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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Miswak (Mswak, Miswak, Misiwak, Masiwak, Muswak, Maswak, Swak, Siwak, Sewak, Chewing Stick)

Miswak The Natural Way of Brushing Teeth:
Nature has provided us with a wonderful solution to effectively and safely maintain oral hygiene. Miswak is Thè root of Thè Peelu tree (Salvadora Persica) known in Arabic as Arak Research indicates that Miswak suppresses decay causing bacteria, gingivitis and plaque formation among many other benefits.

Misiwak - Old Man Selling and Doing Maskwak - Miswak

Being Thè Pioneer in Miswak preservation technology in Pakistan,  has strategically located collection points and a comprehensive supply chain solution for this indigenously growing root in Thè Southern Parts of Pakistan. Quality is ensured from Thè procurement of raw material, up to its sophisticated processing, vacuum packing and export unit in Karachi.

Miswak is a natural chewing stick taken from Thè roots of Slavadora Persica (also known as Arak Tree). Thè simple name of “Arak Tree” in Urdu is Peelu. Our  Miswaak is used as a teeth whitener and besides teeth whitening and brushing; it also has many antibacterial benefits. In short, it provides TOTAL ORAL CARE SOLUTION.

Miswak (Mswak, Miswak, Misiwak)
But first of all, why would anyone think of using a tree twig to clean their teeth? Thè fact is ancient man did not have Thè facility of a toothbrush and many cultures have used Miswak for oral hygiene. Thè use of Miswak is well spread in Thè Muslim population of Thè world, and is a common entity in Muslim countries. Thè reason for common use of Miswak by Muslims can be attributed to religious beliefs. Thè last messenger of Islam used it frequently and also instructed his followers to do Thè same and hence Thè practice continues widely in Muslim countries. There are 70 benefits of Miswak as suggested by Islamic Literature and many of these have been scientifically proven and Thè rest haven’t been studied yet.

Miswak - Maswak Tree / Plant / Darakhat - Misiwak

You might be wondering what exactly a Miswak is in Thè first place. Thè Miswak is obtained from Thè twigs of Thè Arak tree (Peelu tree) although a few other trees can also be used to obtain it such as walnut and olive.

Why use Miswak (Swak, Siwak, Sewak) instead of a normal toothbrush
Scientifically as well, it has been proven that Miswak is very good for gums maintenance and it kills bad odour, overall, it improves your taste buds and makes your teeth whiter. Research also indicates that Miswak suppresses decay-causing bacteria, gingivitis and plaque formation among many other benefits.

Woman / Women Doing Miswak  Miswaak Mswak

Misiwak The Natural way of brushing teeth.
It is an organic product.
Keep you safe against all teeth diseases.
Kills bad odour.
Requires no toothpaste.
Easy to carry around.
It has no harmful side-effects.

Men / Man Doing Miswaak - Miswak

Benefits of Miswak (Masiwak, Muswak, Maswak, Chewing Stick)
A Miswak or Siwak is probably an alien thing to Thè western world. But, it’s a twig which a majority of people from Muslim countries use daily to brush their teeth. Although it might sound outdated to use twigs from trees for cleaning your teeth, studies conducted on Thè Miswak prove otherwise. Studies have inferred that Miswak is better than toothpaste for preventing gum disease. It is being known as chewing stick in Thè western world and is being looked upon as a form of alternative medicine. So, let’s analyze this “wonder twig” keeping documented scientific studies as proofs.

A few important benefits of Miswak (Swak, Siwak, Sewak)
Kills Gum disease causing bacteria.
Fights plaque effectively.
Fights against caries.
Removes Bad breath and odor from mouth.
Creates a fragrance in Thè mouth.
Effectively clean between teeth due to its parallel bristles.
Increases salivation and hence inhibits dry mouth (Xerostomia)

Doing Miswak - Miswaak - Maswak - kerna

Scientific Studies on Miswak
Although Thè 70 supposed benefits of Miswak range widely, Thè main one we are examining is its effect on oral health. So, let’s throw some light on scientific studies conducted on Miswak.

The Wrigley Company made a study on Miswak which was published in Thè Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Thè study found that mints laced with Miswak extract were 20 times more effective in killing bacteria than ordinary mints. A small testimony to this fact is that after half an hour, Thè mints laced with Miswak extract killed about 60% of Thè bacteria where as Thè ordinary mints managed only 3.6%

In Thè August issue of Journal of Periodontology (2008) appeared a study conducted by Swedish researchers on Miswak. Thè study apparently found that suspended Miswak pieces in a petridish (medium for culturing bacteria) were able to kill bacteria that cause periodontal disease with out being in physical contact with Thè bacteria. Thè researchers suggested that Miswak might be giving antibiotics as gases trying to explain this phenomenon.

Misiwak-Masiwak

A study which compares toothbrushing and using Miswak (Miswak ing!) can be seen on Pubmed (U.S National Library for Medicine Service). Thè study concluded that Miswak was more effective than toothbrushing in reducing plaque and gingivitis provided it was used correctly. Similar studies found on Thè same website and elsewhere vouch for Thè effectiveness of Miswak over toothbrush.

A study conducted by a group of dentists at King Saud University concluded that using Miswak was at least as good as tooth brushing, if not better. There have been plenty of published studies on Miswak and infact entire books published which study its oral and systemic benefits.

Miswaak - Miswak Types Shapes

Now, with all those studies chucked at you, you couldn’t help but wonder why it is so effective. This can be attributed to its strong antibacterial properties. Another important aspect to consider is that its bristles are parallel to Thè handle rather than perpendicular which means effective cleaning between Thè teeth. Now, that’s one natural toothbrush cum toothpaste cum floss.

Miswaak is also spelled as Miswak. In Arabic, it’s also known as sewak. Some people prefer spelling it as sewak, siwak, siwaak and with such small variations.

Old-Man-Selling-Miswak-Outside-Masjid

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