Bad Breath

Bad breath is often a sign of systemic toxicity, either in the colon, intestine, or mouth. It can also be due to chronic indigestion or malabsorption. When digestion is weak or sluggish, the food you eat undergoes fermentation and putrefaction in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to the formation of ama, which has a foul smell.

Stand in front of a mirror, and stick out your tongue. If the back portion of the tongue is coated, that is the sign of ama, which is responsible for the bad breath.

The primary Ayurvedic aim in treating bad breath is to kindle gastric fire (agni), which in turn burns ama and alleviates the root cause of the condition. Here are several effective home remedies to prevent and treat bad breath.

DIETARY AND HERBAL REMEDIES

• First monitor your diet. It’s important not to eat heavy meals, and to stay away from cold drinks, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt, all of which reduce the gastric fire and slow down digestion, with a likely increase of ama.
• Then, after each meal (generally after lunch and dinner), chew about 1 teaspoon of roasted fennel and cumin seeds (mixed half and half). This will improve digestion, which indirectly helps to detoxify the colon. The licorice-flavored fennel seeds alone would be delicious and helpful, but this mixture will have a better effect.
• Drink ½ cup of aloe vera juice twice a day until freshness is restored to the breath.
• Slowly chewing one or two cardamom seeds also helps to minimize bad breath. Cardamom aids digestion and helps to reduce ama.
• After each meal, drink a cup of cumin-coriander-fennel tea (equal proportions) as a digestive aid. Steep about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of each herb per cup of hot water.

OTHER REMEDIES

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH AND GUMS. Another cause of bad breath is poor oral hygiene. It’s important to clean the teeth after each meal. Use an Ayurvedic toothpaste containing neem or an herbal formula. Also use dental floss every day. Applying some tea tree oil mixed half and half with neem oil to the gums and gently massaging will help prevent receding gums. Be sure to spit out the residue rather than swallowing. (See “Teeth and Gums—Ayurvedic Care.”)

YOGA POSTURES. The yoga posture known as Yoga Mudra, the Lion pose, and sitting in the Lotus posture with a Forward Bend are good asanas for combating bad breath (see appendix 4).

BREATHING EXERCISE. You can also do the pranayama known as shitali (see instructions in chapter 6).

If you follow these guidelines, you can say good-bye to bad breath.