p-dental-care-art – 9/5/03
NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, herb-uses-msg, p-dental-care-msg, Mouthwash-art, p-hygiene-msg, Roman-hygiene-msg, mirrors-msg, Man-d-Mujeres-art.
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NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
Despite modern ideas to the contrary, people in the middle ages did spend time trying to take care of their teeth and combat bad breath. This entry presents a number of period dental hygiene methods and products and redactions of same, with some general comments on their production, safety and effectiveness.
To emphasize that many medieval health care prescriptions are not harmful, the
selection has been limited to largely non-toxic products. Also, only one mild
abrasive has been included, and only one caustic, the alum combination, is
included.
The dentifrices and mouthwashes come from all over Europe and from a variety of
periods. Dental care prescriptions seem to center around rinsing the mouth,
often with an acidic substance (wine or vinegar), though sometimes with a
caustic. Teeth were rubbed with a cloth, and/or with mixtures of herbs and/or
abrasives. Some products, such as the bay leaf/musk combination and the pills
of spices, provide a good smell; though spices also were used to heal
infection.
The common and repeated ingredients include wine, salt and mint; alum and
abrasive materials are included frequently in other recipes. I would say that
for SCA use, the sage/salt tooth powder and the mint-vinegar rinse, along with
rinsing with clear cold water, would be the best and easiest to use.
Hildegarde of Bingen, Physica, 1158 (German)
"One who wishes to have hard, healthy teeth should take pure, cold water into his mouth in the morning, when he gets out of bed. He should hold it for a little while in his mouth so that the mucus around his teeth become soft, and so this water might wash his teeth. If he does this often, the mucus around his teeth will not increase, and his teeth will remain healthy. Since the mucus adheres to the teeth during sleep, when the person rises from sleep he should clean them with cold water, which cleans teeth better than warm water. Warm water makes them more fragile." (Book 2, Section 2]
Redaction:
Provided is a goblet and pitcher of cold water.
What happened when I tried it?
I took a mouthfull of cold water immediately upon getting up, and swished it
around the mouth until it warmed up a bit (1-2 minutes), then spat it out. My
mouth certainly felt less gunky and some of the early-morning buildup appeared
to be gone.
Would it work?
Bearing in mind that people in the middle ages and Renaissance seldom if ever
drank plain cold water, a quick morning rinse might well remove some of the
tartar and bacteria that attack the teeth. Holding cold water in the mouth for
a few minutes, swishing it around and spitting it out, certainly leaves the
mouth feeling cleaner, especially when done first thing upon awakening. It
would certainly loosen stuck particles of food adhering to the teeth.
Trotula, 11th Century, On Women's Cosmetics (book 3)
"The woman should wash her mouth after dinner with very good wine. Then she ought to dry [her teeth] very well and wipe [them] with a new white cloth. Finally, let her chew each day fennel or lovage or parsley, which is better to chew because it gives off a good smell and cleans good gums and makes the teeth very white."
Redaction:
Provided is a [empty] goblet of which would hold white wine, a white cloth for
polishing the teeth, and green herbs to chew.
White wine was my choice because in the few instances where type is specified
in other tooth care items I've looked at, it has been white. Fennel and Parsley
are included because that is what is available fresh at this time of year.
Lovage, a slightly soapy tasting relative of celery, is not commercially
available. All of these have seeds, but I choose to go with the fresh plant
material since parsley is generally the herb, and I generalized from there that
lovage and fennel would also be the herbs rather than seed.
What happened when I tried it?
Rinsing out the mouth with wine loosened some particles of food, and certainly
left the mouth feeling less gunky-- but this might have been influenced by the
use of a white wine. I suspect the perceived cleaning effect varies depending
on how dry the wine is. Rubbing the teeth with the cloth removed more tartar
and food particles. Chewing either fennel or parsley made the mouth smell of
those herbs, not of the previously consumed food.
Would it work?
