How to quickly get rid of the smell of garlic and onions from your mouth

The smell of garlic from the mouth after eating it is felt by others for up to 3-4 days. In order not to give up an extremely healthy product, you need to know the tricks on how to get rid of the smell of garlic from your mouth.

Why does intact garlic have almost no smell?

Probably everyone is familiar with this phenomenon: a whole clove almost does not spread a specific smell around itself. However, once you cut it or bite it, the aroma spreads throughout the house. What is the reason for such a bright effect?

It's all about a special substance - allicin, contained in garlic. After cells are damaged by a cut or other injury, a chemical reaction begins, based on the combination of two substances that were previously isolated from each other. Destroyed vacuoles open the way for their interaction; as a result of the reaction, a specific odor is released.

Thanks to allicin, garlic has received a natural remedy against rodents and fungi. Mankind has known about the properties of garlic to destroy bacteria and fungi for a very long time. The protection of this vegetable from damage, provided by nature, allowed man to turn its healing qualities to his benefit.

Why does your breath smell like garlic even if you haven’t eaten it?

If a person has recently eaten garlic (as an independent product or as part of a meal), then the source of bad breath is clear. Otherwise, you need to find out the reason for its appearance.

Because sulfur compounds enter the bloodstream when garlic is digested, this may explain why newborn babies or patients being fed through a feeding tube may have bad breath. The air we exhale tells a lot not only about what we recently ate, but also about the disorders of our body. What diseases cause a garlic odor? The following pathologies can cause it:

• bacterial diseases of the oral cavity;
• pathological processes in the organs of the urinary system;
• chronic sinusitis;
• disorders of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, peptic ulcer;
• pathologies of the respiratory system;
• diseases of the endocrine system, in which other symptoms also appear: sudden changes in mood, irritability, increased fatigue.

The smell of garlic in a child often indicates poor oral hygiene or dental problems, so it is worth taking it to the doctor. Some choleretic drugs can also provoke the problem.

How is garlic odor formed? Education mechanism

If even with minimal damage the clove smells strongly, then when you chop the garlic in a meat grinder or garlic press, the aroma becomes even more powerful.

The destruction of the cell structure of garlic leads to the combination of the following chemicals:

• Alliin is an amino acid;
• Alliinase is an enzyme.

They are initially contained in the same cell, but are isolated from each other by a special membrane. Alliin is contained in the cell cytoplasm, alliinase is found in the vacuoles of this cell. When the membrane is destroyed, the enzyme combines with an amino acid. The result of this reaction is the release of allicin, which contains about 70 compounds containing hydrogen sulfide.

The benefits of allicin for human health are undeniable. Almost all healing properties are associated with the presence of this chemical compound in garlic. Those who do not know how to remove the smell of garlic from their mouth and try to swallow it whole are making a mistake. An intact clove that does not contain allicin is devoid of all beneficial properties.

What explains the nature of garlicky breath?

To understand how to eliminate bad breath, you first need to understand the chemical processes in our body that occur when we eat garlic. This product owes its smell to allicin (ester). It is released by the mechanical destruction of garlic cells from the enzyme allinase it contains. During the digestion of the product, volatile sulfur compounds are released, which enter the bloodstream. Through it, these substances penetrate into the lungs, and from them into the larynx and mouth.

How long does the garlic smell last? The most persistent aroma comes from the product in its raw form. If no measures are taken, volatile substances are completely eliminated from the body within 72 hours. First, a characteristic taste is felt in the mouth and a persistent odor emanating from the inside. It weakens gradually. It can be felt not only through the air you exhale, but also through other body secretions, such as sweat.

What determines the persistence of garlic aroma?

Allicin is an unstable compound; it is destroyed as soon as it is formed. That is why, to preserve the aroma and beneficial properties, garlic is not heated or fried; it is added to dishes only at the end of cooking. Pickling garlic in whole cloves as part of preparations completely deprives it of its bactericidal properties.

During long-term storage, hydrogen sulfide compounds evaporate from the garlic heads. The most aromatic garlic is the one that was harvested not so long ago. After winter storage, no more than 5% of the biologically active substances from which allicin is formed remain in this product.

How to determine if your mouth smells?

Note! In the first couple of hours after eating garlic, its taste and even smell when exhaling are absolutely distinctly felt.

However, by the evening and the next morning, it is simply not possible to determine whether your breath smells of garlic. There are several ways to do this:

1. Take a deep breath, cover your nose and mouth with your palms, and exhale. If you smell garlic, then those who have to communicate with you will also recognize it.
2. Lick your own wrist and smell it after 5-7 seconds. The smell that you smell is what others smell when communicating with you.
3. Take a cotton swab and run it along the back of your tongue, as if making a smear, and then sniff. You can also use a teaspoon to collect saliva from the back of your tongue.

