Blackstrap Molasses: A Nutrient-Dense Superfood & Its Health Benefits

Side Effects

27 User Reviews
1 star (2) 
  7%
(25) 
  93%

Posted by Planky (Ronkonkoma, New York, United States) on 07/23/2012 7 posts

I didn't get acne from molasses but have rash like hives on my arm since I started molasses. I don't know whether to continue or stop taking it. I am taking it for fibroids.

Replied by Tamara
(Fort Collins, Colorado)
07/23/2012

Hi Planky. I, too, got hives from taking molasses everyday. It took me a week to figure it out, but I realized that I had bought a different brand than I usually take. It was organic and unsulphured, but I definitely reacted to it! I took a few weeks off but really the only thing that worked to get rid of the hives faster was eating good ole' apples! I had been listening to Robert Von Sarbacher (of Mini Beet Protocol fame), and he talks a lot about the detoxing power of apples. I had at least 3 apples a day for a week and the hives went away. Without them, I believe it would've taken longer. So switch up the brand, try some apples and good luck!


Side Effects
Posted by Immich (Las Vegas, Nv, Usa ) on 10/07/2011

I've taken 1tbsp, once per day, for 3 days and I'm noticing that it's giving me something like heart palpitations just after taking it, I think this is odd because I've seen it mentioned that it prevents this. Not sure that I will stop taking it just yet, I'm very healthy overall and not too alarmed by this... Has anyone else experienced this???

Replied by G-ma
(Cincinnati, Oh 45039, Usa)
10/25/2011

Plantation unsulphurated BlkStr. I love the flavor, (reminds me of Goodn'Plenty my favorite candy), so I take 1 T. in a.m., for 3 days now, today I was having a slight pounding in the center of my back, I thought it might be my heart too! I am 57, good health, active w/3 new grandbabies??

Replied by Shelly
(Springdale, Arkansas)
11/02/2011

That strange feeling in your chest (and back) could be acid reflux.


Side Effects
Posted by Jesse (Holmdel, Nj) on 04/05/2010

Question....I have just started to use 3 teaspoons of Black Strap Molasses with 1 tablespoon ACV in water. In half an hour I will have diaherrea for a few hours. Is this normal or I am allegic to BSM? When I drink ACV, I don't have that problem.

EC: Blackstrap molasses is known to be a very effective cure for constipation!

Conversion: 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

Replied by Francisca
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
04/07/2010

Hi Jesse, I did the same for the past two days and I had bad diarrhea. Before I went on holidays I would take a teaspoon of molasses every morning, sometimes one in the evening and it wasn't this bad. Now I will stop for a few days and start with a lower dose. I had no idea that molasses was used for constipation...... A pity because now instead of getting all the good stuff in molasses I am loosing all the nutrients of anything else I eat.

Replied by Candy
(Fort Madison, Ia)
04/07/2010

i had that problem too until i used it after eating. in other words, if i took it on an empty stomach, i would get d.
but, i found a wonderful way to enjoy it if you like coffee. i put a tbls. in a cup of warm coffee, then set it aside.
later in the day i pour it over ice for ice coffee. tastes almost like one of those wonderful mocha coffees everybody likes.
well, i mean if you like coffee. hope this helps somebody.

Replied by Pamm
(Birmingham, Alabama)
07/02/2010
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

Beware, I don't have Diabetes. However, after taking this Black strap molasses I started feeling bad and started urinating alot! I checked my blood sugar (I do this for optimal health) and it was 223!! Only after 5 minutes of taking 1 teaspoon of Black Strap Molasses. So Be Careful Especially If You Have High Sugar issues.. I felt Faint, dizzy, and the more you urinate the more potassium and sodium your urinating out. So then you end up being dehydrated. So to me it wasn't worth it..Good Luck!@If you have low blood sugar still be careful..

Replied by Charlotte
(Seattle, Washington, Usa)
07/02/2010

I agree with Pamm! Beware the spike in blood sugar from blackstrap molasses! I don't have anything to check my blood sugar readings, but I had the same side effects after taking blackstrap molasses in my hot tea a while back when we ran out of our usual sweetener (organic brown sugar). I felt dizzy and faint (but not right away, a few hours later). I stopped taking honey for this same reason.