Essentially, you are washing the mouth out with an alcohol (though slightly
sweet alcohol) and chewing green herbs that are high in chlorophyll. It has
been established for years that chlorophyll is what allows parsley to kill bad
breath and fishy or garlic breath. Fennel and lovage would also add a spicy
scent to the breath. So the wine might kill some bacteria and loosen stuck
food, and the chlorophyll would help with any bad breath.
Bankes' Herbal, 1525
"For the stinking of the mouth and filth of the gums and of the teeth, wash thy mouth and gums with vinegar that mints have been sodden in; after that, rub them with the powder of mints or with dry mints."
Redaction:
1 pint jar filled with mint sprigs (Mentha Citrata, orange bergamot mint)
1 pint red wine vinegar
Vinegar was poured over the mint and left to steep all winter; for use, the
vinegar is poured off and used to rinse the mouth.
Finely cut dried mint is provided to rub the teeth with.
I used Mentha citrata because that was what I happened to have a lot of. Mentha
citrata is not the North American Bergamot, but a variety of plain European
mint that is carries a whiff of the bergamot citrus fruit. While I can't document
that this particular variety existed in Europe before 1601, its existence as a
cultivar is quite possible. Walafrid of Strabo (9th century) points out how
vigorously mint hybridizes: "Mint. . . in all its varieties. How many
there are I might as well try to count the sparks from Vulcan's furnace beneath
Etna."
Mint's action against halitosis and indigestion was well known to period
herbalists and appears again and again. It's also associated with eating, as in
Ovid where someone rubs the table with the herb before setting the table for
dinner.
What happened when I tried it?
Oh, my mouth felt clean all right! I had to rinse with water after ward to
remove the tart taste. I don't know that it reduced the tartar content, but I
certainly felt that I had killed the germs that caused bad breath. I smelled
strongly of mint vinegar for about 15 minutes at least afterward.
Would it work?
The acidic nature of the vinegar might discourage some bacteria as well as
eating into tartar a bit, and the minty flavor would refresh; the gums might
also help in cases of gum sores and gum disease. Rubbing the teeth with
anything would also help remove accumulated sugars and gunk.
Gilbertus Anglicus, [England], 11th century
". . . let the mouth be washed with wine that birch or
mint has simmered in. And let the gums be well rubbed with a sharp linen cloth
until they bleed. And let him eat marjoram, mint, and pellitory, til they are
well chewed. And let him rub well his teeth with the chewed herbs and also his
gums. . . .
And let him drink every evening wine that hyssop, or cinnamon, or spike, or
quibibis (fruit of Piperaceae, Piper cubeba) has simmered in.. . And after
every meal, let him wash well his mouth and rub well his gums and his teeth so
that no corrupt matter abides among the teeth."
Redactions:
Redaction #1: Mint wine [in deference to site policies, this wine is
with the Brewing entries across the street]
6 sprigs of fresh spearmint/garden mint about 3-4" long, with about 40
leaves between them.
2.5 cups white wine
Simmered until all the mint is light brown in color, then poured into a
container and allowed to steep.
Redaction #2: Mint wine [in deference to site policies, this wine is with
the Brewing entries across the street]
2 tablespoons of dried peppermint
1 cup white wine
Simmered for half an hour and set aside to cool.
The dried mixture came out more flavored, but I think the fresh version might
be more chemically active.
Herb Chew/Rub:
Fresh marjoram and mint, equal parts
Just to make the instructions complete, I include here a paste made of marjoram
and mint. Unfortunately, you cannot obtain pellitory commercially, and my
pellitory-of-the-wall plant has not come back this spring. Rather than leaving
the judges to masticate their own, I've combined equal parts of the fresh
leaves in a mortar and pestle.
