Perhaps you are wondering why you would even want to.  Have you read the warning label on your tube of toothpaste lately?  Yes, there is a warning label on most toothpastes that you buy in your average supermarket:
“Warnings: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age.  If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.”
Poison Control?  I for one don’t care for “acceptable levels” of anything that could be considered poison.  I’ve been using essential oils for brushing my teeth.  Here are two recipes that I made today.

Tooth Powder
3/8 cup baking soda
1/4 cup ForeverGreen’s SmartSaltz (or use dead sea salt ground fine in a blender)
10 drops Essential Oil (Peppermint or Spearmint or other oil of your choice)
1 1/2 teaspoon Stevia (optional)

Combine the ingredients and put a little on your wet toothbrush and enjoy.

Tooth-brushing Blend
Combine 10 drops Tea Tree and 2 drops Peppermint (or 5 drops Spearmint) in 1 oz. of Grapeseed Message oil.  Apply 1 or 2 drops to toothbrush as you would toothpaste.

When you are done brushing your teeth, work a small drop of Tea Tree into the bristles to prevent germs from taking up residence in your toothbrush.

Here is a mouthwash recipe:
Put 1 drop of Peppermint and 1 drop of Tea Tree into a 16 oz. glass bottle and fill with distilled water.  Shake vigorously to mix.  Use as you would any mouthwash to freshen mouth and breath.

The oil of Myrrh is used in pharmaceutical products, including mouthwashes, gargles and toothpaste; also used in dentistry.  It is good for gum infections, gingivitis and mouth ulcers.  I have not used it in a blend yet, so can’t share any experience with it.

Clove bud oil can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation.  Therefore using it in a toothbrushing blend would have to be in an extremely low dilution (less than 1 %).

If you enjoyed these recipes and would like to learn more ways to use TRUessence Essential Oils, you can download a free Ebook here:  www.naturesfarmacy.org/jorjahensley

Here’s a great main dish recipe for when you have too much lettuce from your garden!

The original recipe calls for prosciutto ham but I leave it out because the herbs provide great flavor by themselves.   Digesting meat creates heat which isn’t needed this time of year (July) so I often turn to Vegetarian recipes. 

I think I heard this recipe on KSL readio; Recipe Courtesty of Giadi De Laurentiis.
I’ve made note of the changes I’ve made to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
•    3 tablespoons olive oil
•    1 tablespoon minced garlic
•    1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves (I used ½ tsp. ground dry sage – you might like more)
•    1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves  (probably ¼ tsp. dry)
•    1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
•    2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained (in a pinch I’ve used other beans; I even rinsed pork and beans once for this recipe)
•    Optional:  2 ounces prosciutto ham, coarsely chopped (prosciutto gives a unique flavor but I have also used thinly sliced pork roast; bacon or thinly sliced ham could also work;or as I said before, leave the meat out)
•    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
•    3 cups arugula or mixed baby greens (or spinach)

DIRECTIONS
1) Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sage and thyme. Add the tomatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the beans.

2) Simmer until the tomatoes are tender and the juices evaporate by half, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the prosciutto (or bacon), being careful not to overcook it. Season the beans, to taste, with salt and pepper.

3) Arrange the arugula or mixed baby greens over a platter. Spoon the beans over the greens and serve. (I just let everyone fix their own plate of greens and spoon as many beans as they want over the greens.  That way the leftover lettuce isn’t wilted.  

Enjoy! I hope you love it too!