Very good idea to be able to check your blood sugar, thanks for the reminder Pamm!

Replied by Francisca
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
07/02/2010

I have to say that this surprises me..... a lady in a health food shop told me a while ago that she lived somewhere in an exotic place (I don't remember where) and that the population which is very poor used to get molasses as kind of a food suplement as it wasn't used for anything else. A lorry would come along and distribute it. Then a lot of people would surely be feeling ill...... I have to say that other than diarrhea if I take it first thing in the morning I never felt any other side effect.


Side Effects
Posted by K. S. (Houston, TX, USA) on 06/19/2009

Adverse side effects: I've been taking 1 T BSM every morning for one week and, unfortunately, have suffered bad headaches and stomachaches since. It also happens that I was on my period and the clots were heavier than ever! I suppose BSM just doesn't work for everyone. Such a shame.

Replied by Avis
(Indianapolis, In)
10/10/2009

Don't take black strap molasses on an empty stomach it will make your stomach hurt, rather use it after you have eaten or when you are eating.


Side Effects
Posted by Cindy (Monroe, WI) on 03/03/2009

I have been reading all these testimonies and I just don't have the same experiences as you guys. I didn't have a problem with constipation before I took bsm but it did give me terrible stomach aches. I mixed 1 tablespoon of bsm in a small 4oz glass of 100% grape juice and it made me irregular. I had to quit drinking this because of my stomach aches. Has anyone else had this problem.

Replied by Suzy
(Bristol, England)
03/04/2009

in reply to Cindy from Monroe, Cindy... Im sorry youve not benefited from the BSM but perhaps try it with a nice large glass of hot or cold milk or soya milk, not grape juice. This seems to be the way to go.

Replied by David
(New York, NY)
03/20/2009

I'm in the same boat as Cindy from Monroe, WI. I don't know why but ever since I started taking BSM (1 Tablespoon in the morning) it seems to be having the exact opposite influence on me than what it's stated to help with. This is my 7th day taking it.

I've been taking ACV (1 tblsp. 3x a day with a cup of water) for 3 weeks now and DE (Diatomaceous Earth)for 2 weeks and things seem to be going pretty well until I added the BSM. I've suffered from constipation, bloating, anxiety, heart palpitations and so on :( It's such an awful feeling to be constipated and bloated...yuck! So while I was on just the ACV and DE its helped a lot. I don't really get bloated and when I been going to the bathroom 1-3 x a day. And when I went to the bathroom I would feel lighter and emptied out for the most part.

Now ever since I've incorporated the BSM into my routine it hasn't had the same effect on me as it has on most people here and I would like to keep taking it because of all the health benefits it seems to have. By taking this I thought I would be going to the bathroom more and releasing like crazy. Unfortnately that hasn't happenned. I still do go to the bathroom at least 2x a day but it just doesn't feel the same. It feels like I have to struggle more kind of and when I do release it's not as much as before when I wasn't taking it. I don't feel as light after going to the bathroom...kind of still a little full and slightly bloated.

It also seems to have made my heart palpitations more noticeable and I feel this throughout the day from just taking the BSM in the morning. So I think the BSM has given me more or less some anxiety, constipation & heart palpitations...WHATS UP WITH THAT!! :(

I've taking the BSM a couple of ways and don't really care for any of them...I've taking it straight followed with some water, mixed it in a cup of cold water, put it in my cereal and have also poured it over my cooked oatmeal.

I really don't want to stop taking the BSM(especially if it helps with stopping your hair go gray...not that I really have that problem now but later on down the road..I'm in my early thirties) so if anyone can help with any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Maybe I should put the 1 Tablsp. of BSm in some boiling/hot water maybe that would help some how...how I don't know but maybe it will. Or maybe I should take like 2 teaspoons in the morning and 1 teaspoon in the afternoon(3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon as far as I know).

Thanks to whomever read this mess that I wrote and for any help :)

Replied by Elaine
(Hartford, Wi)
05/28/2009

Side effects- If someone is not getting the results they are looking for, we need to remember what is good for one is not for another all the time? Some need to take smaller doses, not as often, or in another form. We are all different and God created so many different foods and herbs to help us. Don't give up!


