A natural mouth freshener is one of the oldest after-dinner habits there is. In India a small bowl of fennel seeds sits by the restaurant till. In the Han court of China, officials held cloves in their mouths before they spoke to the emperor. Each of these is a small, strong-tasting plant taken right after eating. Ours comes from a root in the mountains of Central Mexico, and it fits in a pocket.
Mukhwas and saunf, the bowl by the door
Mukhwas is the after-meal mix served across India and much of South Asia. The name joins the Sanskrit mukha (mouth) and vāsa, and it means roughly "keeps the mouth fresh". The base is seeds: fennel (saunf), anise, roasted coriander, sesame, sometimes coconut, often with a little peppermint oil for aroma. Green mukhwas is mostly fennel. In Hindu worship it is one of the sixteen offerings made to a deity during a puja.
The candy-coated version you see at Indian restaurants, pink and yellow and white, is the simplest form. It is fennel, sugar and food dye. Food historian Colleen Taylor Sen traces the habit back to supari (areca nut), which the courts of Delhi's Islamic rulers used to sweeten the breath in the 13th and 14th centuries. Charmaine O'Brien, who wrote The Penguin Food Guide to India, compares mukhwas to the sugared comfits Europeans ate after meals in the 1700s and 1800s.
It works as a ritual. You finish dinner, take a pinch, chew, and the meal is over. That is a habit worth keeping.
Cardamom, cloves and a sprig of mint
Green cardamom is the other classic. An article on chef Sanjeev Kapoor's site says paan is incomplete without elaichi, and people carry a few pods to chew after a meal. The same piece calls cardamom the queen of spices and names Kerala as the source of the world's best.
Cloves go back further still. Chinese writing from the Han period, around the 3rd century BCE, describes court officials holding cloves in the mouth before addressing the emperor. Those cloves had travelled from five small volcanic islands in the Moluccas, in what is now Indonesia.
Mint and parsley turn up on most lists too. A few leaves after a meal are cheap and easy, if you happen to have fresh herbs with you.
“Definitely energized.”
What these are like to carry around
The old fresheners were built for the home and the restaurant. Carrying them through a working week is harder.
- Fennel and coriander seeds stick between teeth, which is the last thing you want before a meeting.
- Restaurant-style mukhwas is often coated in sugar.
- Cardamom pods leave a husk you have to get rid of somewhere.
- A whole clove is harsh to chew for more than a few seconds.
- Open jars go stale. The Sanjeev Kapoor piece notes that whole cardamom seeds lose about 40% of their essential oil per year, and ground spice fades much faster.
Keep the habit. Change the format to one that fits in a jacket pocket and still tastes like a plant.
A natural mouth freshener from Central Mexico
Chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes) is a root from the Sierra Gorda, the mountain country where Guanajuato, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí meet. People there call it golden root, raíz de oro. Mexican ethnobotanists (Cilia-López and colleagues) recorded the root being chewed, held against the gums and used as a spice. You can read the full story of the plant in our chilcuague guide.
The root's character comes from affinin, also called spilanthol. Lab tests by HPLC measured 6.9 to 8.5 mg of it per gram of root, alongside other alkamides and 28 volatile compounds. Affinin is the reason chilcuague tastes like nothing else on the spice shelf.
Dragon Breath is that root as an extract. The Mara team wild-harvests it from growth zones selected with the help of local elders, dual-extracts it in organic solutions and bottles it as a 50 ml mouth spray.
What one spray feels like
For a second it tastes earthy and a little peppery. Then a bright, electric buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth. Your mouth waters fast, faster than you expect the first time. When that settles you are left with a clean, fresh feeling that lingers well after the coffee or the garlic has gone quiet.
One customer filmed their first try. Their first words after one spray were "Oh wow, the saliva flow." Start with one spray. Once you know the feeling you can go up to five.
Dragon Breath – Chilcuague Extract
50 ml mouth spray. Wild-harvested chilcuague root, dual-extracted. 250+ sprays.
Add to bagMouth freshener after meals, espresso and the drive over
A mouth freshener spray earns its place in the moments where a bowl of saunf is not on hand. After the lunch meeting, before you walk back to your desk. After a double espresso at 3 pm. In the car outside the restaurant, before a date. A few sprays and you are done. No seeds in your teeth, no husk in your palm, no sugar.
The bottle holds more than 250 sprays and fits in a pocket. The extract is sealed in Miron violet glass, which keeps light off it and holds its quality far longer than an open jar of seeds sitting on a kitchen shelf. Air and light are what turn spices flat, and a sealed spray keeps both out.
Dragon Breath is vegan, gluten free, sugar free and non-GMO. Keep the mukhwas bowl at home for after dinner. The spray is for everywhere else, including the 3pm slump at your desk.
Dragon Breath considerations
Our recommendation, as on the product page: if you're pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or allergic to plants in the daisy family, ask your doctor before using it.
Questions people ask
What is the most common natural mouth freshener in India?
Fennel seed, or saunf, either plain or as part of mukhwas with coriander, sesame and anise. Green cardamom is a close second, and it is a standard part of paan.
Is a natural breath freshener the same as mouthwash?
No. A natural breath freshener is something you chew or spray on the go, like fennel, cardamom or Dragon Breath. Mouthwash is a rinse you swish and spit at the sink.
How many sprays of Dragon Breath should I use?
Start with one spray into the mouth. Once you know the feeling, you can use up to five.
What does chilcuague taste like?
Earthy and a little peppery for a second, then the tingle takes over the tongue and mouth. After the mouth waters, a clean, fresh feeling stays for a while.
