●Historical●background●
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18-12 million
years ago the first boron deposits formed, but the compound borax has been
discovered in the last 4-5 thousand years. It's first confirmed use was in
10th century China as part of a ceramic glaze. This probably came from one
of the earliest known locations for borax supply, which were the saline
lakes in Kashmir and Tibet. Borax is harvested as Tincal, which is a crude
form of borax that has to be refined. Other crude compounds that borax was
first harvested from include colemanite, kernite, tincalconite, and the
mineral borax. The crude compounds are a mixture of borax, clay, and other
impurities that come from life underground.
The first reputation borax had was as a magical crystal. People believed that it would help digestion, keep milk sweet, and cure epilepsy. All of these uses have since been disproved.
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