Mouth and gums

A sage or thyme rinse is among the oldest documented household habits of all, and the catalogue lists exactly those under this topic — common sage and common thyme, with German chamomile, peppermint and wild thyme. Clove is the classic for an aching tooth; mastic is chewed as a resin around the Mediterranean.

The form is external and brief: rinse, gargle, application. The tradition does not speak of treating a tooth here, but of the feeling in the mouth.

Decay and periodontitis arise in bacterial plaque and are dealt with mechanically — a toothbrush, interdental cleaning and the dentist. No rinse replaces that, and clove numbs the pain without doing anything about the cause.

Herbal rinses have evidence mainly at the level of comfort and tolerability. That is a legitimate role; it just must not be confused with treatment.

Swelling of the cheek or jaw with fever means a spreading dental infection — that is an emergency, not a reason for more gargling.

An ulcer or a white or red patch in the mouth that has not healed within three weeks always needs an examination. So do repeatedly bleeding gums, loose teeth and pain that wakes you from sleep.