Can betel leaves be used in commercial toothpaste?

A study published in the Journal of Herbal Medicine found that betel leaf (Piper betle) extracts can be used as antimicrobial agents in oral care products. The study assessed the antimicrobial activity of betel leaf extracts in real-life applications.

• Betel leaf has been reported to have various medicinal properties. It is also traditionally used for improving oral health.
• The extracts of betel leaf have recently become widely known for their ability to inhibit microbial growth, which can be attributed to their phytochemical content.
• Researchers from Taylor’s University Lakeside in Malaysia and Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus in the United Arab Emirates tested the effects of different solvents, such as ethanol and water, on the extraction of these bioactive compounds.
• The results showed that the 95 percent ethanol extract was found to be the best solvent for phenolic extraction from betel leaf as it contained the highest phenolic content.
• The researchers blended the 95 percent ethanol extract into three commercial toothpastes to evaluate its antimicrobial activity.
• Then, they tested the extract combined with commercial toothpastes to four oral bacterial pathogens: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and S. salivarius.
• They also tested the extract on the oral fungal pathogen Candida albicans.
• The results showed that the bioactive compounds in betel leaf significantly enhanced the antimicrobial properties of the commercial toothpastes by more than 20 percent.

In conclusion, betel leaf extracts can potentially be used as effective antimicrobial agents in oral care products.

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Journal Reference:

Ali A, Lim XY, Wahida PF. THE FUNDAMENTAL STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF PIPER BETLE EXTRACT IN COMMERCIAL TOOTHPASTES. Journal of Herbal Medicine. December 2018; 14: 29-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.hermed.2018.08.001