Here's some information I gathered while writing an article that might help:

Borax (Hydrated Sodium Borate). An all natural laundry detergent that, as you'll learn, is actually an all-purpose cleaner AND arts and crafts helper!

Borax is over 4,000 years old and is a mineral that is naturally created and found deep in the earth. Borax is comprised of sodium, boron oxygen and water.

Borax is not harmful to people, the environment, washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks and does not contain phosphates or chlorine.

It's most commonly used for laundry, drying flowers and on candlewicks to help them burn longer and smoke less.

I just recently started using it in my laundry and I LOVE IT! My husbands work clothes are cleaner and smell much fresher. It definately makes whites whiter and the sheets....forget about it! When I put the fresh borax sheets on my whole bedroom smells so fresh and clean...it's wonderful.

There's also something very interesting about traditional laundry soap....no ingredients listed. No regulated/required. But I did some research on that as well and did a whole article on what is in a most common brand and what the risks and toxins it is made of. NOT GOOD STUFF! Surfactants and sulphates are very toxic and harmful to the environment.

Hope this helps!

 

There's a huge sodium ascorbate thread in the vax forum...IIRC basically it's because that is the form that's easiest on your body. Calcium ascorbate can upset the mineral balance in your body and the acidity in ascorbic acid can cause problems as well. You can make your own sodium ascorbate with equal parts baking soda and ascorbic acid (it's the buffering action of the baking soda that's important), or get it online from www.iherb.com--it's around $8 for 8 oz or about $30-something for 3 lbs (can you tell I use a lot of it?!).

 

I'm a chemist, so I understand the buffering part. But I'm wondering why exactly the sodium asc is better? I take calcium supplements anyway, b/c I don't do dairy (at least often) or dairy subs. So since I need the calcium anyway, wouldn't it be ok to take Ca asc instead of Na? I've read that both the Ca and the asc part of calcium ascorbate are very well absorbed. I would think sodium woul be just as likely to throw off the mineral imbalances since it's also a mineral. Calcium and sodium are both pretty abundant in our bodies.

 

I think they moved the Sodium Ascorbate thread over here, to Health & Healing. It addresses this--I've read it, but I'm not at the point I can explain it to someone else (guess I should work on that).

 

Yeah I forgot they did move the SA thread. You'll have to look at the thread for more specifics as I don't remember more than what I already posted. Most people actually need more magnesium, though, and not more calcium, so that might be part of why calcium ascorbate isn't recommended around here.

 

I take magnesium supplements, too.

 

OK, I found the thread and it's WAY too long. And I'm having ahard time forcing myself to read it b/c the scientific inaccuracy is overwhelming. MT seems to be making stuff up. I got to one post and I had to quit reading the thread b/c my brains was about to explode.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by wendy1221 I take calcium supplements anyway, b/c I don't do dairy (at least often) or dairy subs.

I am surprised that you believe the body can utilized the calcium from milk.

Oh there is so much misinformation....

As for milk, do you want me to post links?

Here is a way off topic question to you:

What do you believe about Cholesterol? Just wondering since you are a scientist. And saturated fat? And the stating drugs?

Just briefly.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gitti I am surprised that you believe the body can utilized the calcium from milk. Oh there is so much misinformation.... As for milk, do you want me to post links? Here is a way off topic question to you: What do you believe about Cholesterol? Just wondering since you are a scientist. And saturated fat? And the stating drugs? Just briefly.

No, I agree that the calcium in milk isn't very well absorbed.

No need to get nasty. Just b/c I am a scientist doesn't mean I agree w/ the medical establishment. In fact, I think the opposite would be more likely if more scientists took the time to actually read the research.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montezuma_Tuatara The physiology of ester c is that for you to get to bowel tolerance you will have to take twice as much, and the mechanics of that is that the calcium is sheared off of the ascorbate, but for the ascorbate to be absorbed the body utilises localised sodium from any source nearby, to split the ascorbate into two molecules, one which the body uses, and the other which is excreted. BUT, before the ascorbate is utilised, the body uses some of it to chelate out the calcium, which when free in the body is dangerous to the body. Ascorbate is split in two by sodium. One part is excreted, one used. If you use calcium ascorbate, the calcium shears off. The ascorbate picks up sodium to split so it can be used. But because calcium shouldn't be there in the free form, some ascorbate is used to take the calcium out the body. This leaves you with about half the amount of ascorbate you put in originally. If you used sodium ascorbate your body could use all of the ascorbate. So by using calcium ascorbate, in order to get as much as you would need by using sodium ascorbate, you have to take twice as much.

This is the post I am saying is full of scientific inaccuracy. I'm hoping MT will read this and tell me where she got the info. WHoever gave her this info is wrong.

Only the L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is used in the body as vitamin C. THis means that half of ALL ascorbate will be used as vit C, and the other half will be discarded. It doesn't matter which mineral salt it is found as before you take it, even w/ SA, only the L-enantiomer can be used. The D-enantiomer will not. D and L enantiomers are mirror images.

Calcium will NOT be "sheared" off of the molecule b/c ascorbate is an ion. Sodium ascorbate is the sodium salt of ascorbic acid. In solution (dissolved in water) the mineral (positive ion Na+, Ca++) is not attached to the molecule. Once they are in solution, the ascorbate from SA and from Ca asc are identical. That's why I was so confused by this, and I wasn't sure where the sodium came into play.

There were some other posts on that thread trhat made more sense. And now that I have spent a couple of hours readig up on vit C and ascorbates, I think I understand it. It's not that sodium is better per se, it's just that too much calcium is definitely bad for most people. I get that. But I think regardless, if someone takes a bunch of sodium OR calcium ascorbate, they need to make sure their intake of magnesium and potassium is good as well to counteract that. THat makes sense. I think I get it.

And since I feel I need to have some extra calcium anyway (which I only feel like I need when I'm nursing, and I am currently nursing 2 babies--I go by how I feel, not by some subjective RDA) I think I will just stick w/ the Ca asc or Emergen-C and make sure to remember my magnesium before bed.

 

I apologize for posting what I did about Borax and laundry detergent.
As you've probably all figured out by now....I was out in left field.
I don't know what I was thinking...obviously not thinking.
But I meant no harm and will not let that happen again!

:

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by theorganicmom I apologize for posting what I did about Borax and laundry detergent. As you've probably all figured out by now....I was out in left field. I don't know what I was thinking...obviously not thinking. But I meant no harm and will not let that happen again! :

lol. It's ok. I use borax in my laundry sometimes. I usually just use baking soda, though.

No need to apologize.

 

quick question in regards to the sodium part.....if you are on a restricted sodium diet due to high blood pressure, is it ok to take sodium ascorbate (either daily or just when sick) or would you be better off with calcium ascorbate?