Welcome back! My last blog on oral hygiene discussed the works of Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder and Paulus Aegienta. I posted several passages from their works in which the care of the teeth was discussed. This blog is going to break their components down and see if we can determine if they have any modern evidence to support their use.
Why, Hippocrates?
The passage written by Hippocrates was broken into several parts, each building on the other. We start with the first. Hippocrates provided a list of ingredients that were to be combined together and rubbed onto the teeth. These ingredients are:
- the ashes from burning the head of a hare
- the ashes from burning three mice (after having taken out the intestines of two of them (not, however, the liver or kidneys)
- marble (or whitestone) – ground and passed through a sieve(1)
We are then instructed to mix these items in equal parts, and rub the resulting mixture onto the teeth. As I conjectured previously, I believe this was used as an abrasive, to rub away plaque and food particles. When I discussed this with my dental professional, he strongly discouraged me from attempting this and I am inclined to agree.
The ash and stone are washed away with “greasy wool” and water. This same wool, is then soaked in honey and the teeth and mouth are rubbed down again. The wool, I believe, is a vehicle for the honey, and holds no other significance. It could have easily been replaced with a piece of cloth. The honey, however, is much more important. I have noted that throughout all of my research, honey is one of the most commonly used ingredient in oral hygiene.
Honey has antibacterial properties, and has been used in the treatment of wounds for centuries. A study was performed in 2007 on the effect of four varieties of honey against the bacteria, helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes gastrointestinal ulcers. This study concluded that honey had a positive effect on the inhibition of bacterial growth. “All the different concentrations of honey showed antibacterial activity against the isolates. The zones of inhibition ranged from 0–50mm.” The most effective of these is the variety manuka honey, which hails from New Zealand. (1)
This is not the only modern study on the medicinal uses of honey. A study performed in 1988, entitled “Clinical observations on the wound healing properties of honey” evaluated the effects of honey in the treatment of wounds. 59 subjects, whose wounds did not heal after using traditional methods, were used in the study. The study concluded ” …honey, appears to have several important properties that make it ideal as a dressing agent for almost every type of wound or ulcer except those infected with mycobacteria.” (2)
Pliny Can’t Make Up His Mind
Pliny provided an extensive list of items used in the care of the teeth and gums. For the purposes of this post, however, I am going to discuss one of these ingredients; plantago. The rest of Pliny’s recipes will be discussed in a post dedicated solely to his works.
As discussed in the first blog of this series, Pliny is cited as stating “The root of plantago is chewed for a similar purpose, or the teeth are rinsed with a decoction of the juice mixed with vinegar. The leaves, too, are said to be useful for the gums, when swollen with sanious blood, or if there are discharges of blood there-from. The seed, too, of plantago is a cure for abscesses in the gums, and for gum-boils.” (See
https://charityescuriosities.com/?p=37 for citation)
Plantago is a genus of plant with approximately 200 species. They are generally small, herbaceous plants. Pliny does not break down the specific variety of plantago used in this recipe. I conjecture, however, based on modern scientific studies, and the abundance of the plant in the region Pliny hailed from, that plantago major, commonly known as the broadleaf plantain was what he would have prescribed.
A review of several scientific studies of the effect of plantago major concludes “Some types of Plantago major extract were effective in the treatment of fungal, bacterial and viral infections.” It also stated “In an animal study, water extract of Plantago major is recommended as a suitable substitute for silver sulfadiazine, especially when applied in 50% concentration in wound burn healing.” (3) Additional research is required with regards to applications of plantago major in the treatment of diseases of the mouth
Paulus Aegienta’s Poisonous Plant
Each of Paulus Aegienta’s dentifrices contained ashes. Like Hippocrates, I believe that this was used as an abrasive. My research into the components he burnt did not yield any modern medicinal benefits. In fact, the plant commonly known as birthwort, which was in Aegienta’s first dentifrice is a known carcinogen and modern medicine strong discourages its use in homeopathic remedies. An article published in 2016 cites birthwort, or
Aristolochia, as leading factor to the need to more carefully evaluate the use of plants in medicine. This article states “Aristolochic acid‐I, a nitrophenanthrene compound found in all Aristolochia species, is responsible for both the nephrotoxic and carcinogenic properties associated with this family of herbs.” (4)
This same dentifrice recommended the burning of hartshorn as well. Hartshorn is the horn of a male deer. Again, I believe this is primarily for its abrasive quality, though I have found some, as of yet unverified, references to the use of burnt hartshorn in the treatment of diarrhea.
My next post is an extension of this one, in which I will discuss Pliny the Elder’s directions for oral hygiene/oral care in more depth. As always, if you have any questions, or have additional information pertaining to the items discussed above, please reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you!
End Notes
- Ndip RN, Malange Takang AE, Echakachi CM, et al. In-vitro antimicrobial activity of selected honeys on clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori. Afr Health Sci. 2007;7(4):228–232.
- Efem, S. E. (1988), Clinical observations on the wound healing properties of honey. Br J Surg, 75: 679-681
- Najafian Y, Hamedi SS, Farshchi MK, Feyzabadi Z. Plantago major in Traditional Persian Medicine and modern phytotherapy: a narrative review. Electron Physician. 2018;10(2):6390–6399. Published 2018 Feb 25.
- Grollman AP, Marcus DM. Global hazards of herbal remedies: lessons from Aristolochia: The lesson from the health hazards of Aristolochia should lead to more research into the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants. EMBO Rep. 2016;17(5):619–625. doi:10.15252/embr.201642375