Obviously the title of this review is in no way suggesting that it makes your teeth go green in colour, I refer of course to a product that gives your teeth a taste of the great green outdoors.
The world’s oldest-known formula for toothpaste, used more than 1, 500 years before Colgate began marketing the first commercial brand in 1873, has been discovered on a piece of dusty papyrus in the basement of a Viennese museum. In faded black ink made of soot and gum arabic mixed with water, an ancient Egyptian scribe has carefully described what he calls a ’’powder for white and perfect teeth’’. When mixed with saliva in the mouth, it forms a ’’clean tooth paste’’. According to the document, written in the fourth century AD, the ingredients needed for the perfect smile are one drachma of rock salt - a measure equal to one hundredth of an ounce - two drachmas of mint, one drachma of dried iris flower and 20 grains of pepper, all of them crushed and mixed together. The result is a pungent paste which one Austrian dentist who tried it said made his gums bleed but was a ’’big improvement’’ on some toothpaste formulae used as recently as a century ago.
In 1855, the Farmers Almanac included this recipe for an appropriate toothpaste:
1 oz. myrrh (fine powder)
2 spoonfuls of your best honey (This does not refer to your significant other!!)
A pinch of green sage
I guess the more things change the more they stay the same. Here we are in the 21st century and we are rediscovering the old uses for herbs and plants in culinary and medicinal usage. Mint has been the standard flavouring for tooth pastes in recent years and in keeping with our new age enlightenments its only to be expected that the commercial companies would cash in on the idea. Colgate Herbal Flouride toothpaste to give the product its full blown title comes in an attractive green, white and red package in the thick plastic squeezable tube that is the norm these days, nothing too new age about that, but obviously its the contents not the packaging that are the be all and end all of such a product. Inside is 100ml of light green and white striped freshness, the pungent aroma hinting at the flavours to come as soon as you open the tube. The paste is flavoured with four herbs, Chamomile, Sage, Myrrh and Eucalyptus and combine to make a refreshing sensation that washes round the mouth and sends vapors up your nose. Its sort of a cross between a tooth paste, mouth wash and inhalant for colds. It reminds me of the Menthol Eucapyptus sweets that I used to be given as a kid when I had a cold, and it leaves a lingering after taste in the mouth which acts as a breath freshener and stays with you for quite a while. After years of being used to toothpaste tasting of mint, this comes as a welcome change, but may take a bit of getting used to for some. It has a powerful kick to it and acts as a great pick me up in the morning.
Chamomile has been used for years as a prevention for infection throughout the body as does Sage which also contains natural astringent tannins which account for its traditional use in treating gum and throat disorders. Myrrh has been used in toothpastes and mouth washes since ancient times, its taste is bitter but refreshing and it helps fight the gum bacteria that causes gingivitis. Eucalyptus is probably the flavour here best associated with healing and virus prevention and its antibacterial action make it a perfect ingrediant for tooth paste.
All in all its one of the best pastes Ive come across and one that I will be sticking with from now on. I use it in conjunction with a crest spinbrush, one of those new fangled battery type brushes and the results are excellant. Not only does it leave your teeth looking white and feeling well scrubbed, it leaves you mouth alive with the flavours of a kitchen garden. Go on give it a go, as far as teeth are concerned ’’green’’ is the new white.
related information (or just blatant plugs for other reviews)
https://ciao.co.uk/Sage__Review_5476075/SortOrder/5
https://ciao.co.uk/Crest_Spinbrush__Review_5484878/SortOrder/5