KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — TikTok has spawned many ‘health challenge trends’ which involve consuming common household chemicals, from berberine to apetamin.

The latest one is Borax, a laundry detergent powder that is banned in American food products, NBC News reported.

TikTok creators have been sharing videos of them adding Borax into their drinking water, claiming it could help with inflammation and joint pain as a ‘detoxifier’.

The creators claim that Borax is made of boron, a common chemical found in multivitamins but health experts have denied it is safe for eating.

According to National Capital Poison Centre toxicology physician and co-medical director Dr Kelly Johnson-Arbor, it can cause stomach irritation and ‘blue-green vomit’ or diarrhoea if ingested.

Borax consumption can also cause anaemia and seizures in the long run, and soaking in it can cause severe rashes.

"There’s really nothing to support the use of borax in humans for inflammation or reduction of oxidative stress or anything like that," Johnson-Arbor told NBC News.

Johnson-Arbor is part of a group of health experts with concerns over the rise of health fads promoted on TikTok.

Previously, the physician warned against the dangers of consuming the weight loss supplement berberine without a prescription which can cause gastrointestinal problems.

Other TikTok creators have also posted videos warning other users about adding Borax to their diet, stressing that it is unsafe for human consumption.

@renduh Replying to @blessyerhearthome #Borax #Borate #Boron #DontDrinkBorax #FearMongering #DontDrinkTheKoolAid #Pseudoscience #d#detoxD#DetoxIsBST#TrustTheScienceL#LaundryL#LaundryTokC#CleanTokc#cleanW#WomenInTradesT#Tradeswoman original sound - Renae

Despite this, there are still ‘health trends’ on TikTok like inhaling bath crystals and drinking alkaline water that continue to gain millions of views.

Florida Poison Information Center epidemiologist Wendy Stephan said people are subscribing to health fads on social media due to the poor accessibility to prescribed medicine.

She said prescribed drugs can be expensive and in low supply at clinics in America, making it hard to cure common health problems quickly.

"When there’s somebody who seems very personable and credible telling you that ‘this worked for me and it’s great,’ I can see how people find that appealing,” Stephan said.

She added that the creators of fake health videos are getting ‘a lot of money from these posts’ as these videos have many viewers.