Verdict on Neem Chew Stick Toothbrushes
After last month’s comprehensive review of eco-friendly toothbrushes, I tried another alternative: neem chew sticks from Neem Tree Farms. Chewing on various kinds of sticks for tooth cleaning has been a routine part of life in India, Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. So I ordered a bunch to try. The neem sticks from Neem Tree Farms are grown in North America and are shipped fresh from the farm the day they are harvested. Other than growing my own neem plant, this option seemed to be the lowest impact, plastic-free tooth brushing solution, assuming it worked for me.
I asked the company to send me my neem sticks without any plastic packaging. They arrived in a plain brown paper bag inside a cardboard mailer. So far so good.
Storage: The Neem Tree Farms web site instructs, “For best results, refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to use them but keep them in paper not plastic.” I stored mine in a glass jar. WRONG THING TO DO!
Sadly, they grew fuzzy white mold. What an expensive waste! This is the second time this month I have created a disaster after failing to follow instructions. (The first being my attempt to carbonate red wine in a Soda Stream soda maker. There’s a reason they say to only carbonate water. But I digress.) I’m sad not just because of the waste but because I planned to give away the rest to one of you guys. Why? Well, they just didn’t work so well for me.
How they work: Before the mold took over, I experimented with brushing my teeth with the sticks. The simple explanation is that you put one stick in your mouth and nibble off the bark with your teeth. Then, you chew on the inside fibers until they separate like bristles. The sticks are hard, and this process takes a while. I think it took me about 10 minutes to have something I could actually brush with.
And the brushing itself? For me, unsatisfying. Maybe I didn’t give the sticks enough of a try, but with the length of time it took to make the brush and knowing that I would have to repeat the same procedure each morning (you are supposed to cut off the end and start fresh each time), I just didn’t have the will to get better at it. And that’s ironic because one of the values of the sustainability movement is getting people to slow down and be mindful. I can see how chewing on neem could be a kind of meditation. But honestly, I have a hard enough time forcing myself to brush my teeth twice a day. Anything that makes it harder is not a good idea for me.
I really wish this solution had worked for me. If you’re interested, don’t let my failure stop you from having a go at it. Have you tried it already? What do you think?
Cut the branches into 3 inch pieces, and split into 3 twigs, after removing
the bark. So you have your piece to chew on, for a fun ,healthy, habit.
Practice religiously after each meal. Teeth and gums will stay fresh and clean.
I’m the same, the will to stop brushing is there but the neem sticks are not going to happen for me either. Like you I tried and find the inner stick to hard, it takes to long and don’t love the taste or feel. Spitting out bits of bark is also not a thing I enjoy as it turns out.
This sounds incredible! Could you tell me how the bristles themselves were doing in your mouth? did they fall off easily? are they flexible? are they strong enough? Please let me know:)
Did you find the little bristles falling off easy and getting in your mouth easily? I noticed that with miswak and I am trying to find a plant that has stronger bristles but aren’t too harsh on the gums.
So, after learning about neem, I decided to see if I could find alternatives that grow in or near New England so I don’t have to get peelu or neem shipped from across the world. There are lots of local trees that can be used, I’ve found. Neem may be the best twig studied, but ash or beech twigs seem to work just fine to me and they’re quite easy to get of you know your trees. I also have been experimenting with using licorice roots I can get in bulk at the local co-op or herbal shop. They taste far better than neem (and even a little better than beech, depending on your feelings about beech gum flavor) and they work very well. I use chewing sticks while using the toilet in the morning and sometimes while driving to work. While taking a walk is another nice time though people will give me strange looks sometimes. Soaking a stick briefly in water (I have a bathroom shot glass for the purpose) or even just rinsing it and letting it sit for a few minutes makes the initial part easier. Using licorice root does make my mouth taste like licorice for an hour or so. Luckily I like licorice. Also, after I eat, my teeth feel more clean. Like spooky more clean, like the bacteria forgot about making acid and I’m just left with the scouring effect of whatever I’m eating. This unnerved me at first. I’ve never had that when brushing with a nylon toothbrush, even with herbal dental powder. Really, the only thing I don’t like about licorice is that I don’t know the effects of swallowing the juice. I know licorice can effect digestion and blood pressure, so though I’m reasonably healthy and it’s not that much licorice, I alternate sticks and use a beech or (longhorn) sumac twig when I’m not using licorice. Other twig options I haven’t explored are dogwood, birth, fruit tree twigs, and hazel. There’s also a kind of sweetgum that can be used but I don’t know if you can use the North American kind (the tree that produces a crop of spiky brown balls) or not. I know it’s bitter like neem and smells like cinnamon – a winning combo so far – but don’t have one in my neighborhood to try.
