People search for chilcuague for teeth because of a Mexican custom. In the Sierra Gorda, families have long pressed a piece of the root against a sore tooth or the gums. Chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes) is a root from Central Mexico, and what it does in your mouth is easy to feel within seconds. It tingles and makes you salivate, then leaves the mouth feeling fresh.
What chilcuague does in your mouth
The sequence is the same each time. For a second the taste is earthy and a little peppery. Then a bright, electric buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth. The mouth waters fast. When the saliva settles, a clean, fresh feeling stays behind for a while.
The buzz comes from affinin, a compound chemists also call spilanthol. Chilcuague root holds 6.9 to 8.5 mg of it per gram, measured by HPLC. Affinin is the same molecule found in jambu, the Brazilian plant whose Wikipedia entry credits spilanthol with the mouth-watering sensation and with promoting salivation.
Why your mouth waters so much
Plants that make you salivate have an old name, sialagogues. Chilcuague is one of them. The effect is fast and obvious. On one of our customer reaction videos, the first words after a single spray were "Oh wow, the saliva flow."
The tradition of chilcuague for teeth and gums
The custom is recorded in the ethnobotany of the plant published by Cilia-López and colleagues in 2008. They interviewed root collectors, sellers and buyers at the tianguis (open-air markets) of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro. Among the uses people described, a piece of root was placed directly on an aching tooth or held against the gums. The root was also chewed, and cooks used it as a spice in sauces and stews.
The Wikipedia entry for Heliopsis longipes notes that the root was chewed to numb the tongue.
It's a custom passed down through generations in one region of Mexico, where the plant grows on the hillsides. If you want the wider background on the plant, including its Nahuatl name and where it grows, our guide to chilcuague root covers it.
“Oh wow, the saliva flow.”
Is chilcuague the same as the toothache plant?
No, though the two are easy to mix up. The plant sold as the toothache plant is Acmella oleracea, also called jambu or buzz buttons. People use its flower buds and leaves. Chilcuague is a different species, and people use its root. Both carry spilanthol, so both make the mouth tingle and water.
Why a spray
The old way meant a piece of root held in one spot. Every piece was different, and there were fibres to spit out afterwards. An extract spray covers the tongue and mouth, the dose is the same each time, and you can build up one spray at a time. There's nothing to chew and nothing to spit out.
A spray also goes where you go. Dragon Breath sits in your pocket, so it's there on the train, at your desk or before a meeting, and a few sprays is all it takes. It keeps better too. Loose root and powder sit exposed to air and light, and ground root loses its bite fastest. The extract stays sealed in Miron violet glass between sprays, protected from both, and a 50 ml bottle gives 250+ sprays.
Dragon Breath is the spray version. We start with wild-harvested chilcuague root from Central Mexico. The Mara team harvests from specific growth zones with the help of local elders. The root is dual-extracted in organic solutions and bottled in Miron violet glass, which keeps light off the extract and adds significant longevity to the quality and potency of the extract. Start with one spray into your mouth. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five.
Customers describe it in their own words. "Definitely energized," said one customer on camera, seconds after a first spray. Mitchell S., a verified buyer, wrote "Epic. Must buy".
A fresh mouth on the go
You can carry Dragon Breath the way you'd carry a breath spray. The difference is the sensation. A mint spray gives a cold flavour. Chilcuague gives a buzz and a rush of saliva, then the fresh feeling. If you're choosing between the two kinds, we've compared natural breath sprays and what goes into them.
A 50 ml bottle holds 250+ sprays and fits in a pocket.
Questions people ask
Does chilcuague numb your teeth?
Traditionally the root was held in one spot, which numbs the tongue and mouth around it. Dragon Breath gives a buzz across the whole mouth that fades on its own.
How was chilcuague used for teeth in Mexico?
According to Cilia-López and colleagues (2008), people placed a piece of the root on an aching tooth or against the gums. They also chewed it and cooked with it.
Why use a spray instead of the root?
Chewing the root was the traditional way, but every piece is different and leaves fibres behind. A spray gives the same dose across the whole mouth every time.
How many sprays of Dragon Breath should I start with?
One. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five.
