Home Remedies To Cure Bad Breath Naturally

Introduction

Do you hesitate to talk to someone because of your bad breath? Are you searching for some home remedies to cure your bad breath? Then we welcome you to a blog, where you can get to know the causes and a few home remedies that will help you deal with your bad breath. Bad breath, also called halitosis, is mostly a sign of bad dental hygiene, dry mouth, or other mouth conditions. It can also be a sign of other conditions, such as diabetes and liver and kidney diseases¹. 

What Causes Bad Breath?

Following are some of the reasons for bad breath: 

• Dry mouth: Dry mouth can be caused by smoking or certain medicines. Your saliva helps wash your mouth; if your mouth is unable to make sufficient saliva, it can cause your breath to smell bad.  
• Bad oral hygiene: The most common cause of bad breath is poor oral hygiene. The food substances stuck in your teeth are broken down by bacteria; this action results in a bad smell.  
• Tonsil stones: Food stuck in your tonsil can harden into calcium deposits known as tonsilloliths/tonsil stones.  
• Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD): A digestive disease in which the acid of the stomach returns to the food pipe (oesophagus).  
• Gum disease: Gum disease includes gingivitis (gum inflammation), trench mouth (advanced gingivitis), and periodontitis (untreated gingivitis causes periodontitis).    
• Cancer: Mouth cancer or cancer between your nose and mouth can also be responsible for causing bad breath. 
• Diabetes
• Infection in the nose, throat, or lungs: Patients with Pneumonia cough up liquids that may smell foul.  
• Sjogren’s syndrome: An autoimmune (the immune system attacks healthy cells) disease-causing dry mouth, dry skin, dry eyes, and muscle aches.  
• Kidney or liver disease¹  

It is important to educate the patient about the need for good dental hygiene. While most people would associate bad dental hygiene and resulting halitosis with toothaches and unsightly stains, a major deterrent would be to emphasize the links between bad oral hygiene and serious medical issues like cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, stroke or endocarditis, which are precipitated by periodontitis, or periodontitis.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)

Symptoms of Bad Breath

Bad breath itself is a symptom of various conditions mentioned above. It may be worse in the morning or after drinking coffee, smoking, or eating food items like garlic². 

However, you may also notice some other symptoms like: 

• Dry mouth  
• Constant bitter, sour, metallic taste  
• Thick saliva with a constant urge to clear the throat  
• Post-nasal mucous or drip  
• White coating on the tongue, mainly on the back part of the tongue  
• Burning sensation in the tongue³  

Suggested Home Remedies for Bad Breath

Some home remedies that might help you get rid of bad breath are: 

1. Yoghurt

Yoghurt decreases the bacteria that produce bad/foul breath. In a human study, the results indicated that yoghurt might reduce harmful bacteria and oral malodour (unpleasant smell)⁴. Therefore, you may eat yoghurt to fight bad breath.  

2. Lavang (Clove)

Chewing some lavang reduces bad breath. It inhibits the growth of microorganisms responsible for producing bad breath and helps fight bad breath⁵. You can chew some lavang to get rid of bad breath⁶.  

3. Saunf (Fennel)

Fennel seeds are chewed by the people of India to deal with bad breath. It is considered beneficial for teeth and is known to clean teeth⁷.You can chew some fennel seeds. Also, you can gargle with warm fennel water. For this, you can boil some fennel seeds in water⁶.  

4. Paan (Betel Leaves)

Chewing paan has several medicinal benefits. It inhibits bad breath, sweetens the breath, toughens the gums, and protects the teeth⁸. You can chew some paan/betel leaves after a meal to reduce the bad breath. It also cleans the oral cavity⁶.

5. Elaichi (Cardamom)

Elaichi is known as one of the best remedies for managing bad breath. Simply chewing some elaichi seeds helps in removing bad mouth odour⁹. You can also put some elaichi powder in hot water and use it to gargle. This might help you get rid of bad breath⁶.

6. Chakra Phool (Star Anise)

Star anise is used as a natural breath freshener and helps in refreshing the breath¹⁰. You can chew the seeds of chakra phool after a meal to refresh your breath⁶.

