The miswak is a teeth-cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree. The miswak's properties have been described as follows: "Apart from their antibacterial activity which may help control the formation and activity of dental plaque, they can be used effectively as a natural toothbrush for teeth cleaning. Such sticks are effective, inexpensive, common, available, and contain many medical properties".[1]
The miswak or siwak is predominantly used in Muslim-inhabited areas.[citation needed] It is commonly used in the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, parts of the Sahel, the Indian subcontinent, and Central Asia.
The oral hygiene practice using herbal sticks exists in many parts of the world since ancient time: ancient India, ancient Greece (mentioned by Alciphron, ancient Rome, ancient Israel (mentioned in Talmud), Eastern Asia (mentioned in the Gospel of Buddhism),[2] etc.
- ^ Al lafi T, Ababneh H (1995). "The effect of the extract of the miswak (chewing sticks) used in Jordan and the Middle East on oral bacteria". International Dental Journal. 45 (3): 218–222. PMID 7558361.
- ^ "A Review on the Pharmagnostic Evaluation of Meswak, Salvadora Persica | Bioscience Biotechnology Research Communications".