Side Effects
Posted by Eva Alvarez (Orlando, Florida) on 01/27/2009

I was wondering if any one who has been taking molases has experience weigh gain. The reason why i ask is because i have a friend who was drinking molases and gained over 12 pounds in about 30 days. is this typical?

Replied by Donna Hyde
(Lincoln, NE)
02/12/2009

hello, tell your friend to take 2 tab.spoons of _____s Apple citer vinegar with her black strap.vinegar burns fat cells. vinegar and black strap together is packed with energy.


Side Effects
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Tx) on 01/11/2009

ok - this sucks. i had just started taking molasses and i thought i was onto something wonderful. i actually craved it - and i am diabetic so i never even took an entire tablespoon at once - but even on doses as small as one teaspoon once per day my blood sugar skyrocketed. now this doesn't make sense because there is only 10-14 grams of sugar in one tablespoon - so one teaspoon would be like 4 grams which is nothing in the scheme of things. well, my body didn't react well. i even got diahrreah and abdomen pains and very high blood sugar.... and i still feel weird today even though i haven't taken it since yesterday. magnesium is supposed to lower blood sugar i thought. what is going on? any ideas? could it be the iron? how could this be too big a dose for me? i was also taking epsom salts 1/2 teaspoon a day and soaking in epsom salt baths which i still do - i have however discontinued the oral epsom salts. could it be too much magnesium?

my tree of life brand has 10 per tablespoon of magnesium - which seems like not much.
djh/texas

Replied by Karl
(Digby, N.s. Canada)
01/10/2011

Dianna from Texas are you perchance on any HBP meds or Diabetes meds, remember that these meds and certain foods can do strange things to your Sugars and BP, of course the Doctors don't tell you that, they just want you to blindly follow their words.

Replied by Tvp
(California)
01/20/2014
★☆☆☆☆

Just know that whenever you take Epsom salts orally it liquifies everything in your gut and relaxes all of the muscles. Since it liquifies everything in your gut, this is most likely why you had diarrhea.


Side Effects
Posted by Arsie (Los Angeles, California) on 09/17/2008

I started taking one teaspoon of blackstrap molasses about four days ago and noticed the second day that about 3 hours after taking it I got a throbbing headache. I also feel a slight tingling all over my body a few hours after I take it? Is this normal? Do you think someone can develop diabetes from taking molasses first thing in the morning for long periods of time?

Replied by Bret
(Phoenix, AZ)
09/18/2008

Yes, yes, yes. I have heard of this before. Used to be a vitamin product by sold by multilevel organization. The key component in the supplement was molasses. In fact the potassium concentration was identical to blackstrap molasses. Some people reported head aches if they took too much. I would definately cut back and take it with tons of water. Bret


Side Effects
Posted by Gloria (Weslaco, TX) on 12/19/2007

I am a 53 yr. woman that has been using ACV and oil pulling for about two months now. One of my problems had been swelling of my ankles wrists, & lymph nodes. Since I have been oil pulling, and using ACV the swelling has decreased alot even when I sit long periods of time. One thing that happened while I was taking blkstrap molasses 1 tbs. a.m. and one before bedtime. I gained weight because of the rich vitamins so I cut down to just 1 tbs. before bed. Oh! and the spider veins are fading around my ankles and legs. Where do I get colorless iodine?

Replied by Linda
(Mo)
11/21/2014

In regards to molasses spiking your blood sugar level, try using cinnamon with raw honey or sprinkled on your cereal. Cinnamon is said to help regulate your sugar. I have talked to people who had diabetes, and they said it helped. You can research this.


Skin

6 User Reviews
5 star (5) 
  83%
1 star (1) 
  17%

Posted by Linda (Long Beach, Ca) on 10/31/2014
★★★★★

After 4 tries with Western Medicine for my chronic skin issues, no one could even give it a name. It was debilitating. I then went to see a holistic Dr. One of her prescriptions was to drink a cup of tea a day with a tablespoon of Black Strap Molasses, a tablespoon of Bragg unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the mother) and a float of cinnamon on top. Unprocessed honey can also be added. Drink through the honey.

In desperation I committed to this. It has been a year and a half now and much has changed. Clear skin...not an itch or lesion etc. My face is rosy and clear. My hair on my head (no other place) has become thick and silky...and I'm 63. (HaHa) Energy, yes. Sense of well being, yes. Most of all MOST everyone of whom I'm in contact make comments and ask me question.

