Death to bad breath comes in cloves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Garlic \u2014 that pungent, bulb-shaped veggie that gives food a kick and vampires the ick \u2014 is now being crowned a possible cure for halitosis, per a new report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGarlic extract mouthwash showed comparable efficacy to chlorhexidine, particularly at higher concentrations,\u201d wrote study authors from the College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A new meta-analysis found that garlic extract is nearly as effective as chlorhexidine, an antiseptic, in killing bacteria and fungi in the mouth. sebra \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Researchers compared the juices derived from the vegetable to chlorhexidine, or CHX. It\u2019s an antiseptic and disinfectant \u201cwidely used as a gold standard mouthwash,\u201d but can alter taste, as well as trigger other adverse side effects like oral numbness, burning sensations, plus teeth and tongue staining.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Overuse of the chemical can also promote antimicrobial resistance, leaving users\u2019 mouths prey to bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites \u2014 all of which can prompt smelly breath and internal infections.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGarlic (Allium sativum) has been recognized for its medicinal properties for centuries, with its antimicrobial efficacy being a subject of interest in recent research,\u201d wrote investigators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The specialists reviewed five previous studies to determine just how well the plant stacks up against CHX when it comes to warding off dangerous germs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chlorhexidine, or CHX, is found in a number of everyday oral care products. Chanakon \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
\u201cThe antimicrobial properties of garlic have been attributed to compounds such as allicin, which is formed when garlic is crushed,\u201d experts noted. \u201cStudies have demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of garlic extracts against numerous bacteria, fungi and viruses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The findings revealed that over the course of a week, a 3% garlic extract mouthwash was \u201csignificantly more effective\u201d in reducing the amount of salivary bacteria compared to a 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash.<\/p>\n
Still, the au naturel alternative to CHX comes with its own set of drawbacks, according to the meta-analysis, which lists \u201cburning sensation\u201d and an \u201cunpleasant taste\u201d as the top side effects of going all-in on garlic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clinicians, too, found that garlic can\u2019t compete with CHX when it comes to fighting specific disease-sprouting microorganisms.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChlorhexidine has shown better antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria like\u00a0Porphyromonas gingivalis,\u201d said the insiders, adding, however, that \u201cgarlic extract is a potent antimicrobial agent against multidrug-resistant bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scientists acknowledged that the unpleasant taste and smell of garlic might deter certain people from using it as a mouthwash. Alliance \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all about whichever salve folks prefer putting in their mouths.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGarlic extract mouthwash demonstrated clinical antimicrobial effectiveness, with significant reductions in bacterial counts from baseline,\u201d researchers reiterated in conclusion, emphasizing \u201cthe possible use of garlic extract mouthwash as a viable alternative to chlorhexidine in certain contexts, particularly when higher concentrations are used.\u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Death to bad breath comes in cloves.\u00a0 Garlic \u2014 that pungent, bulb-shaped veggie that gives food a kick…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[8729,55372,101165,102,36163,655,6591,56,54,55,31037],"class_list":{"0":"post-272620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-chemicals","9":"tag-dental","10":"tag-food-trends","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-hygiene","13":"tag-lifestyle","14":"tag-medication","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom","18":"tag-weird-but-true"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}