‘Chewing sticks prevent tooth decay better than conventional toothpastes’
*Boost fertility; stimulate sexual arousal, performance in men
“The object of all health education is to change the conduct of individual men, women, and children by teaching them to care for their bodies well, and this instruction should be given throughout the entire period of their educational life.” — Charlie H. Mayo (Physician, Founder of Mayo Clinic 1865)
NIGERIAN researchers have demonstrated that three local chewing sticks performed better than fluoride-based and conventional toothpastes in preventing tooth decay.
The local chewing sticks are: F agar az ant hoxyloi des( candlewood or Senegal prickly ash/ orinata in Yoruba ), Vernon ia amygdalina (bitter leaf) and Mass ul aria ac cumin at a( che wing stick ( pakoijebu in Yoruba/ atuuhie in Igbo)).
Researchers have also shown that one of the chewing sticks, Mass ul aria ac cumin at a, increased testosterone and libido.
The study titled “A Study of the Anticaries Activity of Three Common
Chewing Sticks and Two Brands of Toothpaste in South West Nigeria” was published in British journal of pharmaceutical Research.
The researchers from the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-iwoye, Ogun State, include: Odeleye Olubola Florence; Okunye Olufemi Lionel; Kesi Christopher; and Abatan Temitope Olubunmi.
They concluded: “The chewing sticks used in this study showed good antimicrobial activity against the isolates and could provide better care than fluoride toothpastes. The active compounds if isolated would be good caries-controlling components of herbal toothpastes.”
The researchers evaluated three common chewing sticks and two brands of toothpaste in southwest Nigeria for the ability to control caries-causing bacteria.
With an increase in tooth decay and gum diseases all over the world, there is need to produce oral cleaning agents that will better control caries-causing bacteria.
Three common che wings ticks-Fag ara zan thoxy lo ides( F Z ), Vernon ia amy gd ali na( VA) and Mass ul aria ac cumin at a( MA )and two brands of tooth paste-Close Up and Ma cleans-were evaluated for their anti-caries activities.
Zan thoxylumz ant hoxy lo ides( F agar az ant hoxyloi des) is a glabrous shrub or tree with an English or common name of candlewood or Senegal prickly ash. It is called Orinata in Yoruba. It belongs to the family Rutaceae. Its chewing sticks are obtained either from the stems or the roots and they give a warm pungent and numbing effect on the palate. These plants have also been reported to possess antisickling, antiparasitic and antiseptic activities and have been known to be used to treat other ailments including toothache, sexual impotence, gonorrhoea, malaria, dysmenorrhoea, urinary and venereal diseases and abdominal pain.
Veronica amy gd a line commonly called bitter leaf, isa perennial shrub belonging to the family Asteraceae. In Nigeria, the Edo calls it oriwo; Hausa, chusardoki (a horse tonic food containing the leaves); fatefate/mayemaye (a food prepared from the leaves); Ibibio, atidot; Igbo, onugbu; Tiv, ityuna; and Yoruba, ewuro. The plant is used as an anti-helminth, antimalarial, laxative, digestive tonic, appetizer and febrifuge and for the topical treatment of wounds. This plant also has a measure of anti caries activity. The roots and stems of this plant are used as chewing sticks and have been known to possess a measure of anti caries activity.
Commonly called Chewing stick, Mass ul aria a cu min at a (synonym Randiaacuminata) is of the family Rubiaceae. It is called pako-ijebu and orin-ijebu in Yoruba and atuuhie in Igbo. It grows as a shrub or small tree. The inhibitory properties of the plant are attributed to its phytochemicals, which include saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and anthraquinones. Mass ul aria a cu min at a is a traditionally used herb in Yoruba medicine, used as a chewing stick and aphrodisiac; the chewing stick aspect was researched for being an anti-gingivitis agent, and it appears to increase testosterone and libido in research animals.
According to Handbook of african medicinal plants, Second Edition, by Prof Maurice Iwu, Mass ul aria a cu min at a has been shown to possess significant antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens associated with orodental infections, including B act ero ides ging iv ali san dB. me lani no genic us. The aqueous extract of the plant has a Microbial Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of 0.5 and 2 ug/ml against Bacteroides ging iv ali san dB. me lani no genic us, respectively. The adherence of Streptococcus mu tans to the surface soft he teeth was effectively inhibited by a one per cent concentration of the aqueous extract of Massularia.
On the effect of Mass ul aria a cu min at a on male reproductive system, the Handbook of african medicinal plants noted: “Extracts of the stem at various doses (20-1000 mg/kg) produced a significant increase in testes- body weight ratio, testicular protein, glycogen, sialic acid, cholesterol, testosterone, and luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations of male rats throughout the period of administration…”
Meanwhile, a study published in the journal Evidence Based complement alternative medicine, have revealed that the aqueous extract of Mass ul aria a cu min a taste matt he doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight could be used as a stimulator of sexual behaviour in male rats. The study thus supports the acclaimed aphrodisiac use of the plant in folk medicine of Nigeria. The data obtained revealed that the action of M.acuminata extract was due to the influence on both sexual arousal and performance. “The aphrodisiac effect of the plant extract may be due to the presence of alkaloids, saponins and/or flavonoids through a multitude of central and peripheral means. Work is in progress on the isolation and characterization of the aphrodisiac principle(s) in the plant extract, the actual mechanism of action as well as the toxicity risks of the crude extract and bioactive agent(s),” the researchers noted.
Meanwhile, according to the study on local chewing sticks, fifty isolates of Staphylococcus au re us, one of the bacteria often implicated in dental caries, isolated from patients presenting with various dental problems at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria were obtained from the Medical Microbiology Department of the Hospital.