Gerard says, "Sweet marjerome is a remedy against cold diseases of the
braine and head, being taken any way to your best liking,.. the leaves are
excellent good to be put into all odoriferous ointments, waters, pouders,
broths and meates" and combined with the mint (whose digestive properties
are covered above)
Redaction: After-dinner wine [in deference to site policies, this wine
is with the Brewing entries across the street]
1 tablespoons of cinnamon (cassia) chips or one cinnamon stick
1.5 cups of red wine
Simmered for 20 minutes
I used red wine mostly as an alternative to the white, though it also seemed
more of an after-dinner drink. Of the four possible additives (hyssop,
cinnamon, spike, or cubebs) I chose cinnamon/cassia as the most like a hypocras
(after-dinner mulled wine) spice by itself. All of those period herbs/spices
were considered heating and astringent.
I used cassia (the type of 'cinnamon' sold in American stores) instead of true
cinnamon because that was what I had available; I probably would have used a
larger quantity of cinnamon had I used that instead of cassia.
This left a harsh tasting wine, but the quality of the wine seems to be more
indicative of the product than the presence of cinnamon.
What happened when I tried it?
Rinsing with the mint wine and rubbing with a cloth made my teeth feel cleaner
and less gummy. The faint odor of the mint lingered for a few minutes. Chewing
the herbs made my breath sweeter. Rubbing them on my teeth caused some of the
green to stain the teeth, though, but it eased some of the soreness of the
rubbed gums. The After-dinner wine didn't seem to do much, but rinsing the
teeth and rubbing them felt significantly like modern tooth brushing.
Would this work?
Rinsing the mouth with alcohol, especially combined with an herb known to
combat digestive illness and halitosis, would be a good first step in cleaning
the teeth. Rubbing the teeth with a high chlorophyll, low sugar paste would
also remove stuck food and buildup, and help with bad breath, and the
recommendations to clean the teeth and to finish meals with wine with
antiseptic spices might well cut down the buildup and disrupt the lives of
bacteria in the mouth.
Bankes' Herbal, 1525 [English]
"Also take the timber thereof [rosemary] and burn it to coals and make powder thereof and put it into a linen cloth and rub thy teeth therewith, and if there be any worms therein, it shall slay them and keep thy teeth from all evils."
Redaction:
I burned about a small plant's worth of dried rosemary stems, and wrapped the
remains in a piece of linen. For convenience, I've drawn this package tight
with a piece of string, though the original users probably simply made a twist
in the fabric. It didn't seem reasonable to sew this closed or make a permanent
rubber in any way, since the damp ash/charcoal would probably be discarded.
Burning rosemary is a long and arduous process: I finished it by browning the
remaining sticks in an iron pan on the stovetop! I suspect using the actual
wood from the trunk of a more mature rosemary bush would be better.
Rosemary charcoal is also used in a mixture of rosemary charcoal and 'burnt
alum' to be rubbed on the teeth that appears in Plat's Delightes for Ladies,
originally published 1602. The author of Banckes' Herbal, as well as other
herbalists, had great faith in rosemary's "worth against all evils in the
body."
What happened when I tried it?
As when the teeth are rubbed with a regular cloth, some of the gunk came off on
the teeth. The charcoal inside did add to the abrasiveness. The ashy taste was
not exceedingly pleasant, but the wet bundle of ash did make a decent rubber
and tasted better than regular wood ash.
Would it work?
The ashes would certainly help change the pH of the mouth temporarily; also,
the rosemary is somewhat antiseptic, though burnt it would have lost most of
its essential oil. As in the other cases, the best benefit of this recipe would
come from rubbing the teeth with the cloth and the slightly abrasive charcoal.
Gervase Markham, The English Housewife. 1615
"For teeth that are yellow:
Take sage and salt, of each alike, and stamp them well together, then bake till it be hard, and make a fine powder thereof, then therewith rub the teeth evening and morning and it will take away all yellowness."
Redactions
I wasn't sure whether the sage should be fresh or dried, so I tried it both
ways. I also wasn't sure if 'of each alike' meant equal volumes or equal
weights.
Redaction: Mixture #1
1 quarter cup of dried sage leaves, firmly packed.
