Breath Mints

It appears that man has been sucking or chewing on various things to banish bad breath for thousands of years. In fact, according to the web site, "How Products Are Made," people used to suck on whole cloves to fight bad breath more than 4,000 years ago. Anise, which smells similar to licorice, was a popular solution to bad breath in the Middle Ages, as were cardamom seeds. The early settlers of North America discovered that chewing on dried orris root and calamus root could help freshen halitosis. Breath mints evolved out of the breath freshening chews of the past.

Though Altoids (those curiously strong mints that come in a tin case) had been around in England since the 19th century, it appears that the American demand for a candy mint was not met until 1956, with the introduction of Certs.

Given that so many early forms of chewing gums, breath mints, and even mouthwash were derived from plants, it's only natural that people often return to plants for bad breath remedies .

A popular folk remedy for bad breath is chewing parsley. Chewing mint leaves is another fine folk remedy that has been used for thousands of years. Other herbs that can be chewed to remedy bad breath include basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

We'll discuss other remedies for bad breath in future posts. Until then, best wishes for a fresh breath.