Chinese herbs treat bad breath, some scientists say

Getting halitosis under control is something that some people will go to extreme lengths to achieve, even if it means abandoning tongue scrapers and oral care probiotics, which are proven to treat bad breath, for alternative remedies.

Recently, a team of researchers from the People's Republic of China tested the efficacy of 30 herbs in neutralizing volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), the organic molecules that give bad breath its funky smell.

A total of 14 herbs were found to have some effect on the amount of VSCs in saliva donated by participants with halitosis. The leading herb in the regard was chrysanthemum flower, the team said, which improved breath better than several common toothpastes.

There is reason to be skeptical of the study. Just as American studies touting the unbeatable benefits of American-made products may display some bias, so may those conducted by Chinese researchers about Chinese herbs.

Also, the report compares herbal remedies to "leading" dental care products, but limits the latter to herbal varieties of these toothpastes and rinses. No other types, like mint-, alcohol- or - most significantly - probiotics-based rinses, were tested.