Miswak Stick

Chewing sticks preferred over toothpaste during Ramadan fasting

A Muslim interviewee explains that during fasting, she prefers using a chewing stick (miswak) instead of a toothbrush with toothpaste to avoid accidentally breaking her fast by swallowing flavored substances.

"instead just gargle my mouth with water rather than using a toothbrush or pedestal i can actually just use chewing stick i think that's better"

Islamic scholar confirms brushing during Ramadan is recommended sunnah

Ustadh Luqman Jamil Ahmad, Amir of Abuja Muslim Forum, explains that brushing teeth during Ramadan is not only allowed but is a recommended sunnah, since the Prophet Muhammad himself used the chewing stick regularly including during fasting days.

"to brush the teeth during the day of Ramadan because since the Prophet did it, it is a sunnah. And whatever does any sunnah done by Prophet Muhammad is doing what the Prophet himself commanded us to do. That we should give life to a sunnah. We should spread a sunnah. We should make a sunnah popular. So even if you just say, let me brush my teeth today,"

Scholars distinguish mouth odor from stomach odor during fasting

The scholar explains that the odor from a fasting person's mouth that is beloved to Allah comes from the stomach, not from poor oral hygiene. Brushing with miswak addresses mouth odor while the deeper stomach-originated scent of fasting remains regardless of brushing.

"Scholars maintain that that collude is something that comes from within the stomach. You know when you don't eat for a long time, you don't drink, your stomach sometimes has a tendency of accumulating some odor that can ooze out of your mouth."

WHO recommends miswak for oral hygiene

The episode opens by stating that the World Health Organization recommends miswak chewing sticks for regular use within communities where their use is customary, tracing their history back to ancient Mesopotamia around 3500 BC.

"Can toothbrushes grow on trees? Yes, they can. And they've grown on trees for thousands of years. The World Health Organization recommends that they be used regularly within the communities in which their use is customary."

Miswak across cultures — from Arabic siwak to Japanese koyaji

The article traces how chewing sticks have different names across cultures — miswak or siwak in Arabic, kesam in Hebrew, koyaji in Japanese, and mastic in Latin — and have been made from various trees including Arak, neem, walnut, and olive.

"In Saudi Arabia and many other Muslim countries, the chewing stick is known as a miswak, meaning tooth-cleaning stick, or a stick used on teeth and gums to clean them, in Arabic. However, synonyms exist in different Arabic dialects, such as siwak or miswaki."

40% of the world lives where Salvadora persica grows

The episode highlights that when you tabulate population data for all regions where Salvadora persica grows naturally — Africa, the Middle East, and India — about four out of ten people on Earth live in areas where they can easily make a miswak.

"four out of ten people on Earth live in a region where Salvador Persica grows nearby, allowing them to easily make a miswalk. Readymade Miswalk is now available in stores and through online websites worldwide. Making and brushing with a miswalk."

Salvadora persica's documented antimicrobial effects

The article catalogs the documented oral health benefits of Salvadora persica, including anti-gingivitis, anti-plaque, anti-cariogenic, and anti-fungal properties, and its effectiveness against specific pathogens including S. mutans, P. gingivalis, and E. faecalis in endodontic applications.

"Documented oral effects of Salvadora persica include anti-gingivitis, anti-plaque, anti-karyogenic, anti-fungal, promotion of wound healing, tooth whitening properties, orthodontic chain preservation, and biocompatibility with oral cells."

Studies show miswak matches conventional toothbrushing

Dr. Burhenne explains that studies from Saudi Arabia and India show subjects who chew miswak achieve virtually identical oral hygiene results compared to those who brush conventionally, and that chewing on the stick produces saliva which buffers acids after meals.

"So the studies show that populations or the subjects that chew on this chewing stick, the mizwak, as opposed to people that brush the subjects that brush in the study there, the results are virtually the same. Both work very, very well."

Salvadora persica — the active compound in miswak bark

Dr. Burhenne identifies the active substance in miswak as Salvadora persica and notes that while U.S. researchers have never studied it, research from Saudi Arabia and India validates its effectiveness.

"That's the substance that is in the meswak tree, in the bark. And if used naturally, there are studies. And again, these studies are not in the U.S. No one in the U.S. has ever heard of it. They wouldn't even think of studying this. These studies are from Saudi Arabia and India, just like the tea tree oil studies are as well, mostly from India."

Warning against concentrated miswak in modern products

Dr. Burhenne cautions that when companies extract and concentrate Salvadora persica into toothpaste, the results differ from natural miswak chewing. He warns that concentrated essential oils can harm the oral microbiome.

"And they've concentrated it or they've synthesized it and they put it into toothpaste. That's a different story altogether."

The Nigeria chewing stick mystery — wrong plant, high decay

Dr. Burhenne shares his detective story from central Nigeria, where a village had high tooth decay despite using chewing sticks. He discovered they were chewing a plant related to sugar cane rather than true miswak, which likely couldn't grow at their 7,000-foot elevation.

"So finally, I narrowed it down potentially to their chew stick. And I chewed on it. It tasted very sweet. And so I sent it up to Denmark to have it analyzed. And it turns out that the plant they were chewing on was a plant that was very closely related to the sugar cane plant."

The siwak purifies the mouth and pleases Allah

Ustadh Abdulrahman Hassan cites the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and An-Nasai where the Prophet states that the siwak purifies the mouth and is pleasing to Allah, establishing the spiritual and hygienic basis for miswak use.

"The Siwak, it purifies the person's mouth and it is pleasing to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala"