NATURAL REMEDIES
RELATED ARTICLES
Mother's Herb Garden September/October 1981 Lately, more and more people have begun to understand j...
A classic culinary herb, rosemary makes a great dry rub ingredient for meats, brings out the savory...
Mother Nature has a plan for those fall leaves - and it doesn't include sending them to the dump....
While getting paid for taking the leaves away, the couple also gets all of the mulch they need for ...
Making lotion and cleaning materials at home from herbs and flowers, including a recipe for rosemar...
Make your own mouthwash and toothpaste at home for pennies.
By Charles Dickson, Ph.D.
My dentist is fond of saying that bad breath is better than no breath at all. He's right, but it's not much better, and the affliction of halitosis (or chronic bad breath) not only plagues millions of people in social situations, it is chiefly responsible for a toothpaste and mouthwash industry that relieves your pockets of more that $1 billion each year. It has become such a major heath "problem" that New York Times health columnist Jane Brody reports she receives more questions about bad breath than about any other topic. If your problem is chronic, mouthwash may even be exacerbat ing the situation. In chronic cases, the aromas are merely a symptom of a greater problem, and washing them away with a few dollars' worth of flavored water only temporarily distracts you from the gum or tooth problems that are causing the dilemma in the first place.
For those of you who face only the occasional problem posed by a bowl of chili and onions, however, do yourself a favor and drive right by the powders and the mad scientist blue-green bottles. Make the remedies at home from materials that are everyone's to share.
Herbal alternatives have a long history. Records from ancient Greece offer various recipes for bad breath, including anise seed, myrrh, and the liberal use of white wine (although anyone who has come within five feet of a bobbing and weaving holiday party-Boer might argue that one). The Romans used herbs and spices like sage, cinnamon, juniper seeds, root of cyprus and rosemary leaves.
Remedying bad breath begins with understanding its cause. In many cases it's due to plaque, that nearly invisible film of bacteria that's constantly forming in our mouths. There may be additional dental culprits as well, including cavi ties, periodontal (gum) disease, or a broken filling that traps food particles.
If you need a quick but temporary mouthwash solution, here are my favorite recipes:
Buy a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide from your local drug store (for about 50¢), mix it with an equal part of water and swish it around your mouth for half a minute. Don't swallow. Use this wash three times a week to inhibit bacterial growth in the mouth. Or, grab the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) from your kitchen, mix just a bit of it with water, and brush at the base of your gums. This not only freshens the mouth, but also neutralizes acidic bacteria, thus having a deodorizing effect.