Miswak sticks are way better. And you’re not supposed to do it for just 2min or so but like 20-30min at a time which is not so daunting since you don’t have toothpaste in your mouth this don’t need to be by the sink the whole time.
The key is to chew neem sticks and keep that juice in mouth for a 30 secs and spit out. you have to do that for 10-15 min. you don’t have to use it like a brush.the neem juice is powerful enough to clean. u just have to keep in mouth and rinse..the neem stick antibacterial,antifungal etc…every now and then you can use toothbrush. I’m saying this out of my own experience.. You can try it. it’s fun..
Try Miswak sticks they’re much softer. You can order them on eBay.
Hello everyone
I m Narendra Singh from India ( Agra), if anyone want neem twig/stick then i can send to you.
plz revert on nspagra1@gmail.com 9837022884
A toothpick and floss take care of that. 😉 Very occasionally [usually when I’m sick and need to be absolutely certain my mouth is clean] I’ll still use an old toothbrush, either with just water, or baking soda, or peroxide, or some mixture of those — but not often because it can be too harsh. Before we were married my husband used mouthwash instead of toothpaste to brush his teeth [just stuck his toothbrush straight into the mouthwash bottle]. As long as a person’s teeth are clean and their mouth is healthy, I don’t think a dentist should care how it’s achieved. 🙂
If salvadora persica contains sodium bicarbonate, doesn’t miswak ruin your teeth? Doesn’t anyone know if neem contains it too?
This is an old thread, but for anyone googling it, I thought it important to note that there has actually been a scientific study of this. The study found neem sticks to be just as good at reducing gingivitis, and significantly better at reducing plaque, than toothbrushes:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4114011/
I started using Miswak sticks this year (2015) and I am really happy with them. It takes a while to get used to them but I’m amazed at how much they have whiten my teeth.
Interesting. Do sassafras twigs taste like root beer?
g-na, I found this on the “Sea Pearl” website:
Sea Pearls are natural sea sponges. Sponges are plant-like creatures growing in colonies on the ocean floor. There are over five thousand known varieties, the softest of which are the Atlantic and Mediterranean Silks. As sponges are harvested, millions of egg and sperm cells are released into the surrounding water, making the sponge an ideal renewable resource that provides an ecologically sound product for menstrual use
Sea Pearls sea sponges come from Tarpon Springs, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Sponge diving was started there in 1905 by the Cocoris brothers. They were so impressed by the high quality of the Gulf Coast sponges that they brought their entire family from Greece to Tarpon springs. This was the beginning of the Greek sponge industry in Florida. To this day, the town of Tarpon Springs still honours its Greek cultural traditions and language.
Sponge tampons are sustainably harvested and reusable for 6 months or more.
Natural teeth care fixes are the option for oral hygiene for some who wish to stop the toxins and preservatives in common dental products. The chemicals in mouthwash can incorporate alcohol and fluoride as well preservatives and chemical foaming agents. It’s totally possible to receive the same results using natural solutions from around your home. Check out http://www.sewakalbadr.com for more on miswak.
the most effictive miswak “siwak” is brought from from the ” Arak tree” roots not the twigs .
muslims use miswak from the roots of ” Arak tree “ it is amazing .
hi its good to hear but really you should have soak those twigs overnite in some water then chew it a bit makes it much easier also once you got the brush ready as in your pic you dont have to cut it off u can use it like that until you see it looks finish about 2 or 3 weeks by then the next part will only need a bit of chewing and itll be ready .also this stick doesnt have to be used twice you can just keep it in your pocket n brush wheneva u feel like it will keep you fresh all day. it will strenthen ur brain,etc theres over100 benefits for using the toothstick
@seanthomasbrooks I wrote that it’s a different kind of wood. I don’t know how I could have been any more clear.
@Beth Terry @seanthomasbrooks its just a bit mis leading and could be written to explain that… as a reader if I was not informed I would not know the difference. I have used both sticks and one is way more different than the other that is all.
Uhhh those sticks used in the video are not NEEM STICKS… Get you info in order before posting all over the place..
@seanthomasbrooks I didn’t say they were neem sticks. I wrote, “Here’s a funny video I found on Youtube explaining how to use a miswak stick, which is a different kind of wood but similar procedure. “
i really dont see the problem with a normal toothbrush i think its a clever idea but to work 10 minutes on something i can do in 2 is not worth it.
The problem is plastic! Duh.
Well, those neem sticks look pretty thick to me. I use dogwood twigs, in my area that’s Cornus florida. I have also used neem twigs when I visit south Florida where the tree can survive–it’s too cold in north Florida. Fraying the end really does not take that long if it is a twig.