1 quarter cup of seal salt
Ground together in a mortar until combined into a sort of green salt mixture,
spread on a baking sheet and heated at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes,
and 350 for 30 minutes
The mixture never showed any sign of hardening. The mixture did make a strong,
bitter/astringent tooth powder though, when I tried it.
Redaction: Mixture #2
60 fresh (small) sage leaves
2 tablespoons sea salt
I beat the sage leaves into the salt in groups of 10-20 leaves, adding
sufficient leaves to form a rather dry paste. More sage and less salt would
have formed a thicker paste; I may try that next time. When spread on a baking
sheet baked for 20 minutes in a 300 degree oven, it did form a hard crust. I
left it in the oven overnight to dry, crumbled it up, and stored it in a
container.
From the results, I suspect that equal weights of salt and sage are meant, and
that the fresh sage is indicated.
Belief in sage's antiseptic and healing properties is cited in Banckes'
Herbal: "It will make a man's body clean; therefore who
that useth to eat of this herb or drink it, it is marvel that any inconvenience
should grieve them that use it."
What happened when I tried it?
I rubbed some on my teeth with a finger, and also tried it with a toothbrush.
The effect was similar to toothpaste, though a bit mouth-puckering. Certainly,
gunk was removed from the teeth and the breath was fresher; the mouth (after
rinsing) felt cleaner too!
Would this work?
Salt is one of the common alternative tooth brushing powders suggested in
modern texts, and its granular nature would help polish the teeth. The
chlorophyll in green herbs such as sage freshen the breath, and sage is a
somewhat astringent/antiseptic, so it might promote gum health and discourage
bacteria growth. It certainly worked fine as a tooth powder.
Gilbertus Anglicus, about 1400, English
"And let him use this powder: Take of pepper, one ounce; and of mint, as much; and of rock salt, as much. And make him to chew this powder a good while in his mouth, and then swallow it down."
Redaction:
1 oz pepper
1 oz dried peppermint leaves, ground
1 oz kosher salt
Mixed together.
I chose to use dried peppermint because a powder is indicated. This recipe
created a lot more than could be concievably used at one sitting, so I suspect
a spoonful or less, chewed and swallowed, is indicated.
What happened when I tried it?
This recipe produces a spicy, hot tasting, slightly abrasive chew, which
certainly makes the mouth feel fresher. I didn't think my teeth were markedly
cleaned, though.
Would it work?
The salt, the essential oil in the peppermint and the almost caustic oil of the
pepper would combine to make the mouth at least temporarily hostile to
bacteria. It would also give the patient a temporarily positive breath smell,
and chewing the salt might loosen some food particles.
Gilbertus Anglicus, 15th century, English
"And let him use these pills that are good for all manner of stinking of the mouth: Take of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace, eight drams; of red sandlewood, ten drams; of quibibis, seven drams; of cardamom, five drams. Mix them with the juice of mint and make pills of the size of a fig. And let him to have two of them under either side of his tongue at once."
Redaction:
One (modern) dram is a little over a teaspoon, so I cut the recipe down significantly:
1 tsp. Saunders (red Sandalwood)
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Mace
3/4 teaspoon Cloves
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
scant 3/4 teaspoon Cubebs
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
1-2 bunches mint
The other spices were ground and combined.
The Mint was macerated in a food processor and the juice strained through a
muslin bag to wet the spices. The resulting paste was rolled into balls about
the size of a dime, which were really too big to fit two under the tongue, but
smaller than figs. I'm not sure how the original author would fit two fig sized
balls under the tongue-- perhaps he was thinking of raisins.
What happened when I tried it?
I tried putting one pea sized ball under one side of my tongue. There was a
certain amount of burning sensation caused by the hot spices, but the breath
was noticeably sweet!
Would it work?
The patient would certainly have breath that smelled of spices and the
essential oils of the spices could well disrupt the life cycles of bacteria
that cause bad breath either in the mouth, sinuses or stomach. Both Spices and
mint were believed to promote digestion, and good digestion was believed by all
authors to assist with bad breath. I'm unclear on the reason for including red
sandalwood-- it's a food coloring and the modern stuff has no smell of its own,
but would stain the inside of teeth a bit. It doesn't produce the tartar-test
red effect, because sandalwood isn't soluble in water, just in alcohol.
