Natural Remedies: Make Your own Homemade Toothpaste and Mouthwash

By Charles Dickson and Ph.D.
Published on December 1, 1995
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MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Make your own homemade toothpaste and mouthwash with these simple instructions.

The Natural Remedies column shares information on how to create your own household remedies.

Natural Remedies: Make Your own Homemade Toothpaste and Mouthwash

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 exacerbating 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 natural 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-goer might argue that one). The Romans used herbs and spices like sage, cinnamon, juniper seeds, root of cyprus and rosemary leaves.

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