As for fresh plant material in a glass jar–always an herbalist’s nightmare in hot and humid climates. Rosita Arviga learned this right off during her apprenticeship in Belize. Paper bags are the way to go.
What was your experience with the frayed end of the dogwood? were there pieces falling into your mouth easily or were they pretty flexible and strong? Please let me know:)
You can split the neem stick into smaller sections, easily.
hmnn…if I were walking the Appalachian trail and a wild boar ate my toothbrush, a stick might seem like a good idea. you get major points for trying this, and thanks for reminding me of the importance of checking out sustainable options for EVERY product. must remember this!
Blehh…. that doesn’t look fun at all. How much less effective would it be to use a cloth wrapped around a finger and some floss?
After I wash my face with a cotton washcloth, or use witch hazel on a cotton ball/pad to tone my face, I rub my teeth with it. My teeth feel smoother/cleaner when I do this than they do with a toothbrush, and I don’t have to use any toothpaste [which I not only don’t like spending money on, I hate that I’d have to time my brushing so that the minty taste would be gone before I could eat anything else]. With flossing and mouthwash use [I’ve a weakened immune system and have been prone to oral infections/tonsillitis since childhood, or else I wouldn’t use mouthwash either], my teeth are just as clean as when I used a brush and paste.
Actually now that you mentioned it, I started using cloth to wipe my baby’s teeth when they first started to come out. Couldn’t we also use that as adults?? 🙂 Thanks for the reminder! I’ve started to use just a toothbrush and water to brush my teeth twice a day. But it never seems as satisfying as when I used to use toothpaste. Any tips?
I also do have a tiny concern of how my baby will cope in school when the dentist sees her and she tells her that she doesn’t know how to use a toothbrush and instead uses cloth to wipe her teeth.
What about food getting stuck between your teeth?
I’m interested in starting using this, but i wonder how do you use it effectively on the back side of? the teeth ?
Beth, do you have a good nonplastic commercial toothpaste recommendation? Tom’s of Maine just went to all plastic tubes AND discontinued the only flavor my kid has ever liked.
this is not a plastic FREE alternative – however there are toothbrushes made of recycled yogurt cups. They come in packaging that has prepaid postage so that you can mail it back to be recycled again.
Hi, Mary. You are referring to Preserve toothbrushes made from recycled yogurt containers and other number 5 plastic products. They are actually the first toothbrush I reviewed in my original toothbrush review post here:
http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/05/eco-friendly-toothbrush-review-and-giveaway/
How is a stick not plastic free??
She’s referring to Preserve toothbrushes, not neem sticks.
Didn’t worked good as a toothbrush for me but i used them when i quit smoking to keep my mouth occupied.
A few points from India, where this method is still used, though not as widely as it was 30 years ago.
(1) Were the sticks really very dry? Here, we use young twigs off the plants because they are easiest to chew. they’re a bit more slender than what you seem to have there. Also because you don’t mention the taste, which should have been quite a notable thing had you had young, fresh sap in the twigs
(2) No, it’s not something used centuries ago. It’s in use in living memory, though — like I was saying, rarer than 30 years ago, when it seemed ubiquitous in my child’s eyes. Lots of long-lived people around here with all their teeth — can’t recall more than two of my 15-odd grandparents, great-grandparents and great-uncles and aunts having ever had caries of any sort (and no, dentist’s visits as prevention are STILL not the norm, so that’s not regular professional cleaning doing the trick).
(3) I’m guessing the pregnancy warning is statutory for any herbal product that hasn’t expressly been studied for safety in pregnancy. Neem does nothing terrible to your hormones that regular food doesn’t (there are enough phytoestrogens in food even without soy coming into the picture; there are other foods that cause migraines, relieve aches and whatnot… all food has ‘side effects’, if you look really hard for them). In India, or at least the eastern part of the country, we eat neem leaves all the time as a delicacy. No one stops using neem twigs or eating the leaves because they are pregnant. (And it’s not our of ignorance — there ARE proscribed foods, such as raw poppy seed paste.) We do stop when breastfeeding, but only because some children (supertasters, i guess) can taste the difference in mother’s milk.