Soooo, that's my testimony. I will drink this concoction until I go to Heaven!

Replied by Glo
(Fl)
10/13/2017

Is all this still true? I have skin issues and really need a sense of well being.

How are you feeling?

Replied by LJ
(London)
10/14/2020

Hi
Are you still taking this every day?

Replied by Juanita
(Oakdale)
03/09/2021

What tea was used with the BSM, Apple cider vinegar, cinnamon and honey

EC: The "tea" is the recipe... ie hot water with ACV and Blackstrap Molasses added to it.

Replied by Peter
(USA)
06/02/2023

Hello,

thank you for sharing this. Two questions:

(1) what does "float of cinnamon on top" refer to? just a little bit

(2) what does "Drink through the honey" mean?

Thanks!


Skin
Posted by Annie (Melbourne, Australia) on 03/05/2008
★☆☆☆☆

hi all, i have been takin 2tbls of bsm and have just stopped as my skin on my face looked like it was aging and dry i no it has a lot of sugar in it and i was just wonderin if anyone sle had same problem, im a bit dissapointed as i really liked it, would love to hear if anyone else had similar problems, cheers

Replied by Lulu
(Roswell, Ga)
03/23/2010

Are you using the unsulphured blackstrap? It only has 11 grams of sugar. I would say be mindful of what else you are using in conjuction with BSM. I have no side effects at all. Also remember body chemical is different for everyone. I am sure the benefits differ with individuals

Replied by Sdl
(Calgary, Canada)
06/26/2011

To the gal who says her skin became drier using blackstrap molasses, have you considered mixing it with coconut oil or coconut milk? I've been using coconut products (the organic extra virgin or virgin unrefined kind) and find my skin is nicely improving and after just 5 days is already better than it has ever been in four decades!! Smooth, nicely toned, etc. Cleared up blackheads on my nose and tightened pores. The list goes on. I will be trying molasses soon and possible Apple Cider Vinegar as well, but one thing at a time. So far, I'm a coconut oil convert for life. ;) Lots of water is a good thing for skin too, I've found. 2-3L a day works wonders.


Skin
Posted by Nini (Los Angeles, CA) on 11/24/2007
★★★★★

Drinking atleast 3 cups of African Red tea, commonly called Rooibos is not only beneficial to your immune system but it also helps your skin stay clear. Also applying blackstrap molasses every night for about an hour after washing your face helps smooth your skin and gives you a glow due to all the vitamins and minerals it contains, and don't forget to take atleast 2 tbspns of it daily to keep regular. I like to put it in my red tea or in some warm almond milk along with some coconut oil, yum yum! Hope this helps all of you.


Skin
Posted by Annie (Kingston, Jamaica) on 11/02/2007
★★★★★

2 Tbsp black strap molasses daily and up my intake of h2o to ten cups Gorgeous skin all over, no acne outburst befor my period and did not have any PMS, the period showed up unannounced. I've only been using the molasses for 3 weeks. Thanks a lot. I found simplicity lasts longer.


Skin
Posted by Vickie (Toronto, Canada) on 06/25/2007
★★★★★

Hello everyone, I hope you're all taking your BSM religiously. I have been taking it for the last 4 months and sometimes I mix it with ACV. I'm happy to announce that my nails and skin are looking very healthy. My nails have not been that bad but I have seen such a great improvement; they're not breaking or chipping like they used to before. They're growing very strongly and there're no white spots on them anymore. I read from the BSM book by Cyril Scott that BSM gets rid of the black spots and that's when I realised that they were gone. People are complimenting me on my skin, even men! I started taking BSM for something else but it seems to be doing a lot more. This stuff really works! V


Skin
Posted by Michelle (London, UK)
★★★★★

Blackstrap Molasses works for me! After the first fortnight of drinking a cup each morning with the juice of half a lemon, my skin felt really soft and had lost its dryness and my nails are growing stronger and more uniform. This is in addition to having a lot more energy, I have also managed to stop smoking and not experience the side effect of constipation. This remedy is the cheapest but most effective way of taking varied supplementary vitamins.



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