Parsley for Bad Breath

A number of herbs have been used to treat bad breath, but parsley for bad breath is probably the most common herbal home remedy of all. Petroselinum crispum, a plant native to southern Europe and Asia, is cultivated all over the world: it has made it's way into virtually every cuisine. For some, the flavor, distinct and yet complementary to so many others, is it's main virtue. For others, the clean fresh smell it gives to the breath, and particularly its ability to mask garlic and onions on the breath, is its best feature. Almost incidentally, parsley is very nutritious - high in antioxidant vitamins A and C, and iron, and providing significant amounts of a number of other vitamins and minerals. If you don't already love this herb, try to acquire a taste.

A traditional parsley remedy for bad breath will use the herb in one of two ways. The simplest is just to grab a sprig of fresh parsley and chew it thoroughly. Particularly effective after a meal containing garlic or onions, this will also work as well as any breath mint as a quick fix for more chronic bad breath. The other use of parsley for bad breath involves simmering a handful of fresh leaves in a couple of cups of water with several whole cloves or some ground cloves. The solution can be used as a mouth wash as often as required. Be sure to use fresh parsley for both of these remedies: dried parsley has neither the admirable breath freshening ability nor the exceptional nutritional value of the fresh herb.

A weakness of any parsley remedy for bad breath is that, like many of the breath freshening products on the market today, it has little value for long term treatment of a chronic bad breath problem. Though it does have some antiseptic qualities, and contains lots of chlorophyll, another natural remedy for bad breath, it doesn't seem to do much more than temporarily mask the odor characteristic of chronic halitosis. To tackle chronic halitosis, you will need to use a product that has more ability to kill or displace the odor producing bacteria that live in the mouth. Natural alternatives to parsley for bad breath that are designed to provide a more lasting effect are available.

Regardless of how severe your breath odor is, using parsley for bad breath is not going to do any harm, in fact it's nutritional value alone is a good reason to use more of it. Add a fresh sprig to your dinner plate or decorate your sandwich with a cluster of leaves. Throw some into salads to get a fresh sharp taste reminiscent of celery. Some people carry a handful around in a plastic bag in a pocket so that they'll have a parsley remedy for bad breath whenever they need it. Though not the most powerful breath remedy around, parsley is a healthy choice, and surprisingly effective in the short term.