(4) It shouldn’t take very long to brush with these — in fact, we try to peel the bark with the front teeth, then actively chew on the end to soften it and use alternate sides to do that, because the very act of chewing cleans the teeth for the most part. After that, a quick once-over. But yeah, nowhere near as fast as toothpaste… though like someone’s already said, the idea isn’t to do this at ‘brushing time’. We do it between tasks or while doing other stuff — on your morning walk, while walking the dog, reading the paper, watching an after-dinner movie, waiting for the bath to fill are all good ideas!
hi there i m regular user of it and feel refresh more than normal tooth brushing……its my experience but my grand father experience he is above 80 year they say they never ever go to dentist(dant vedhya) actually i see in his mouth….they have all the teeth actually there……..i feel very bad that i started neem brushing very late…..yeah you say it correctly i do my brushing with my daily works like walking, doing work some time i do it while i was on bed….i don’t thing that ugly foam getting out of my teeth….its taste is bit bitter but actually its refreshing….
Hello Beth,
You and your blog are an inspiration. I try to do my bit to be caring to mother nature while not compromising the convenience since I am a working mom and shortcuts really help. My husband was all for convenience that could border onto luxury to be lazy and after seeing your TED talk and a brief visit to your blog, i see him remembering to carry the cloth bags I always have in his car to the grocery store. Great initiative!
This post made me comment for the first time, because I grew up in India brushing teeth this way (only during vacations, because during school days it is time-consuming), but my grandparents never used a tooth-brush, just this or stems of a specific variety of dry-thorny-acacia like plant. We didnt even buy it, neem trees were so much in abundance on road sides, my grandparents would go out for a walk, pluck a few branches, use the fresh leaves for boiling water for bathing (neem is a great antiseptic), and use the stems for brushing!
I am very fond of this method and it brings me childhood memories back, thank you so much for posting it. I was thrilled to see you explore this option!
They might not have told you this but your supposed to soak them in water overnight before you use them. It really helps soften the bark and bristles. Brushing with miswak does take longer, because the thing’s so much smaller.
I don’t use neem sticks, but miswaks. I haven’t tried using them exclusively for brushing but maintenance in between. Like the poster mentioned above, I find it really irritating that I can’t find them except individually wrapped in plastic.
I think you are doing it wrong, we shave some of the end off with a knife and then chew to soften. I don’ think you need to try to chew through the bark, it just shouldn’t take that long to get it ready to go. And I don’t think you need to start fresh everyday. I think rinsing it is sufficient. Sorry about the mold, I have never had that happen with a miswak stick like that.
I haven’t been using it long enough to give you a report back from the dentist, but it feels very good on the gums, seems to be very good for the circulation.
That is too bad about your failed SodaStream experiment, because carbonated red wine would be AWESOME!!!
Where can you order seeds or plants? Could they grow well in a pot?
I have been searching for more natural toothpaste sold in a glass jar and this came up. Has anyone used Uncle Harry’s peppermint toothpaste?
I’ve read that licorice can provoke hypertension, so if someone has really high blood pressure, they should check with a health care person to be sure chewing on licorice sticks are okay for them.
I bought some Neem tea and then realized it said to be careful if you are nursing or pregnant. I wasn’t nursing or pregnant, but it creeped me out. Since why not take the best care of your body at all times? I think Neem interacts with your hormones in some way. My two cents.
they say that about neem tea because when neem tea’s bitterness dissolve with your milk for nourishing and the food while you are pregnant …..it taste bad to children……while it occur 1 from 25 baby that causes baby get less food that’s all but there is never ever hormones disturbance…….
What about using your own fingers instead of anything – may be you can use some ayurvedic recipes as paste! That is also popular in this part of the world(india)
neem sticks are better to deal with un-accessible portion of teeth where fingre and past dont goes better
It turns out that one of my local herb sores carries neem sticks for $8 a pound
Neem Sticks, 1 lb.
Price: $8.00
and licorice root
Licorice Root Sticks, Sticks One Pound $16.00
The minimum order is $25, but if anyone can’t get them where they are, I’ll be happy to pick up and mail you some at cost.
http://herbies-herbs.com/neem-p1224
why to go evey month to store WHY? pluck it nearby tree……what the problem…..are you sick of store-eopath…….
I found a Facebook Group recipe for licorice root.
I have used licorice root in the past.
I think I’l try it again! It’s more local in any case.
Regarding how well it works, tooth decay used to be much much much less frequent. Yes, LESS frequent. Blame processed foods for this, but don’t knock the dental improvement to be had by drinking water, eating whole unprocessed foods and chewing on sticks for tooth brushing!
If you do enjoy the tatse of licorice then chewing on the root can be enjoyable if not down right addictive! I keep mine in its own little bag and chew on it after meals.
ok upside:
tatses great
licorice is beneficial to the adrenals
it also reduces sugar cravings!
it possibly keeps your teeth cleaner in general if you do it throughout the day?
it good for us folk who quit smoking and enjoy an oral substitute
ok now downside;
it tastes like licorice! bad for those who don’t enjoy this (crazy people)
you need to be ok with people thinking you are smoking a cigar if you do it in public
sometimes its not easy to get them
its one of those things that it out of your ordinary routine…in other words you have to have some discipline otherwise its easier just loading up a toothbrush cause thats just what we’re so used to
talking about toothpaste, are there any non-plastic packaging alternatives for my licorice off-weeks?
