In Chinese theory the mouth is associated with the spleen — an organ traditionally linked with digestion, so red, lustrous lips suggest that food is being well digested and assimilated, while pale lips indicate poor spleen energy with a weak appetite and abnormal digestion. The condition of the gums, too, is indicative of the state of the digestion: red, swelling and bleeding gums indicate excess stomach heat, as do mouth ulcers around the lips. Mouth problems are thus often related to other bodily ills and should rarely be considered in isolation.

Mouth Bad Breath

Bad breath, too, can suggest digestive upsets: it can accompany constipation or gastritis or may simply be the result of eating highly spiced foods or garlic, smoking or tooth decay.

One of the traditional remedies to sweeten the breath is chewing fennel seeds — they have a pleasant aniseed flavour and the same seeds were once also recommended to stave off hunger pains during lengthy Sunday morning sermons. Sucking peppermints is a common choice for bad breath, but peppermint sweets are generally high in sugar, which is damaging for the teeth, while too much peppermint oil can be irritant on the mucous membranes of mouth, upper respiratory tract and stomach.

Herbal BeautyUsing an unsweetened herbal infusion as a mouthwash is a good way of combating mouth infections and tooth decay: try sage, thyme or rosemary. Chewing parsley leaves can often help to reduce garlic smells.

If the problem is associated with stagnation in the digestive tract, with food taking too long to pass through, then gentle laxative remedies, like yellow dock, or liver stimulants, like toadflax or dandelion, can be useful as well.

Mouth Gum disease

Gum disease is, fortunately, not as commonplace as it once was thanks to better oral hygiene and a more positive approach to conservative dentistry.

Brushing regularly and correctly is important, as is eating foods which contain roughage and can help clean the teeth as they are chewed.The traditional “apple a day” is an extremely effective herbal remedy, as is a piece of cheese (without biscuits) after a meal or — even better — a cup of unsweetened green tea at the end of a meal: this is rich in fluoride and has been shown to prevent tooth decay.

Herbal mouthwashes can help with minor problems of localised bleeding or inflamed gums — infusions of sage, agrimony or marigold can all be effective.

Mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers — or aphtha — commonly start with a sore red patch of blisters erupting to produce a greyish white ulcer. They will usually clear of their own accord after a week or so, but can be so painful that eating becomes almost impossible.

No one really knows why mouth ulcers occur: the Chinese blame stomach heat but others maintain they are due to low-grade fungal infections, excess sugar or may indicate a weakened immune system. Recurrent bouts of mouth ulcers can suggest some underlying weakness and a course of immune-stimulant herbs and tonics can help: taking garlic or ginseng for a month can boost the system. Herbal mouthwashes using sage, birch, cloves, rosemary or echinacea can help relieve symptoms.

Plants that can help with mouth problems

The following herbs con be helpful:

  • Birch
  • Cloves Daisy
  • Fennel Feverfew
  • Grape
  • Greater celandine
  • Linden Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Self-heal
  • Wood avens

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Mouth Disorders: Bad Breath, Gum Disease, Mouth Ulcers