Nausea, muscle aches, dizziness: the list of ailments that ginger is supposed to help with seems to be endless. But does ginger work against bad breath?
Miracle ginger?
Ginger is a real magic tuber: it not only gives a pleasant spiciness to dishes and drinks, it is also known to gently soothe various complaints. Studies show that the pungent and essential oils found in ginger can help nausea and nausea, among other things. Researchers at the Technische Universität München around Thomas Hofmann have now discovered another practical feature of the tuber: ginger helps to combat halitosis.
That’s why ginger helps against bad breath
According to the scientists, the concentration of the enzyme sulfhydryl oxidase 1 in saliva increases within a few seconds when ginger is consumed – and this is 16 times greater. Responsible for the effect is the pungent gingerol in ginger. The purpose of the salivary enzyme: Dissolve sulfurous malodorous compounds in the mouth. This ensures, on the one hand, that the otherwise long lasting aftertaste of certain foods such as coffee is reduced. “Our breath also smells better,” explains Hoffmann. In the future, ginger could be used against bad breath by using the gingerol, for example, in oral hygiene products.
And how can I use the spicy tuber against bad breath – which is especially handy if you just can not brush your teeth? For example with tea ! For the preparation you need:
- Two to four grams of fresh ginger
- Hot water
Simply slice the ginger into thin slices and pour over the water. Let the tea go for about five minutes. In general, the longer ginger tea drins, the sharper it gets! Incidentally, any meal preparation with ginger is also good for the figure: 100 grams of tuber have just 80 calories or 335 kilocalories (kcal).
There’s an alternative on the go: ginger chewing gum! If you, for example, before an important deadline slight nausea verspürst excitement, chewing gum can relieve these gentle with ginger flavor. In addition, the chewing gum itself should have a relaxing effect.
Citric acid also affects the oral flora
Hoffmann and his team also looked at other foods as they act on so-called dissolved molecules in saliva and bad breath. In addition to ginger, citric acid also has an effect on our oral flora. More specifically, the so-called sodium ions: The juice of the lemon increases the salivation – and thus the amount of dissolved minerals in the saliva. This increases the sodium ion level, which makes us perceive foods as less salty.
Careful, salt!
From this discovery, a tip for the future preparation of the recipes with lemon juice can be derived: Who cooks or bakes with it, should be economical with the salt. Although we take the salt taste less true because of the citric acid, but the Germans eat anyway too much salt:
- Women consume about 8.4 grams of salt per day
- Men around ten grams
In contrast, the German Nutrition Society recommends a maximum of six grams of salt per day. In this case, health may be a bit less.