March 2026

Runny nose and borax

A runny nose from the common cold is usually attributed to a "virus infection". I think now that this actually completely wrong. Viruses (if they exist at all) do maybe irritate mucus membrane a bit and set the stage for a combined bacterial and fungal infection. It is however the combination of bacteria and fungi that actually cause these problems and symptoms. The body tries to get rid of them (and maybe other things) by washing everything out. This your runny nose.

The Chlorine Dioxide nasal spray described earlier is very effective against fungi but the problem is that Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) is a very small molecule and it penetrates rubber seals as well as plastic bottles. You have to prepare a new solution every few days. I was therefore searching for something with a longer shelf life and found a nasal spray that is equally effective but lasts much longer.

Borax is a strong anti-fungal. This is the main laundry boost effect of the 20 Mule borax. Fungi can survive in cotton towels even if you wash them at high temperature. Those fungi make the towels smelly after a short period of use when himidity brings them back to life. Washing the towels with borax removes the fungi. DMSO and Turmeric are both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial they are also great healing agents reducing inflamation. The recipe is:

Dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of borax (20 Mule Team laundry booster is good) in 30ml of previously boiled water
Add 3ml of 100% DMSO
Add a small amount of turmeric powder

I put this into a plastic nasal spray bottle (squeeze type). I use it at the first sign of suspected runny nose and I was consistently able to end the problem within hours.

A Borax solution is very alkaline and this part of the reason why it is such a powerful anti-fungal. Many pathogenic skin fungi thrive in an acidic environment. An alkaline solution can irritate the skin if used longterm and on a daily basis. I could not find any problems when using this nasal spray during the onset of a cold for a few days. Nasal spray bottles produce a fine mist and I would generally blow my nose after using the spray. Only a very small amount will remain in the nose. This nasal spray is for occasional use over a few days. I find it very effective.

If you think that borax is a poison and you live in an area such as the european union where the state restricts access and conditions you to believe that this is all for your own benefit then just remember that the amount makes the poison. Every apple contains some amount of boron. Read the "The Borax Conspiracy" by Walter last: http://www.health-science-spirit.com/Healing_the_Body/The-Borax-Conspiracy.html (pdf version). Table salt is toxic (you die from an overdose) but too little is also toxic (causes your nerves to fail). Borax is very similar to table salt in terms of toxicity profile. I believe that many people are boron deficient even in regions with high boron amounts in the soil. This is due to the use of glyphosate for agriculture.

There are substances that show some amount of toxicity at any level. These are substances that have no function in biology. Aluminum salts are such a category. Aluminum salts are freely available in any quantity to anybody in the european union. An organization that bans a substance which is vital for biology but allows the distribution of inherently toxic salts is not protecting you. It is protecting something else. People who are deficient in boron are more easily susceptible to fungal infections, arthritis and a whole host of other diseases that are non life threatening. Doctors can prescribe medications for these diseases that attenuate the symptoms. That's continuous income that would be blocked if you knew how to cure these conditions with borax.

Walter Last has also an interesting theory about galactose excretion being a cause of the common cold:
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/Healing_the_Body/Instant-Cure-of-the-Common-Cold.html (local pdf copy).

It could be that fungi set in as the mucus membranes excrete the galactose in the form of mucic acid. Fungi are natures recycling system and they can be found in every spot where they can break down something. Walter's remedy is to take a spoon full of normal white sugar (sucrose), swirl it around the mouth and spit it out. The sugar grains absorb the mucic acid. This might sound strange but many old cold and cough remedies include some sort of sirup and I think one should never discount century old remedies. Such a cough sirup may include also essential oils or pine tar which have some anti-fungal properties. The idea does seem to make sense.

During the acute phase I am treating my cold symptoms with the above anti-fungal nasal spray and in the long term I will try to reduce the amount of galactose that the body needs to excrete. I know that the acute remedy works and I have to see what the reduction of galactose will do.