How to get rid of garlic odor from your mouth quickly and effectively

There are many ways to remove the smell of garlic from your mouth. Essentially, to remove odor, you need to neutralize those same 70 essential sulfur-containing compounds. Enzymes in the human digestive system are unable to break down allicin, causing others to endure a persistent odor from the mouth of a garlic lover.

Attention: the smell does not only come from the mouth or the digestive tract!

His sources:

• lungs,
• skin (with sweat);
• kidneys (with urine).

How to neutralize or at least reduce an obsessive unpleasant odor?

Rinse aids

Dentists recommend that lovers of spicy dishes with garlic always have mouthwash with them. This is an excellent hygiene product that prevents gum and tooth diseases. The rinse aid also effectively removes unpleasant odors. The essential oils in the composition neutralize the sulfur compounds in garlic.

List of recommended rinses:

• Listerine;
• Splat Complete;
• ORAL-B.

Fragrant garlic adds piquancy to dishes. It is also beneficial during cold and flu season. But the smell that is then heard from the mouth makes many people stop using it. And completely in vain. There are many ways to deal with the characteristic train. After the garlic dish, eat an apple, brush your teeth, and apply mouthwash. Then no one will guess what you just ate.

Removing the smell of garlic using 5 hygiene procedures

There are several simple ways to get rid of the smell of garlic from your mouth after eating dishes richly seasoned with this spicy product.

Hygiene procedures:

• Cleaning teeth using toothpaste;
• Removing food between teeth using dental floss;
• Rinsing the mouth with a product with antibacterial properties (containing chlorhexidine, cetylpyrinidium chloride);
• Cleaning the tongue with a special scraper;
• Finally, use an irrigator to cleanse the oral cavity.

If it is impossible to carry out these activities for some reason, rinsing your mouth with a solution of salt and baking soda will help remove the smell. Rinsing your dishes and hands with this mixture will have a similar effect.

Garlic smell and research

Scientists have found that the smell of garlic can haunt a person for 72 hours after eating the piquant cloves. The sulfur compounds diallyl disulfide and allicin are to blame. In the body, under the action of enzymes, they are converted into odorous substances. Then through the gastric mucosa they enter the blood, and then into the lungs and other organs. The molecules spread literally everywhere and are released when you breathe, sweat, urinate, etc. This is why it is so difficult to get rid of garlic trail by simply brushing your teeth. It is caused not by food debris, but by chemical processes occurring inside.

How then to fight it? Scientists at Ohio State University, and in particular Cheryl Berringer, set out to answer the question.

Experimentally, it was possible to find several products that can neutralize odorous compounds:

1. A glass of full-fat milk removes 50% of the garlic odor.
2. Fresh peppermint copes with this task a little worse.
3. Apples can also make your breath fresher.
4. Scientists put lettuce leaves in fourth place.

The test subjects had to eat a lot of garlic before neutralizing foods were found. During the experiments, they breathed into a device - a mass spectrometer, which isolated the molecules in their breath.

According to one of the main versions, phenolic compounds in products help remove the garlic smell. Although the phenols in green tea had no effect on the aroma.

Vasilenko V.V. Bad breath, or halitosis / www.gastroscan.ru. 2022

Bad breath, or halitosis

Regardless of what exactly is the cause, saliva, or rather a lack of it, is largely to blame for bad breath.
In the human mouth there are a lot of bacteria that feed on protein contained in food debris and dying tissue. These bacteria produce foul-smelling gases, the most unpleasant of which are hydrogen sulfide (which smells like rotten eggs) and methyl mercaptan (which smells like manure). Bacteria in the mouth thrive in the absence of air. Saliva, rich in oxygen, actively prevents their reproduction. An unpleasant odor, a common cause of discomfort in communication, occurs when the flow of saliva slows down. This happens, for example, in a dream. So there is hardly a daredevil who claims that he is unfamiliar with morning breath. Excitement, hunger, pronouncing a long monologue, breathing through the mouth - all this dries out the oral cavity and leads to a stench. This not very pleasant feature has been noticed (although not yet explained) under stress.

Amor tussisque non celantur. “You can’t hide love and a cough.”

A decrease in saliva flow inevitably occurs with age. This is why babies have clean breath because they produce a large amount of saliva and have relatively few bacteria in their mouths. Older people tend to have bad breath more often than younger people.