Trotula, 11th Century, On Women's Cosmetics (book 3)
"I saw a certain Saracen woman liberate many people with this
medicine. Take little bit of laurel leaves, and a little bit of musk, and
let her hold it under the tongue before bad break is perceived in her. When I
recommend that day and night and especially when she has to have sexual
intercourse with anyone she hold these things under her tongue."
Redaction:
Provided are 3 redactions:
A laurel leaf is in fact a leaf
of the bay laurel, called 'bay leaves'. A piece of bay leaf about 1 cm square
seems to be the most manageable and comfortable size, especially if it is to be
kept in place during vigorous exercise.
Natural musk is an animal product, in texture similar to an oleoresin. However,
since we now consider it cruel to slaughter deer simply for the contents of the
glands in their buttocks, the real thing is no longer available. In Australia,
musk flavored Lifesavers are available, but I was unable to find musk
food-flavoring here in the US. So I had to settle for a non-foodsafe synthetic
musk fragrance oil, Jakarta Musk, and mix it with the bay by anointing the leaf
with it.
Kirel from the SCA-Cooks list suggested that the flavor of musk is in the same
category as orangeflower water. So I've also soaked a bay leaf in some
orange-flower water. My experience of medieval and renaissance recipes is that
musk is generally used more for scent than for medicinal properties, so this
substitution would not likely decrease any medical properties. Orange-flower
water is mentioned in the Manual de Mugeres,
a Spanish text, so while it might not have been available to the original
readers of Trotula, it would be available in the Mediterranean later on, and
used for perfuming purposes.
What happened when I tried it?
When I tried keeping the bay leaf alone under my tongue, it didn't give off
much smell. In an attempt to increase the odor, I chewed on it a bit. However,
the essential oil of bay thus realized burns the mouth, so I don't recommend
it. I believe that the breaking of the fresh leaf should be enough damage to
the leaf to release the oils. I wouldn't recommend keeping the bay leaf under
the tongue for any long period of time, though, since oil of bay in large
concentrations can be toxic.
Would this work?
Bay oil is a considered antiseptic by essential oil specialists, and also has a
pronounced scent. It might stop the bacteria causing the smell. The
sweetish scent of musk would also overpower any nasty smells, and, as the
author suggests, is also associated with sexual pheromones. [The use of musk in
Australian LifeSavers candy suggests that they, at least, consider it a
positive breath scent.]
Markham. The English
Housewife, 1615.
"To make teeth white.
Take a saucer of strong vinegar, and two spoonsful of the powder of roche
alume, a spoonful of white salt, and a spoonful of honey: seethe all these till
it be as thin as water, then put it into a close vial and keep it, and when
occasion serves wash your teeth therewith, with a rough cloth, and rub them
soundly, but not to bleed."
Redaction:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. pickling alum
1 tsp. white salt
1 tsp. honey
Heated together until incorporated, then simmered about 5 minutes longer.
Alum or burnt alum appears with regularity in recipes for mouth- and tooth-
cleaning, as well as in some 19th century household aids recipes. For instance,
burnt alum is in a recipe in Plat's Delightes for Ladies. Some forms of alum, when exposed to water,
are supposed to form a weak sulfuric acid, so this mixture is probably
not very safe to use on mucous membranes, like the inside of the mouth.
Certainly, the pickling alum bottle warns that it tastes sour when dry but in
pickling solution becomes neutral-- so I tested a tiny bit on the tip of my
tongue and was rewarded with a significant burning sensation. I used pickling
alum since Mistress Anne Liese's dyeing website suggests that it is most likely
to be the period form of alum.
The teaspoon measure of the alum, salt, and honey may have been too small, and
perhaps the 1/2 cup of vinegar too big, though 1/2 cup fit just right into one
of the modern saucers I have; as soon as the mixture was incorporated, it was
'as thin as water'. I didn't want to add too much alum to the solution, so
I compromised on the teaspoon measure.
