Rummage your pantry to make your own herbal mouthwash.
Bad breath is big business because it is a huge problem — Americans spent a total of $6.7 billion on mouth-freshening products in 2007, according to Euromonitor International, a market-research firm. It’s no wonder that Wrigley’s is launching an aggressive campaign for its new Magnolia bark extract chewing gum this fall.
Breath mints and mouthwash are only temporary solutions with which you often find yourself back at square one. Mouthwash may contain alcohol that exacerbates the problem as it dries the mouth — a constant supply of saliva keeps bad breath at bay. Even sugarless mints don't do that well at masking foul-smelling odors. It is an embarrassing condition to have and some actually suffer from it more than others.
Like acne or flatulence, chronic bad breath could signal you have from another condition, like chronic sinus, liver problems, lung infections, or diabetes. In this case, you should have a talk with your doctor to investigate what’s going on in your body.
The most common causes of bad breath are gum diseases, lack of hydration, eating pungent foods (onion and garlic) and oral bacteria. Flossing and drinking plenty of water regularly should do the trick, but what if you want something that works faster? Or what if you can’t stand the taste of synthetic mouthwash? Well, you could make your own. All you need to do is look in your own kitchen for a natural home remedy.
Here are six herbs to make your malodorous breath sweet smelling again:
Parsley combats garlic well, and it is also effective against the putrid aftertaste of coffee. Save these decorative sprigs from your dinner till after you are done.
Peppermint tea refreshes your mouth but choose pure peppermint tea as it is caffeine-free. If it is mixed with other types of tea, this may not be the case. Its odor-killing prowess may be taken away by caffeine as it is a diuretic.
Anise seeds boiled in water for a few minutes are an easy home remedy, which you can gargle or drink. This licorice-flavored herb has been used for thousands of years as a breath freshener.
Dill leaves are full of chlorophyll that is a powerful breath freshener. You can boil it in water and use it as a mouthwash or just chew on a few dill seeds.
Cloves steeped in warm water make a pleasant, aromatic mouthwash that works well against bacteria.
Sage tea is highly soothing for mouth sores and curing bad breath as it has breath-freshening properties like peppermint.