Until recently, it was believed that if the smell has no obvious cause, then it is the result of periodontitis, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the roots of the teeth. Plaque deposited on the teeth can lead to fusion of the gum with the tooth and, as a result, to the cessation of oxygen access. This provides ideal conditions for anaerobic (i.e., does not require oxygen) bacteria, which contribute to the development of gum disease and cause the odor associated with such conditions. However, studies have shown that most people who suffer from bad breath do not have gum disease.

Bacteria that produce sulfur (after all, it is what smells so “wonderful”) actively multiply on the upper part of the tongue, settling between the microscopic papillae under a layer of plaque and mucus. With regular tooth brushing, these colonies cannot be completely eliminated. The papillae of the tongue are like a fleecy carpet, and you need to clean between them, getting to the very bottom. A clean tongue is a pink tongue! A white coating on it means that millions of bacteria continue to colonize their favorite territory.

The variety of diseases is truly endless. Pliny the Elder

If bad breath appears only in the morning, then getting rid of it is as easy as shelling pears - just have breakfast. When you eat or drink, saliva begins to be produced, which washes away most of the bacteria.

The bad odor caused by dryness can be completely eliminated by simply brushing your teeth, during which many bad-smelling bacteria are destroyed. It’s a good idea to clean your tongue, palate and cheeks at the same time. It is very important not to ignore the toothpick to remove food particles and bacteria stuck between the teeth. For those who suffer from chronic dry mouth, it is helpful to always have chewing gum, lozenges, and a bottle of water or juice on hand. Lemon water makes the salivary glands work harder.

To digest knowledge, you need to absorb it with appetite. Anatole France

Rinses that claim to kill harmful bacteria, unfortunately, somewhat exaggerate their importance, since most of the “objects” are reliably protected by a thick layer of plaque and mucus. If the rinse contains alcohol (which is most of the time), your mouth will become dry and your breath will smell worse. As an alternative, pharmacies offer a number of effective chlorhexidine-based products for self-treatment of the oral cavity.

And yet, the most inexpensive but effective remedy for combating bad odor that originates in the mouth is a hypertonic salt solution (1 tablespoon of salt per glass of water). Precipitation even after stirring means that the solution is saturated, i.e. hypertensive. The solution must be freshly prepared for each use. It works as follows:

• washes and irrigates the mucous membrane, dissolves mucus;
• reduces swelling and inflammation of the mucous membrane;
• dehydrates bacteria, which stop multiplying and then die;
• penetrates into the lacunae of the tonsils and realizes the same effects there.

Everyone knows that garlic causes a strong odor from the mouth.
But few people realize that for this smell to appear, it is not at all necessary to eat garlic - it “works” without even getting into the stomach: for example, when rubbing the heel with garlic, the garlic penetrates the pores, enters the lungs and causes... bad breath. Thus, the garlic “fragrance” does not come from the stomach. The sulfur compounds contained in garlic enter the blood, from where they enter the lungs and, with exhaled air, onto the interlocutor. In the same way, alcohol and onions penetrate into the exhaled air through the blood. By smelling, grated garlic expels harmful worms; it also expels worms and worms, if you take the medicine, from the womb. Odo from Mena “On the properties of herbs”, XI century.

It is impossible to completely and quickly eliminate the smell caused by food. So you shouldn’t even try to overpower it with mint or parsley. They won’t be able to help, but they will worsen your breathing, because a mixture of different smells only turns into incense in the hands of professionals.

Only time and a maximum of liquid (water or tea), which should be drunk during a “meal with consequences,” can save the situation.

Special rinses, mints, and mouth deodorants, which are usually used before important events, are actually practically useless. Their effect is to mask rather than prevent or remove odor. The pleasant aroma of these products interrupts the unpleasant amber for no more than an hour. This type of halitosis is called physiological. However, there are also diseases that provoke pathological halitosis.

Dry mouth is often a symptom of illness. Therefore, as in other similar cases, you need to start by identifying and eliminating the cause, not the effect. For example, with a hiatal hernia, the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm into the chest cavity, and acidic juices can regurgitate into the esophagus, causing distorted odors of the food to become apparent when exhaling.

Doctor: “Are you eating well, sir?” Monsieur de Poursonyac: “Yes, and I drink even better.” Doctor: “That’s what’s bad. Such a strong desire for cold and damp indicates internal heat and dryness.” Moliere

Respiratory tract infections ruin your breath in many ways. Firstly, when a person begins to breathe through the mouth with a stuffy nose, a kind of incubator is formed in the mouth for the proliferation of bacteria. Secondly, some respiratory diseases are caused by bacteria, which themselves produce sulfur gases. In these cases, it is advisable to consult a doctor about the possible prescription of antibiotics.

