Written by Dentistry Today Wednesday, 18 January 2012 20:35
 |
There are two substances in licorice that may be extremely beneficial to dentistry.
The substances, which happen to be used in Chinese medicine, kill the bacteria associated with tooth decay and gum disease. A study from the Journal of Natural Products states that they could successfully treat dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease.
The dried root that comes from the licorice is what does the trick, according to the studies. It will be great for people in China since it's a common substance in many forms of medicine. In the United States, however, the dried licorice root has been replaced by anise oil, something that is said to have to a similar taste.
In the past, dried licorice has been used to treat many health issues, such as respiratory and digestive problems. According to some modern science, however, it's unclear if the licorice actually works, and it may clash with other prescriptions or cause unwanted side effects.
Researchers wanted to analyze all aspects of the substances in the dried licorice to determine what factor is capable of killing bacteria.
There are two licorice compounds, known as licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, that were the most effective in eliminating bacteria. The substances killed bacteria associated with cavities and gum disease. The evidence was overwhelming that these substances were effective in treating oral issues.
|
RSS
Hello, great to know that herbs curb microbes marring tooth . In our culture (tamil) we use twigs from neem and banyan trees for plaque control as the saying goes " Banyan and Neem strengthens tooth similarly 4 and 2 empowers speech". I haven't yet made a study of it but used it to clean my teeth for 3 months and found it be good in its purpose. 4 - naladiar by avvaiyar written after 2 - thirukkural by thiruvalluvar written 2000 years back.both are ethical works of tamil scholars. i am Dr.C.Rajkumar, BDS a practising dentist from pondicherry India.