The vinegar I used was plain red wine vinegar, 5% acidity; period vinegar would
have been rather stronger-- 7% to 15% acidity. I was unable to find a stronger
vinegar in my local stores and didn't want to take a chance on adding vinegar
concentrate to this particular chemical experiment. I used red wine vinegar
because I was too cheap to use white wine vinegar. Since this is a
British recipe and no particular vinegar is specified, cider vinegar might be
substituted. (I have no references to cider vinegar, but hard cider was a well
known drink in Britain; cider vinegar would have been a by-product of home
production of cider.)
What happened when I tried it?
I tried this on my teeth (it's essentially a strong traditional pickling brine)
and found they certainly felt very clean, even days later, compared to the
untreated side of the mouth. I suspect this would be a bad thing to use on a
regular basis, because of the alum solution.=
Would it work?
Well, this acidic mixture certainly pulled gunk off my teeth and made them feel
fresher. It might also kill germs (or at least seriously inconvenience them)
because of the acidic nature of the mixture. It might also cause decay of the
enamel of the teeth, though.
Idea from Rumpolt, recipe from Plat's Delightes for
Ladies, 1602.
Rumpolt, Ein Neu Kochbuch, 1581.
"Of assorted sugar comfits (as) from the apothecary. .
.
2. Anise coated.[with sugar] . . .
6. Caraway coated.
7. Fennel coated."
Redaction:
1/2 cup each caraway seed, anise seed, fennel seed
Syrup: 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water
Water and sugar are mixed together and heated. Once the mixture has combined,
the heat is adjusted upwards until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, about
240 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be ready when a drop dropped into a glass of
water forms a soft ball rather than a splat on the bottom.
Put half of one type of seeds (do one type at a time) into the bottom of a
small, round metal bowl. Ladle on one tablespoonful of syrup. Stir quickly with
a fork, using a scraping motion. Add the rest of the seeds to this mixture,
which will first become a sticky ball and then separate out into smaller
sections. Stir and squash until seeds have separated and cooled. Add another
spoonful of syrup and repeat. Continue this process until comfits are covered
with the appropriate amount of sugar. As the coating gets thicker, you may need
to cool the comfits between coats in the freezer or out of doors. Be sure not
to let the syrup crystallize-- if it does, add water, stir it in, and bring
back up to temperature.
These comfits would be served after dinner to clean the breath and combat
indigestion and gas. Gerard's Herbal says of anise seed:
"Being chewed it makes the breath sweet." Of caraway, Gerards' says
"The seed confected, or made with sugar into Comfits, are very good for
the stomacke, they helpe digestion, provoke urine, asswage and and dissolve all
windinesse; to conclude in a word, they are answerable to Anise seed in
operation and virtues."
Note: the directions used here are more similar to those in Plat's Delightes
for Ladies than to Rumpolt's. To save
space, those instructions have been omitted from this documentation.
What happened when I tried it?
These comfits give the feeling of freshening the breath for 15 minutes or so,
up to half an hour. Eating a lot of them seems to alleviate gas as well.
Would it work?
Well, they certainly don't prevent tooth decay, but all three seeds (anise,
caraway, and fennel) have carminative effects, widely commented on by the
Renaissance herbalists. Even today, Indian restaurants serve candied seeds of
this type to combat indigestion and sweeten the breath. They certainly make my
breath fresher when I use them.
Other links:
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copyright 2002 Jennifer Heise. For permission to reprint, email jahb at lehigh.edu . Permission is explicitly granted for limited reproduction as a printed handout for classes in schools, herb society meetings, or classes or guild meetings in the Society for Creative Anachronism (except to corporate officers and board members of the SCA, Inc.), as long as I am notified and credited and the entire handout is used. Jadwiga's Herb site: http://www.lehigh.edu/~jahb/herbs/herbs.html
If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
<the end>