The Herbal Trifecta

What is the herbal trifecta?

Organic Cinnamon, Organic Clove, and Organic Mint combine to create an herbal trifecta in Living Earth’s Black Pearl Tooth Powder. Each ingredient was carefully chosen to promote healthy oral hygiene. As will be shown below, Cinnamon, Clove, and Mint are becoming increasingly popular for oral use due to a resurgence of age-old medicinal ideas and contemporary scientific research.

What are the oral health benefits of Cinnamon?

You may think of cinnamon as merely a spice used in baked goods like cinnamon rolls, but cinnamon is used medicinally daily worldwide. Cinnamon bark contains vital oils and other derivatives, such as trans-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and linalool.  Cinnamon’s anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory properties greatly benefit oral health.  The anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamon help stave off gingivitis and periodontal disease.  In addition to its oral health benefits, cinnamon is “an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-disease-lowering compound.”[1]

Living Earth’s Black Pearl Toothpowder contains Organic Ceylon Cinnamon or ‘true cinnamon.’ Suprisingly, the cinnamon you are likely to buy at a grocery store is not true cinnamon, but a close relative called Cassia Cinnamon or ‘Chinese cinnamon.’ Not only is Ceylon Cinnamon harder to find and more expensive, it differs from Cassia Cinnamon in several other important ways. Ceylon Cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Tree, which primarily grows in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Cinnamon powder is lighter in color and is more delicate, sweet, and mild in flavor when compared Cassia Cinnamon. Additionally, it only contains trace amounts of coumarin (0.004%) whereas Cassia Cinnamon contains around 1%. Coumarin is a plant compound that has anticoagulant (blood thinning), carcinogenic, and hepato-toxic properties that can cause liver or kidney damage if ingested in large quantities.

Benefits of Clove:

Clove is the second ingredient in our herbal trifecta. Again, you may think of cloves as merely something you stick in your holiday ham, but clove has numerous oral health benefits. Derived from the flower buds of trees in the Myrtaceae Family, Clove has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and functions as a mild pain reliever. A comparative study on the anti-bacterial properties of Cinnamon Essential Oil and Clove Essential Oil showed that Cinnamon EO had nearly double the ability to inhibit Streptococcus mutans, a significant bacterial cause of dental plaque, compared to Clove EO. So, while Clove is evidenced to have anti-bacterial properties, it is slightly less effective compared to Cinnamon. However, it is the synergistic relationship between the two the mounts a two-pronged attack on unwanted bacteria in the mouth. It is important to note here that most scientific studies use essential oils (EO) rather than the plant itself. Thus, while EO’s are much more concentrated than the ground plant matter, oil is still contained in the plant and will still have an effect, though to a lesser degree.

Alternative to Fluoride?

On wellness blogs across the internet Clove EO is being touted as an alternative to Fluoride. Though there are only a handful of studies comparing the two ingredients, the few that exist show promise for the efficacy of Clove EO as an inhibitor of decalcification. For instance, a study conducted in 2012 using apple juice as an agitator concluded that Clove EO is a promising adjunct to fluoride. Moreover, the two active agents in Clove EO, Eugenol and Eugenol Acetate, have been shown to be decalcification inhibitors i.e. helping to prevent tooth decay.

Eugenol: the active component of Clove

Clove has been used as a folk remedy for tooth aches for centuries. Backing up folk use, recent scientific studies suggest that a chemical compound called Eugenol found in clove oil is effective for relieving dental pain. When compared to Benzocaine, the active ingredient in over the counter products like Orajel and Ansbesol, a 2006 study concluded that there was no significant difference observed between the two. Additionally, clove oil’s pain-relieving benefits were touted in an article published in the New York Times wellness-blog section. And, though the benefit of pain relief is not the objective of Black Pearl tooth powder, it is included in the formula in part because of the growing evidence showing that it is good for teeth.

Refreshing Oral Benefits of Mint

Everybody knows that mint freshens your breath, but did you know that it inhibits the growth of bacteria and microbes in the mouth, has high levels of vitamins and minerals that contribute to tooth density and mass, and contains an anti-inflammatory agent called rosmarinic acid that helps keep gums healthy? The third ingredient in the herbal trifecta is last, but certainly not least! In fact, it is the germicidal property of mint that contribute directly to fresher breath. Before commercial mouth washes and tooth pastes, people went straight to the source by rubbing mint leaves directly on teeth and gums.

Herbs are the way to go

It is becoming increasingly clear that herbs are the secret to a healthy life. Forget pomegranates and kale (not really!), herbs have higher anti-oxidant levels, are richer in vitamins and minerals, and contain chemical compounds that have medicinal benefits. Want to get your hands on the Herbal Trifecta? Try Black Pearl Toothpowder!

References:

1. Cinnamon: A Multifaceted Medicinal Plant by Pasupuleti Viswewara Rao and Siew Hua Gan. Retrieved from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003790/
2. Aneja K, Joshi R, Sharma C. Antimicrobial activity of dalchini (Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark) extracts on some dental caries pathogens. Journal of Pharmacy Research. 2009;2(9):1387–1390.
3. Gupta C, Kumari A, Garg AP, Catanzaro R, Marotta F. Comparative study of cinnamon oil and clove oil on some oral microbiota. Acta Bio-Medica: Atenei Parmensis. 2011;82(3, article 197) [PubMed]
4. Medicinal Properties of ‘True’ Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylancicum): A Systematic Review by Priyanga Ranasinghe, Shehani Pigera, Sirimal Premakumara, Priyadarshani Galappaththy, Godwin R Constantine, and Prasad Katulanda. Retrieved from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3854496/
5. Shumaila Gul and Mahpara Safdar, 2009. Proximate Composition and Mineral Analysis of Cinnamon. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 8: 1456-1460.

http://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2009.1456.1460

6. Top of Form
7. “23 Surprising Benefits of Clove Oil.” Retrieved from Organic Facts https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-clove-oil.html
8. Gupta C, Kumari A, Garg AP, Catanzaro R, Marotta F, 2011. Comparative Study of Cinnamon Oil and Clove Oil on Some Oral Microbiota. Acta Biomed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22783715
9. Anahad O’Connor. “Remedies: Clove Oil for Tooth Pain.” https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/remedies-clove-oil-for-tooth-pain/?_r=0
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13. https://www.drbrite.com/blogs/healthy-natural-living/refreshing-oral-health-benefits-of-mint
14. https://mintdentalar.com/blog/dental-tips/benefits-of-mint-for-teeth/