In addition, antiallergy medications, decongestants, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and some hypertension medications reduce saliva flow. The result is not long in coming.

Fans of a slim figure run the risk of developing bad breath. Two factors contribute to this: dry mouth and the release of acetone, which occurs during the breakdown of fat in the body. If extra pounds interfere with your life, then when going on a diet, you need to strengthen control over your oral hygiene and drink as much fluid as possible.

You can especially sympathize with some women: their bad breath is a harbinger of menstruation. This may be due to hormonal changes leading to an increase in the number of bacteria in the mouth. In such cases, only careful oral hygiene can help.

V.V. Vasilenko. Sixty essays on digestion (recommendations from a gastroenterologist to patients) Back to section

How to get rid of it and what to use to kill it?

What to eat?

To quickly eliminate the smell of garlic, you can use a number of products:

• Chew fresh parsley or dill. You need to chew slowly, thoroughly and do not drink water or other liquids for some time. The aroma of fresh herbs will overpower the smell of garlic.
• If no more than 2 hours have passed since eating garlic, you can eat a handful of walnuts or almonds . Nuts neutralize allyl methyl sulfide.
• Fresh pieces of citrus fruits (lemon, orange, tangerine) help get rid of the smell of garlic, however, their effect is short-lived. You can use this method on the eve of the interview, for example.
• Nutmeg is quite effective in combating the pungent garlic odor. You can chew a small amount of the spice if the taste is not too unpleasant.
• Eat one of the fruits that turn black after cutting ( apple, pear, plum, apricot ). They trigger the oxidation reaction of sulfur-containing esters.
• Eat a small amount of fresh celery.
• Baked goods reduce garlic flavor in the mouth because carbohydrates almost immediately trigger the oxidation process, so sometimes eating a piece of bread is enough.

How to remove drinks?

Among the drinks that are most effective:

• Milk . The fat-containing drink binds essential compounds and brings them out, preventing them from evaporating. This is one of the most reliable ways to get rid of garlic odor from your mouth.
• Green tea . It contains polyphenols that neutralize sulfur compounds and has antioxidant properties.
• All acidic drinks with a pH level below 3.6 : fresh citrus fruit juices, cranberry juice. They stimulate the secretion of bile, speed up the digestion process, so odorous substances are eliminated faster and do not have time to enter the blood.
• Coffee . This drink eliminates the smell of garlic and more, especially if we are talking not about instant coffee, but about fresh coffee from a coffee maker.
• Fenugreek infusion . This is an effective remedy that is prepared in a water bath using 500 ml of water and 1 tsp. plant seeds. It can freshen your breath.
• Mint infusion or mint tea . The essential components of this plant have greater garlic ether strength, and therefore can get rid of the unpleasant aroma. It is enough to pour 250 ml of boiling water over the leaves, let it brew for 5-15 minutes and drink completely. The effect, although noticeable, is short-term.

Hygienic methods to help reduce fumes

We must not forget about oral hygiene, which helps get rid of garlic particles remaining in the mouth. May be effective:

• Active long-term brushing of teeth with mint or menthol toothpaste. You also need to remember to clean your tongue: to do this, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the back of the toothbrush and clean the surface of your tongue for a few seconds.
• Using dental floss will help remove plaque that accumulates between teeth and in gum pockets.
• The irrigator helps to clean hard-to-reach places.
• Rinse your mouth with a special liquid. Oral liquids made from mint quickly neutralize unpleasant odors, remove food residues and have a bactericidal effect.

The best result can be achieved if you apply all these methods at the same time, preferably immediately after eating garlic.

What other ways can I fix it?

• The peel of lemon and other citrus fruits, oddly enough, is not only healthier than the fruit itself, but also more effective in combating garlic odor. It quickly neutralizes unpleasant odor and freshens breath if you chew a small amount of peel after eating a dish with garlic.
• If you drink three tablets of activated carbon , it will speed up the digestion process and help remove unwanted substances from the body.
• Antipolice, although recommended for neutralizing fumes, does an excellent job of eliminating the smell of garlic.
• Chewing gum with mint , menthol or cinnamon quickly freshens breath, although not for long.
• Coffee beans act just like coffee. Take a grain, chew for a few minutes, swallow, and the smell of garlic will no longer disturb those around you, at least for a while.
• Cardamom contains essential oils that muffle the smell of garlic. You can chew the spice grains and forget about the disturbing smell.

