elecampane root tincture for dental health/healing

My 9 year old son was experiencing some pain in one of his molars that lacks structural integrity (not cavities; just malformed). The dentist said "root canal" and I was freaking out inside. After starting elecampane root tincture the pain quickly disappeared and has not returned. I read in one source (really a handout of some sort that I acquired from a natural/health food store a while back) that elecampagne root "lessens tooth decay and firms gums". It does seem to do that (we will check with the dentist again to be sure) but no other source that I've found reiterates what that handout says about elecampane root and dental health.

Do you know of any sources that suggest this connection? TIA.

That is a really interesting finding about the teeth. Many natural health professionals warn against getting root canals because they are a rotting tooth inside your mouth, which provides unhealthy bacteria for years. I would be interested in hearing more about elecampane. I have heard of it but I am not very experienced in herbal healing. Interested, but not experienced.
JohN S
PDX OR

Very interesting I will look into this. Usual herbs for stronger teeth are horsetail (make sure it is Equisetum hyemale, not common branched type), comfrey leaf and root, yellow and red dock root, chaparral (good for the rinse), oat straw, lobelia (small amounts), white sage and a few others.

Now that is really interesting.  Another use for elecampane.  We've been using to infuse a honey for coughs, of course, a traditional use of the herb.  But I also made a tincture.

But we also are putting it into a cannabis root pain salve to add another level of warmth and more anti-inflammatory properties (smells good also) and I used it with other herbs in our herbal bitters.

Learned that elecampane is one of two herbs being studied for effectiveness against antibiotic-restant MRSA strains so I'm also putting it in my "Herbal-biotic" first aid salve.

So thanks for this head's up on using what's becoming a favorite family herb for dental issues.  Could be really great to infuse coconut oil with elecampane (and perhaps with oregon grape and myrrh too) for oil pulling.  Or powdered in a tooth powder.

For now we are going to experiment with the elecampane tincture we already have and using it as a mouthwash.

Love exploring all the different things that each plant is good for.

I gather the horsetail, grind it and put it in hummus. It's too much like ground dirt otherwise.  It makes a big difference in my teeth.
John S
PDX OR

Very interesting about elecampane, thanks for posting this. Clove oil of course, also helps with pain, but how great to have something actually heal the teeth/gums as well. As others have stated, it appears it has also been widely used for respiratory health. Here's one link I found on it. http://www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/elecampane.html

Elissa Teal wrote:My 9 year old son was experiencing some pain in one of his molars that lacks structural integrity (not cavities; just malformed).  The dentist said "root canal" and I was freaking out inside.  After starting elecampane root tincture the pain quickly disappeared and has not returned.  I read in one source (really a handout of some sort that I acquired from a natural/health food store a while back) that elecampagne root "lessens tooth decay and firms gums".  It does seem to do that (we will check with the dentist again to be sure) but no other source that I've found reiterates what that handout says about elecampane root and dental health.

Do you know of any sources that suggest this connection?  TIA.

How much a day did he use and for how long?

Thanks for the hint with elecampane! Otherwise bone broths are essential and look at the website of weston price.

Elecampane ‑Inula  helenium
in the Asteraceae or aster family.
Part used: Root.
Taste/smell:    Aromatic, pungent, sweet.
Tendencies: Slightly warming, drying, stimulating.

Constituents:  Inulin (30-40%), helenin, eudesmanolides, essential oil, comprising a mixture of lactones, chiefly alantolactone, also known as helenin or elecampane camphor.
Character and habitat: I have not met this plant in a natural state. However, she has been a revered guest in my garden. She is quite stately in a plain sort of way. She is tall but not necessarily striking Even her flowers are small although prolific. She is a biennial that puts all her energy into making a most incredible medicine beneath the ground in her first year of life. Digging up her roots are like digging up a buried treasure. The odor immediately tells you that she has something special to share with you. The energy that allows her to stand so straight and tall  allows you to see yourself from a new point of view. Her roots are best harvested at the end of the second year. They are too young the first year and get too old and woody after the second year.
Mental picture and specific indications: This herb is specific for chronically sick,  feeble individuals with digestive and respiratory weakness. I often think of it in the elderly or bedridden, especially when they have a viral or bacterial infection in the lungs or intestines. However, it can be of benefit to anyone who has a digestive or respiratory infection.

Dosage: Infusion: 1/2-1 teaspoon per cup of water; or 1:1 fresh liquid extract: 10-40 drops 1-4 times per day.
Use: (a) Antiseptic, (b) Expectorant, (c) Diaphoretic, (d) Bitter tonic, (e) Carminative, (f) Antiparasitic, (g) Anti-inflammatory, (h) Immunomodulating, (i) Diuretic, (j) Alterative, (k) Emmenagogue, (l) Tonifying to the lungs and digestive system, (m) Strengthening and cleansing to the respiratory tract mucous membranes.
Elecampane is used for persistent bronchial catarrhs where there is an irritable cough, especially in chronic coughs of the elderly or invalid. It is specifically used for chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, tuberculosis, silicosis, asthma and emphysematous conditions. Antimycobacterial constituents called eudesmanolides have been found in the roots.  Elecampane is used for gastrointestinal ulcers. This antiulcer activity may be partially due to both the constituent, helenin, which has hemostatic properties, as well as alantolactone, which is a vermifuge. In China it is used for some types of malignancies.
The historical use of this plant as a digestive tonic is partly due to its ability to support gut bacteria since they love to chow down on the fructo-oligo-saccharide inulin which is in great concentration in the roots of this plant.
Contraindications: Very large doses may cause vomiting, diarrhea, gastric spasms and symptoms of paralysis and allergic hypersensitivity. 400, 404 It is contraindicated during pregnancy.

(Please realize when I say it is useful for the digestive system, that the digestive system runs from the mouth to the anus.) This herb really excels when used for hard to treat lung infections such as mycobacterial bronchitis.