Hi all, it's been a few years since this thread was active. I'm curious if anybody has more insights after using chewing sticks for a while. Any advice or "I wish I knew..." comments for someone exploring this topic now?
Hi there,
I like the licorice during the dry winter seasons. It's moistening and it's also antibacterial.
I've ordered some chew sticks from online. Not good tasted terrible. I've heard drying dogwood branches out for a year and then making chew sticks is good?
I used to trade sticks with a guy from Africa. I wish I could recall the name of the tree it was really mild.
Thanks for updating the pdf link. Def checking that out.
I've had some ongoing teeth and gum / jaw issues for a few years and have tried various ways of tooth cleaning and miswak sticks (actually a root) is the best for me. My gums were receeding fast when I used a plastic brush, but now barely at all. Using a badger bristle brush was definitely better, and Neem sticks were a great improvement. I tried apple sticks but miswak is my favourite and the thicker ones last longer and make "brushing" quicker. I've been using them for a couple of years.
I keep the stick in a glass of water which keeps it soft, so less need for chewing (though chewing is, no doubt, a good thing) which makes the process quicker and gentler, and I use the soak water as a mouthwash. You get lots of bits of bark and fibre in you mouth. I spit it out in the loo; outside would be fine, of course. When the de-barked part becomes long I cut it back with scissors. Scratchy plastic bristles are dreadful, IMO. And where does that plastic go when they wear down?
I was talking with a lady in her 60s from west Africa (Gambia, IIRC) who had perfect white teeth. They use sticks there, and also mix charcoal with the juice / sap from plantain stalks (plantain like a banana, not the little plant called plantain) and apply that to the teeth which makes them clean, healthy and white. She told me that when she moved to the UK she was baffled by the idea of dentists.
"What is 'dentist'? I've never heard of this. We don't have this at home."
I asked, "So what do people do there when they have a problem with their teeth?"
"We don't have problems with teeth." So it seems that the whole dentistry industry is one dependent on crappy lifestyles.
The last dentist I saw (and I sincerely hope and intend that she was the last dentist I will see) had never heard of using a stick for cleaning teeth. I explained that it was very common around the world and had helped me greatly in managing my dental health. She ignored what I was telling her, was condescending, and told me to use a proper bush, talking to me like I was a child despite being over twice her age.
The revival of this post is most timely for me, tho I am concerned over a lot of the above content. What is missing is the understanding of which sticks are chewed: in Ayurvedic tradition it is neem. Neem has very specific properties that make it effective at oral hygiene and it is chewed, not used like a brush. Neem's bitter taste is due to a property that makes it effective. As I was reading about this yesterday I was wondering what trees in the PNW have those properties. Yes, I can buy neem which would be good for me (less so my pocketbook), but not so good for our mother earth. I've found one thing that says fir and douglas fir work for toothsticks (the tannins help) I'll try this soon. Who can help me learn additional trees or shrubs of the coastal Pacific Northwest would have those same properties of Neem? Thank you.
The document the above link takes you to mentions oak twigs.
Several other plants.
Those interested in natural tooth care and presumably oral health might also want to read the research of Weston A Price. His conclusions include that the industrialized diet high in refined sugars and carbohydrates is largely responsible for tooth decay, and “cramped” and narrowed bone development of facial structures, which lead to crowding of the teeth…. ( and therefore orthodontistry.)
Price traveled widely and photographed the teeth and faces of family members before and after the introduction of the industrialized diet.
Andre Voisin documented the health of populations existing on food from different soils. “Soil, Grass, Cancer “ is one of his titles.
Both men published in the first half of the 20th century. Interesting to consider how things might have gone, had their findings been heeded.
Another related issue, phytic acid in many seeds and grains disrupts phosphorus (possibly calcium as well) metabolism. Sprouting gives rise to phytase, an enzyme which acts on phytic acid. Possibly fermentation (sourdough) alters the phytic acid too, I can’t seem to recall. I just know that almost 10 years ago I developed a bread recipe in which the whole grain berries are first sprouted, then wet ground then fermented before baking. I had a reason for the fermentation step, but for the moment I can’t remember how it ties into oral health. The bread is excellent, and I still make it that way.
There is also evidence collected by Price that our teeth can heal cavities… especially in early stages. There are recipes for tooth remineralization powders and pastes. One key ingredient is calcium carbonate…. maybe clay, possibly baking soda. But dipping the tooth stick into the powder once a day might be a good addition to the regimen.
OK, turns out I did a brain dump on obscure oral health history and practices. Not too far off topic, I hope
And here’s the thread on the vollkornbrot bread mentioned above:
My wife taught an herbalism class to 50 1st-4th graders yesterday, and asked me to tag in about chew sticks. We covered how to choose a stick (and asking your mum) and how to use it. It was very, very fun for the kiddos. I brought about stack of 1st-year peach tree prunings, which are already soft and bendy with removable bark, and a neutral taste.
Of course there were lots of silly comments and people taking it to dreadful conclusions. I don't expect many this age to be able to properly find and identify a suitable species, but some may, and many parents were very engaged.
I think the big win is just the huge impression it made on these kiddos. I would not be at all surprised if many of them remember this bit of wisdom into their adult years, and I hope it serves them well.
As for species, I used to have a sweet gum tree at our old house, and chew sticks from it were lovely. I read about some positive properties, but I can't recall them at the moment. Now I most typically use fruit tree prunings, or juniper (juniperus virginiana) which tastes lovely. Some times of year our oaks are very good. Right now they're kind of tough and bitter.
I try to hang on to my sticks for a while, but often lose it after one use, or just a few. I'll grab a stick after a meal while working on the farm, get my mouth feeling fresh, then lose it somewhere along the way. Pocket sticks can get kind of mankey in the field, and I could use 8 a day for a hundred years and not put a dent in my self-replenishing supply.
solomon martin wrote:I often used licorice root as a supplemental tooth brush when I was a child. The fibrous root lends itself perfectly for this purpose, plus I liked the flavor.
That was my experience when I visited England and they were being sold for that purpose.
Nara Petrovič, who posted the video tutorial for this thread, posted another video recently with some updated information. Worth to watch, in my opinion:
Lh Maverick wrote:Nara Petrovič, who posted the video tutorial for this thread, posted another video recently with some updated information. Worth to watch, in my opinion:
Thanks for sharing - some folks will respond better to this video, without the silliness of the video in the original post.
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