Odor Eliminating Products

You can eliminate the smell of garlic using the following products:

1. The smell of food eaten kills apricots, grapes, peaches, pears, prunes, cherries, and apples.
2. Vegetables and fruits are recommended to be eaten as dessert.
3. It helps to score fresh garlic, eggplant, parsley leaves, and potatoes.
4. Herbs will take away the smell - bay leaf, rosemary, dill.
5. Bread also reduces the flavor of garlic.

You can also eat it with hard fruits - coffee, nutmeg or walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts. Helps cope with the problem of cardamom grains. By eating the listed products, you can quickly eliminate the problem.

The smell of garlic for newborns and babies: isn’t it harmful?

It is not advisable for newborns to inhale the smell of garlic.
Most modern mothers believe that the smell of garlic will help them protect their newborn baby from viral diseases, so they calmly place this product in close proximity to their baby. By doing this, they do not think at all that such actions can provoke nervousness and anxiety in the little person.

What is this connected with? It has been proven that in the first months of their lives, babies recognize their mother by the smell of her milk. Therefore, if you put garlic near them, it will release the aroma of a loved one and, as a result, they will become more restless. It is also worth considering that the body of young children quite often reacts to new foods with allergies.

And since garlic contains essential oils, the baby can inhale it and this will provoke, for example, the appearance of a rash. Therefore, if you want to put this product near your child, think about how much benefit it will bring him. After all, although it will not cause him mortal harm, the likelihood that the baby will develop health problems is quite high.

Ways to eliminate odor

To get rid of the unpleasant smell of garlic (which can last up to a day and causes discomfort), you can use one of the proposed methods.

Oral hygiene

Hygiene procedures are considered one of the temporary but quite effective measures to get rid of garlic odor from the mouth. After eating, you can brush your teeth. Toothpaste with fluoride not only destroys pathogenic microflora in the mouth, but also helps get rid of odor.

Mouth rinses work similarly. In addition to ready-made purchased products, you can use simple but effective homemade products.

Recipes for effective rinses

1. Baking soda has bactericidal and cleansing properties. To prepare the mouthwash, mix 1 tsp in a glass of warm water. baking soda and rinse your mouth thoroughly. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated after 15 minutes. Baking soda simultaneously whitens tooth enamel and removes plaque from the tongue.
2. To weaken the pathogenic flora, you need to create an acidic environment in the mouth. For this purpose, stir 2 tbsp in a glass of warm boiled water. l. apple or grape vinegar. Rinse your mouth after eating.
3. Mint and lemon balm have disinfectant and deodorizing properties. Fresh or dried herbs should be brewed in boiling water. Take 1-2 tbsp per glass of hot water. l. raw materials. Cover with a lid and leave to steep for 5-7 minutes. Mint contains menthol, which can cover up the garlic smell. Mint infusion is suitable not only for rinsing. You can drink it like tea, after straining it first. Mint calms the nervous system and lowers blood pressure. You can add a little honey for taste.
4. If you cut off a slice of lemon and fill it with water at room temperature (1 tbsp.), leave it overnight, then in the morning you can rinse your mouth with lemon water after breakfast. To quickly prepare a similar remedy, just stir 1 tsp in a glass of water. freshly squeezed lemon juice.
5. Just like mint, you can brew nettle. It does not have such an aroma, but it exhibits bactericidal properties and cleanses the oral cavity well. It should be noted that nettle has quite a few contraindications.
6. The rinse aid turns out to be pleasant and useful if in ½ tbsp. stir in warm water 3 drops of tea tree essential oil, 5 drops of lemon juice and 3 drops of mint extract.

Mouth fresheners

On sale you can find a large number of mouth sprays that are designed to get rid of unpleasant odors, including garlic.

They are comfortable, take up little space and allow you to forget about discomfort for several hours. At the pharmacy you can buy products in tablets that can get rid of bad breath.

Folk remedies

Traditional recipes for getting rid of the smell of garlic after eating:

• Chew a piece of beeswax until it becomes sticky. Wax, like honey, has a strong bactericidal property and a soft, unobtrusive aroma. It freshens breath and cleanses gums.
• Chew a small piece of tree resin. Cherry and plum resin helps especially well.
• Hold a young spruce paw in your mouth. In this case, you need to take a fresh shoot, with soft spines, light green. It can be lightly chewed. Before you freshen your breath, you need to wash your paw well.
• Chamomile tea will help freshen your breath. To prepare it you need to brew 1 tbsp. l. dried flowers in 200 ml of boiling water. Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Strain the tea, you can add 1 tsp. honey, drink after meals.