DIY Herbal Mouthwash With Essential Oils

Make your own DIY herbal mouthwash with essential oils

So, what do we want our mouthwash to do?

We use mouthwash because we all want fresh breath, right? More importantly, though, we need to consider the actual health of our mouths. First of all, reducing bacteria and preventing gingivitis is critical and secondly would be maintaining the integrity of our teeth by preventing cavities. Another less thought of problem can be receding gums and bone loss from periodontal infections which can lead to tooth loss.

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Conventional mouthwash is designed to kill bacteria and germs in your mouth. You’ll find commercial mouthwashes come in two forms, either therapeutic or cosmetic. First, there are therapeutic mouthwashes that are designed primarily to combat gingivitis, control plaque and prevent tooth decay and can be bought over the counter or with a prescription. Second, you’ll find cosmetic mouthwashes which are designed to freshen your breath but really don’t have any other benefits.

Problem is, commercial mouthwashes typically contain chemicals that aren’t good for your body which explains why there’s a “Do Not Swallow” warning on the labels.

So, when you take into account that anything that goes into or onto your skin (or in your mouth) penetrates into your bloodstream, you’ll understand that these noxious chemicals are getting into your body anyway.

Fortunately, you don’t have to rely solely on chemical laden products because it’s easy to make your own mouthwash with healing herbs and essential oils, along with a few other natural substances. And so, without further ado….here is an easy mouthwash recipe you can make at home.

This recipe addresses a couple of potential problems associated with oral health. Along with killing germs, it acts as a bone-building agent to shore up the jaw bones with bone knitting herbs.

Gum Healing Mouthwash

Ingredients:

Herbs

1 1/2 Cups Distilled or Spring Water
1/2 Cup Comfrey Leaf
1/2 Cup White Oak Bark
1 TBS Drynaria Rhizome Granules (Gu Sui Bu)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder (optional)

Essential Oils

5 Drops Cardomom Essential Oil
20 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
5 Drops Clove Bud Essential Oil
10 Drops Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

Other

40 Drops Ionic Trace Sea Minerals
1 TBS Calcium Carbonate Powder (optional)
3 TBS Xylitol

Instructions:

Place herbs and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture through two layers of cheesecloth to remove all the leafy plant material. At this point, you’ll add the essential oils. These particular essential oils were chosen due to their antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Feel free to mix it up a little but keep in mind that cinnamon E.O. can be pretty darn hot.

Next, to complete your mouthwash add in the other ingredients and mix well.

To Use:

Shake your mouthwash to mix and pull through your teeth and gums twice a day for 30-45 seconds.

So what the heck are these mouthwash ingredients? And why are we using them?

Known as ‘Bone Knit’, comfrey keeps your teeth strongly in place.

Comfrey Leaf

Comfrey was once commonly called Knitbone because of its amazing ability to heal broken bones and “knit” them back together again. The botanical name, Symphytum, means “to unite.” A constituent contained in the leaf and root called allantoin which is a cell proliferant helping to regenerate wounded areas of the body and speed up new healthy cell growth.

In recent years there has been a bit of controversy about comfrey and it’s harmful effects on the liver. Apparently, testing showed harmful effects when it was ingested internally in super large doses, but frankly, there has to be a reason why comfrey is widely known as “one of nature’s greatest medicinal herbs”.

Furthermore, those test results were from studies that isolated the pyrrolizidine alkaloids and fed or injected them into animal subjects in doses far higher than any typical usage of comfrey leaf. To err on the side of caution I wouldn’t take comfrey internally.

Comfrey’s bone knitting action makes it a good addition to our mouthwash recipe to stabilize the jaw bone, keeping the teeth securely in place.

White oak bark heals sore teeth & gums for our mouthwash recipe.

White Oak Bark

We’re using white Oak Bark is in our mouthwash recipe because it’s rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese helping strengthen bone in the jaw. In fact, Indians used thin strips of the inner oak bark, placing them between the gums and the lips, even leaving them on while sleeping, and at times during the day to heal sore gums and tighten loose teeth.

Adding Drynaria rhizome (Go Sui Bu) to our mouthwash recipe helps with osteoporosis to shore up bones in our mouthwash.

Drynaria Rhizome Granules (Gu Sui Bu)

Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Gu Sui Bu tones the Kidney Yang and strengthens the sinews and bones. Additionally, it helps you regain strength after injuries, benefits the ears and assists with weak low back & knees, diarrhea, tinnitus and diminished hearing.

We’re using Drynaria in our mouthwash recipe because of its ability to help with loose, painful teeth & bleeding gums that can be associated with a kidney deficiency.

Adding turmeric soothes gums in our mouthwash recipe with its anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric Powder

Well known for its anti-inflammatory actions turmeric reduces swelling and soothes inflamed gum tissue. This spice is optional in our mouthwash recipe because some of you may not like the flavor. That being said, it would be a good addition to your mouthwash for its anti-inflammatory agents.

Using essential oils gives our mouthwash recipe an antimicrobial and anti-bacterial boost.

Essential Oils for Your DIY Mouthwash

These 4 essential oils, cinnamon, cardamom, peppermint and clove are all excellent at creating a healthy, germ-free mouth environment. You can add others as well, perhaps you like spearmint or wintergreen. Have fun with it!

Adding ionic sea minerals to our mouthwash recipe helps remineralize your teeth.

Ionic Trace Sea Minerals

You can’t get much more ancient than the ocean. By adding drops of trace minerals to your mouthwash you’ll be alkalizing your mouth, in turn, preventing further break-down of tooth enamel. You’ll be delivering the trace minerals right to where your body uses them, to remineralize your teeth. The salty taste also stimulates saliva production, keeping the mouth alkaline which is an important aspect of a healthy mouth.

Calcium Carbonate Powder

Another optional ingredient, calcium carbonate powder, helps to remineralize your teeth. While you may not like the texture of the powder in your mouthwash it will help support the integrity of your teeth. Another potential use for calcium carbonate powder would be making a homemade toothpaste or homemade tooth powder. You decide if you’d like to include it.

Xylitol

A low glycemic sweetener, xylitol is rumored to keep your teeth healthy as well. You can find it as a natural sweetener in chewing gums and breath mints. Personally, I like a little sweetness to my mouthwash recipes. You can also substitute stevia for the xylitol if you like.