Bad Breath

Intermittent or After Meals

A Nice Spice

Anise, or aniseed, belongs to the parsley family but tastes like licorice. Like parsley, anise is a little-known but effective breath freshener. But unlike parsley, the breath­cleansing power of anise is contained in the flowering seeds, not in the leaf. Often, Indian restaurants offer anise seeds to diners after a meal instead of mints.

Chew a pinch or two after particularly pungent meals. It will aid your digestion a bit, too, at no extra charge. Aniseed is available at the spice counter of many supermarkets.

Freshen Up with Clove

A potent, pleasing, aromatic herb often used by cooks, clove has many valuable properties, from stimulant to antiseptic to breath freshener. Herbalists suggest that one leaf put into your mouth after a garlic-laden lunch or dinner freshens breath for hours. Pick up some cloves at your local herbal shop.

Recurrent Bad Breath

Spooning for Better Breath

You already know about brushing and flossing the teeth to reduce bad breath. If you're brushing to no avail, try brushing your tongue. Or if you're a purist, try "tongue scraping." What apparently began as a West Coast fad has caught on among many dental hygienists, dentists and, of course, cosmetic companies. Tongue scrapers have made their way into chain drugstores and health food stores nationwide. The scrapers may help get rid of bad breath-and help prevent it as well. Scrapers cleanse tongues of millions of tiny bacteria that most people miss when they freshen up their mouth, morning and evening.

What the cosmetics companies don't tell you is that a spoon will work nearly as well.

Baking Soda Breathwork

For fresh breath, mix together baking soda and ground cinnamon. Scoop the mixture onto your toothbrush and brush away lunchtime bad breath, or your morning coffee breath.

Beating Bad Breath

Do your dates flinch when you whisper sweet nothings in their ears? It may be your breath, not your choice of words, that's turning them off. Try this concoction for a fresher approach:

In a one-sixth-ounce bottle, mix equal parts of pure essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, star anise and lemon. Shake well. Then add two to three drops of the mixture to a glass of water. Take a healthy swig, gargle and rinse well.

Indian Toothpick

Take a hint from India: Twigs from the native neem tree and the oils within can help fight infections associated with gingivitis or other periodontal problems. It's a low-tech, highly effective dental "tool." People from India often chew on the tree's twigs for on-the-spot relief. In the West, you can sample the extract in an imported toothpaste known as Auromere. Health food stores and Indian-American markets carry the paste.