in photography and in the food industry. Natural borax, like borax obtained by chemical means, has long been and remains a wonderful doctor for people and animals. It has long been used in soap making and leather processing.
Court aristocracy and the fight against cockroaches
Once hostesses skillfully removed stains on clothes with the help of this substance. Even the servants knew about what sodium tetraborate is, how to use it on a farm, how to use white collars, knickers, down skirts, covers and starch for gentlemen (for this, 1 part borax was carefully mixed with 10 parts oat starch). As a result of such processing, things not only acquired elasticity, but also had a glossy, brilliant appearance, which was very valuable in the court aristocracy. And how did our grandmothers get rid of cockroaches? To prepare the killer mix, they needed one spoonful of sodium tetraborate. The instruction testified that one spoonful of powdered sugar and one spoonful of pea or wheat flour should be added to it. This mixture had to be mixed, scattered on small saucers, leaving overnight as a "food" for annoying insects.
Industrial and economic use
In modern conditions, radio amateurs and manufacturers of electronic devices around the world greatly appreciate the properties of sodium tetraborate. The instruction obliges them to process all conductors and elements before soldering in order to clean the surfaces of oxides formed during the interaction of oxygen and metals. This substance is actively used in the manufacture of glass. Depending on the amount of borax in its composition, the optical properties of the lenses change.
As a fertilizer for vegetables (especially sugar beets) and other plant crops, pure technical sodium tetraborate powder has been added to the soil for a long time. The instruction provides for up to one and a half kilograms of powder per hectare of field. Although nowadays, manufacturers offer more expensive means, instead of cheap borax.
Borax in folk and traditional medicine
Television screens have recently been constantly bullying us with thrush and are actively promoting quite expensive medications for treatment. And the Candida fungus as lived under our great-grandfathers, and now lives in every human body. From time to time, it begins to multiply actively, reminding people of the need to pay themselves and their health a little more attention and choose the right diet.
A favorable environment for the development of thrush is an increase in acidity, which is sometimes associated with hormonal changes, damage to the mucous membrane, prolonged intake of certain medications, and an imbalance between certain types of microorganisms in the intestine. There are many popular methods for treating candidiasis, but within the framework of this article we will discuss only the possibilities of sodium tetraborate, the instructions for the use of which in the fight against thrush were passed on during our great-grandmothers by word of mouth.
Perhaps at that time very few people knew about Candide in such detail as we do now. But in every house it was customary to add a teaspoon of borax to a bucket of drinking water to soften and prevent thrush. In those cases when the fungus was activated and affected the vaginal mucous membranes or formed foci in the oral cavity, intensive rinsing, washing, and douching were done with a more concentrated solution of borax. And at night they applied a swab dipped in it to the problem area. You should not think that today this method of treatment has lost its relevance. In modern medical guides there are recipes that recommend getting rid of discomfort in exactly the same way.
From prescriptions
In order to get rid of aphthous stomatitis, the powder is dissolved in glycerin, in proportions giving a 5% or 20% concentration, and lubricate the foci. An aqueous solution containing from 2 to 5% sodium tetraborate is treated on the skin, washed cavities or lubricated wounds. The same solution perfectly removes age spots. To care for the skin, glycerin mixes with borax will also be useful. It is useful for women with oily skin to wash with a more concentrated solution of this powder (up to 3%), and for beauties with dry skin type, it is better to reduce the concentration to 1%. From this cover will be soft and silky. Carrying out these procedures, one should not lose sight of hardening, walking, riding bicycles or boats. Physical activity and a cheerful mood is also an effective tool that suppresses the vital activity of fungi living in us.
Can sodium tetraborate cause harm?
To answer this question, we again turn to folk wisdom. In anticipation of the birth of the baby, it is advisable not to use any chemistry during breastfeeding. No matter how the borax seemed to us completely harmless, today no one will sell it in the form of a natural volcanic mixture, as it was in ancient times, when it was mined, like salt, in quarries. Industrial production always has a discrepancy with nature. Caution and moderation will not hurt anyone!