Want to know what the number one cause of bad breath is?
Bacteria!
That's why things like mouthwash with chlorhexidine are so good at clearing up those nasty smells.
But chlorhexidine has a major issue: it's been used so much, it's starting to create resistant bacteria, so scientists are looking for alternatives, and a new study in the Journal of Herbal Medicine may have just the solution.
Garlic.
According to the study,
Mouthwashes containing higher concentrations of garlic extract can perform on par with chlorhexidine in reducing microbial activity.
Yep, gargling with garlic is just as good at reducing those pesky mouth bacteria as any of your favorite mouth washes!
There are just two problems with the study:
Number one: it's a meta-review, meaning no actual research was conducted. All these "researchers" did was collect 384 articles testing garlic's effectiveness and chlorhexidine‘s effectiveness and compared the studies, and a lot of those studies were in vitro, meaning they weren't even in live people. Overall, garlic was as good as chlorhexidine, but it's not the most rigorous science drawing that conclusion.
Number two: It's garlic.
The researchers note that there were some problems with using garlic extract as a mouthwash:
Reported adverse reactions include burning sensation and unpleasant odor.
Because it's GARLIC!
Now sure, if there's a serious bacterial problem in your mouth, maybe garlic is a good alternative.
But there's no world where gargling garlic is going to give you better breath.
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