Natural toothpaste recipe

To start with, it is estimated that worldwide we are responsible for sending 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes to the landfill each year. Add to it the recyclable, but completely useless boxes the tubes come in and imagine the amount of trees, resources and energy that could be saved just by changing its packaging back to a glass jar it used to be when it came into general use in the 19th century.

But it is not only the packaging that is worrisome. We take for granted that toothpaste is safe to put in our mouth, but is it really? Have you ever wondered why is it not recommended for children to use until they are able to properly spit it out? Well, not surprisingly, the reason is that most mainstream brands of toothpaste contain harmful or even toxic ingredients that may impact our health when swallowed.

But wait a minute, is swallowing indeed the only issue? It is well known that the oral mucosal lining is incredibly permeable and absorptive. So much so, that when people are not able to get nutrients through diet or via supplements, they are given sublingual vitamins for fast uptake by the bloodstream. That is because the mucosal film in our mouth is a gateway for nutrients or toxins to enter our systems and organs. So even if we do not swallow toothpaste, just by keeping it in our mouth for a short time, the potentially toxic substances it contains can easily make their way into our body and impact our health.