I’m leery of anything said to have been used for centuries in the past – simply because people didn’t live that long ten and, in the case of teeth, those who lived the longest usually were toothless at the end. People made do with the best thing they could come up with, usually by finding it in situ nearby. That’s a far cry from the results of research.
That said – the two most important things for tooth care are flossing and fluoride. But to look at the shelves in the store, with so many varieties of supposed “heatlhcare” products for the mouth you’d think you need to spend your life in the bathroom to keep your teeth in shape!
my grandparents were used to neem sticks…and all plucked from our backyard..:)..and they used to say that the sour/bitter juice oozing out of thestick was an amazing anti oxidant…and we as kids dint love it but took their word
…aaand it looks like I’m going to have to search for this stuff in my local health food stores because I would have to get the required paperwork and fees to import them into Canada. :/
In my Norse reenactment group some of us use licorice root in the same way. Personally I don’t chew off so much at a time. I only chew about half a centimeter to a centimeter to use as bristles. Only just enough to make them useful but still firm enough to hold some shape.
And I don’t like the taste of licorice… I might cheat and try this stuff.
Funny that you should post this at a time when I’m a few weeks into my (so far) successfull miswak experiment…
I can second the account of how it takes longer to brush your teeth with a “stick”. However, that’s not a reason for me to stop doing it – on the contrary, I find that I’m giving the same attention to all areas of my mouth this way, instead of chronically neglecting some spots like I used to. The beaty of miswak (and neem, I guess) is that it doesn’t require toothpaste so I don’t have to brush in front of a sink – instead, I just do it while reading the paper or checking my e-mail or something, so the longer time spent on brushing doesn’t bother me.
What DOES bother me, however, is that I haven’t found miswak NOT individually wrapped in plastic so far. At least not in any shop that allows me to order from Germany without any additional fuss. I’ll have to research neem. Or else I’m going to try buying some miswak in bulk while visiting Egypt and then freezing part of it like you suggested for the neem sticks.
One last thing, not really eco-related: since I’m studying Islamic Studies (not a muslim myself, but studynig Islam in an academic way), I’d like to point out that the quote at the beginning of your video isn’t a koranic quote… instead, it’s something reported of the Prophed Muhammad’s behaviour, which means (in this case) that some people consider it beneficial to follow this example, but it’s not strictly a rule.
Neem doesn’t look like it would work for me, either.
However, re: carbonating wine. In researching carbonation I considered Soda Stream, but it seemed too wasteful and too proprietary. Finally, I just bought a 20 lb CO2 bottle, a regulator ($100 for both, used), some plastic tubing (initially vinyl–opps. Replaced with HDPE icemaker tubing.), misc connectors, a stainless steel tire valve, and a couple 2 liter plastic soda bottles. Didn’t try to go plastic free, and don’t see an easy, safe way to do so now. However, those 2 bottles are the last bottles I’ve purchased for maybe a year. They are PET, I’d like to replace them eventually with foodgrade, heavy duty PE or PP for a permanent solution.
Put cold, filtered water in the bottle, put on the cap with the tire valve, turn on the regulator and shake for 30 secs at 50 psi. Even get a little exercise. CO2 refills (once in a year so far) are $6. (I’m lucky, probably closer to $25 most parts.) Bottle or so a day. Put anything in it. Not my website.
I found you this recipe/alternative to try!
Sage tooth whitening scrub
Gervase Markham, The English Housewife. 1615
“For teeth that are yellow:
Take sage and salt, of each alike, and stamp them well together, then bake till it be hard, and make a fine powder thereof, then therewith rub the teeth evening and morning and it will take away all yellowness.”
For more info: http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/teeth.html#Sage_tooth_whitening_scrub
Beth, you are so hard core! It’s a great concept, though I haven’t heard a great deal about how great people’s teeth are that use them. I am not so hard core… I think the amount of plastic used at the next dental visit to correct the damage from my not brushing with a regular toothbrush might counter act the impact of the idea. I’m curious to know if others have had success. It looks a bit more time consuming than I have patience for haha
its not time consuming i again say but try it i don’t
change any tooth brush any more just pluck stick and dont go for dentist forenamel but it do’sent mean you don’t ever go to dentist….i go for tooth aliment…hahaha