[Herbalist] tooth powder recipe

[Jenne Heise]

> Have not gotten around to trying to document this as period.  "The
> Elixers of Nostradamus" has a recipe for tooth powder for whitening the
> teeth and freshening the breath.  But almost everything would need to be
> substituted, between abrasives like sand and powdered gemstones and
> ingredients that are toxic, like lead.  So while the concept is somewhat
> period, the execution may not be.  I don't know when baking soda, as
> such, became available.  If anyone has ideas, I would be interested in
> hearing them.

Someone once told me that baking soda was a 19th century invention.
But one period recipe for tooth cleaner is to char rosemary and use the
ashes to scrub one's teeth-- it's in Banckes' Herbal, I believe.

--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"It's no use trying to be clever-- we are all clever here; just try
to be kind -- a little kind." F.J. Foakes-Jackson