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𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐤 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡

Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 (𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦) 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝: “𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐔𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐡, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐮𝐝𝐮’ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐮𝐝𝐮.” (𝐁𝐮𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦)

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 (𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦) 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞:

𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐤

Alkaloids—Salvadorine, Trimethylamine—have an antibacterial effect

Silica—natural abrasive, removes stains

Calcium, Chlorides, and Fluorides—are important for dental care. Flouride helps in remineralizing the tooth structure.

Sulphur

Vitamin C

Resins—Form a protective layer over the enamel to prevent the formation of caries

Tannins—Function as a natural astringent, stimulate premolar saliva production

Saponins, Flavonoids, and Sterols in small amounts

Essential oils—impart a mild taste and fragrance, stimulate the production of saliva, and help relieve flatulence

𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐤

𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

One of the greatest blessings of this modern age has been the wide availability of food. Sweet, sour, tangy, bitter, farm fresh, processed—you name it, and your supermarket probably has it. But the increase in the availability of food, especially rich-in-sugar processed food, has manifested itself in the growing incidences of tooth decay in the general population.

Tooth decay occurs when enamel (the glossy white cover on your teeth) is destroyed. But how does it get destroyed despite regular brushing you ask? Simple. Our mouths harbor hundreds of different varieties of bacteria—some good, some bad. These bacteria use starch and sugar present in food to produce acid that wears off the enamel, thereby ushering in the process of decay that eventually leads to a cavity.

While most commercial toothpaste uses fluoride as a means to beat this decay, another effective solution to this is right inside you in the form of your saliva. Saliva helps fight tooth decay by preventing the buildup of acid and giving your teeth time to repair themselves. Miswak has been known to increase the formation of saliva in the mouth without the need for any commercial enhancers or additives, thus naturally fighting tooth decay.

Additionally, using Miswak helps strengthen teeth enamel thanks to the sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium oxide present in Miswak, thereby promoting tooth whitening too.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞

Did you know that plaque is building up in your mouth as you read this? (No, don’t rush to rinse now, breathe).

Surprisingly enough, the formation of plaque is a common process. Plaque is what they call the colorless film of bacteria that forms on the teeth and gums as the bacteria grow and multiply. But while regular brushing can easily remove plaque, its build-up leads to the formation of ‘tartar’—a visible yellow coloration that sticks to the teeth and gums and may cause gum disease and tooth loss in the future.

The easiest way to prevent the buildup of tartar and plaque, and thereby prevent gum disease and tooth loss, is to brush regularly and in the right manner. Miswak being the ‘toothbrush twig’ helps here thanks to its antibacterial property that prevents the bacteria from accumulating on the teeth and gums.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫

Bad breath, medically known as halitosis, is an indicator of a multitude of dental issues. Starting from eating particularly strong foods, to gum disease, and dental cavities, bad breath is a clear warning that things are not how they should be within your mouth. A lack of the production of saliva can lead to malodor too.

Considering how there isn’t one certain cause for bad breath, an all-in-one solution can go a long way in treating this condition. Miswak’s strong antibacterial activity along with its property of enhancing saliva production in the mouth is an effective remedy for bad breath. Additionally, since it is a naturally occurring substance, using the twig releases certain compounds that create a mild fragrance that is peculiar to Miswak.

𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬

The human mouth harbors no less than 700 different strains of bacteria, not all of which are harmful. While most of the bacteria present in the mouth aid in the breakdown of food, and in many cases even help maintain healthy teeth and gums, some bacteria are bad bacteria that actively destroy the teeth and gums. Dental cavities, tartar, gum disease, and periodontitis—a painful condition affecting the gums and jaw bone—are all related to bacteria residing in the mouth.

In numerous studies conducted by the World Health Organization, and other independent research groups, Miswak has been shown to contain a number of active antibacterial compounds that actively fight bacterial growth in the mouth. Also, people using Miswak on a regular basis were seen to suffer from lesser instances of oral hygiene issues than those who didn’t/use regular toothpaste and tooth powders.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐦𝐬

Here’s a pro tip—if you’re worried about whether or not your oral health is in good shape, look at your gums. The gums are the soft tissue that surrounds the teeth and help keep them in good condition. And as such, any condition affecting the teeth is manifested in the gums too.

Plaque build-up affects the gums, just as it affects the teeth. The development of plaque into tartar can affect the gums and teeth in three different ways, namely Gingivitis, Periodontitis, and Advanced Periodontitis. Most of us might have experienced the sharp pain of having something too cold or hot once in a while.

However, if this is a regular occurrence and is accompanied by swelling and inflammation of the gums, the condition is called Gingivitis and needs immediate attention and treatment. Untreated gingivitis with a further buildup of tartar affects the underlying bone structure causing gums to recede, dentures to change, and teeth to be lost eventually—a painful, irreversible condition known as advanced periodontitis

𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐜

Apart from the benefits of Miswak in oral hygiene and health, It has certain therapeutic effects to recommend its use too. Antioxidant enzymes such as peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase present in Miswak are said to have anti-carcinogenic properties, that is, they help prevent cancer. While it is yet to be established how effective Miswak is at fighting cancer that already exists in the body, its use as a preventive measure has been established via research.

Additionally, the active ingredients present in Miswak have analgesic, or pain relieving, properties that help deal with inflammation and pain, especially in the gums.

When was the last time a toothbrush could claim this?

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞

A key benefit of using Miswak has been its refreshing aftertaste and fragrance. Packed with a whole load of naturally occurring volatile aromatic compounds, using Miswak promotes a feeling of cleanliness and pleasant breath that is comparable to that of any commercially available mouthwash.

Allah knows Best.

Miswak

Source: Br. Marshall Gregory