7. Tulsi (Holy Basil)

In Ayurveda, it is mentioned that tulsi has several medicinal uses. Chewing some tulsi leaves may help cure infection and ulcers in the mouth. The sun-dried tulsi leaves powder may be used for brushing teeth. It helps remove the foul breath and manage the disorders of gums¹¹.You can chew a few tulsi leaves to get rid of bad breath⁶.

8. Good Oral Hygiene  

You can also follow these tips to control bad breath: 

• Brush your teeth twice a day.  
• Floss daily  
• Clean your tongue.  
• Gargle with an antibacterial mouthwash.  
• Avoid caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, as these products make the mouth dry.  
• Drink plenty of water so that your mouth does not dry.  
• Improve the saliva production by chewing gum or candy (sugar-free) or eating healthy food items that need a lot of chewing¹.

Also Read: Simple Home Remedies For Swollen Gums

Bad breath that just wouldn’t go away in spite of appropriate oral hygiene may be a warning sign of advanced gum disease Or dental plaques apart from multiple other medical conditions which should ideally be examined by a dentist.

Dr Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S, M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

When to Seek Medical Help?

If you have persistent bad breath, even after following a good dental hygiene routine and preventing your mouth from dryness, you must consult a doctor¹.  

Also Read: Simple Home Remedies to Help Ease PCOS Symptoms

Conclusion

Due to bad breath, you may feel uncomfortable talking to someone and may lose self-esteem and confidence. However, you can try some of the home remedies such as lavang, yoghurt, paan, saunf, elaichi, tulsi, and chakra phool to deal with your bad breath. You must also follow good oral hygiene practices. However, if you still feel your breath is persistently smelling bad and not improving, you must consult a doctor.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

1. Bad Breath (Halitosis) [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2018. p. 1–7. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/17771-bad-breath-halitosis 

2. Halitosis (Bad Breath) [Internet]. John Hopkins. 2022. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/halitosis-bad-breath 

3. Halitosis or bad breath. [Internet]. BetterHealth Channel. 2012. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/halitosis-or-bad-breath 

4. Put culture in your life and reduce bad breath : Eat yogurt ! [Internet]. INTERNATIONAL & AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS FOR DENTAL RESEARCH. 2005. Available from: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/800154 

5. Verma SK, Garg AK, Singh M, Panwar N, Meena M, Singh C. Evaluation of analgesic activity of Syzygium aromaticum W.S.R. to painful tooth. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2018;7(5):827-34. DOI:10.20959/wjpr20185-11212. Available from : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357766992_EVALUATION_OF_ANALGESIC_ACTIVITY_OF_SYZYGIUM_AROMATICUM_WSR_TO_PAINFUL_TOOTH_Corresponding_Author

6. AYUSH Division, Head Quarters, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, New Delhi. Ayurveda Offering Herbal Healing [Internet]. [place unknown]: AYUSH Division; [date unknown] [cited 2025 Sep 17]. Available from: https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/pdf/Aayush_AyurvedaOffering_HerbalHealing.pdf

7. Sterer N, Rosenberg M. Breath Odors [Internet]. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-44731-1 

8. Fazal F, Mane PP, Rai MP, Thilakchand KR, Bhat HP, Kamble PS, et al. The phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacology of Piper Betel. linn (Betel Leaf): A pan-asiatic medicinal plant. Chin J Integr Med [Internet]. 2014 Aug 26; Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11655-013-1334-1 

9. Jesylne P, Soundarajan S, Murthykumar K, Meenakshi M. The Role of Cardamom Oil in Oral Health: A Short Review. Res J Pharm Technol. 2016 Mar;9(3):272. doi:10.5958/0974-360X.2016.00050.0. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301508760_The_Role_of_Cardamom_Oil_in_Oral_Health_A_Short_Review

10. Shahrajabian MH, Sun W, Cheng Q. Chinese star anise and anise, magic herbs in traditional Chinese medicine and modern pharmaceutical science. Asian J Med Biol Res [Internet]. 2019 Oct 15;5(3):162–79. Available from: https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/AJMBR/article/view/43584 

11. Sharma K, Acharya S, Verma E, Singhal D, Singla N. Efficacy of chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide and tulsi extract mouthwash in reducing halitosis using spectrophotometric analysis: A randomized controlled trial. J Clin Exp Dent [Internet]. 2019;11(5):e457–63. Available from: http://www.medicinaoral.com/medoralfree01/aop/55523.pdf 

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