In indian groceries they sell "monkey brand black
tooth powder"  It's charred eggplant skins.  I first bought
it for the novelty of the name, but it's wonderful.

I also have put together a mix of ground cloves, turmeric,
and oddly cayenne pepper (not too much) with baking
soda as filler.  I like the taste of cloves, the turmeric is
antiinflammatory, and the cayenne is soothing to the gums.

----- Original Message -----
From: "darcyblue" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 1:34 PM
Subject: paleotooth cleaning


 > A few suggestions...
 > A la Clan of the cave bear...you could chew the end of a green twig and
 > use the fibers to clean your teeth...
 > This summer I took a primitive skills course, and it was suggested that
 > pine pitch/sap has antiseptic properities and was good to use for teeth
 > cleaning i.e spruce gum...i found it rather pleasant...
 > Also white sage can be used in this manner, chewed and the juice swished
 > around the teeth...
 > As for actually brushing teeth, the probably didn't do it much, and had
 > little need...they didn't eat the sugary grains and snacks we do.
 > Dried fruit may have been a problem...but they also had a better diet in
 > general. More calcium, perhaps prevented tooth decay ...
 > Good luck!
 > As for non paleo alternatives...
 > You can try baking soda with a touch of mint oil, or one of the more
 > natural brands like desert essence, or tom's of maine...
 >