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HERBS FOR BAD BREATH  Part 2

There are plenty of home remedies and natural cures for bad breath.  Here are more great herbs for bad breath.  This group contains one of my favorites - tea tree oil - though that certainly isn't because of the great taste.  Most of these herbs, seeds, and the tea tree oil can be found in your cupboard, your garden, or your local natural foods store.  You can make a tea out of some of these, and some of them can be chewed (be sure to spit them out after chewing).

Fennel - Fennel seeds have a refreshing aroma both for cooking and for the breath.  Chew on a few seeds to lessen halitosis.

Fenugreek - Fenugreek tea helps reduce bad breath.  It is said that once in the system, fenugreek is exhaled through the lungs, which will help make breath smell fresher.  It is also used to treat sinus infections, lung congestion, and infections, conditions that aggravate bad breath. If even a small amount of fenugreek is eaten or drunk, your sweat or urine will smell like curry or maple syrup.  This is caused by the compound sotolone.   It isn't harmful but might make you wonder what the problem was if you aren't aware of it.

Parsley - Parsley has been an herbal breath cleanser for centuries. Here is a bad breath remedy that you can chew and swallow.  The active ingredient in destroying bad breath is said to be its high chlorophyll content.  Chewing the leaves will provide some immediate relief, ingesting them will aid in digestion.

Two other herbs that are rich in chlorophyll are basil and cilantro.  They also have very strong and pleasant aromas of their own.  Both attributes should help lessen the smells of bad breath.

The Mints - The mint family (Labiatae) is a large one and contains many plants that have strongly aromatic leaves.  Many of these are mentioned when it comes to herbal recipes for halitosis:  thymes, sages, basil, rosemary. lavender, and the whole genus of mints (Mentha): spearmint, peppermint, lemon mint, Corsican mint, and many others. Either teas or chewing on leaves is effective against bad breath.  Pure peppermint oil, as with all essential oils, it toxic even in small doses.

Sage -  Sage is another breath freshener with cineol and whose essential oil is antibacterial.  You can use this herb for bad breath either by chewing on a leaf or by making tea.  It is also said that gargling several times a day with the warm tea will help with bad breath and mouth sores.  It is also supposed to be good for gingivitis - another location for anaerobic bacteria and bad breath to lurk.

Tea Tree Oil - Tea tree oil, from the shrubby tree Melaleuca alternifolia, is one of my favorites.  This is one of those magical oils that can be used for almost everything except cooking. Many grand stories about it and wonderful properties to the oil.  Years ago when we were members of Melaleuca, Inc. (www.Melaleuca.com), we used their toothpaste, which had a lot of melaleuca oil (tea tree oil) in it.  It has a really strong aroma and taste that would make your eyes pop and your tongue curl when you first used it.  Great for gums and it slays bad breath.  Either use the toothpaste or put some drops of tea tree oil/melaleuca oil on your toothbrush.