Foods for teeth and gums

What APEX holds on the table for teeth and gums: 16 foods, each with where it comes from and why it is ours. Not a treatment plan — the food, and the reason it is on the list.

Compiled by APEX Legacy from published research and documented food history, under the editorial direction of Jonathan Jackson, Founder. How we write and review these pages →

Herbs & Spices

FagaraThe West African chewing stick and the Southern 'toothache tree' are kin.
Guava LeafGuava leaf — the medicinal leaf of the guava tree, one of the most clinically validated…
CardamomAromatic seed pod with complex floral-spice flavor from 1,8-cineole, alpha-terpineol, and…
Carpolobia luteaCarpolobia lutea, the 'cattle stick' or agba, is a West African shrub whose root is a…
ThymeAromatic herb containing thymol (40-60% of essential oil), carvacrol, and p-cymene…
Neem LeafDongoyaro — the West African neem tree whose leaves, bark, and twigs form one of the most…
SageAromatic herb with distinctive earthy-herbal flavor. Contains rosmarinic acid (potent…

Pantry & Condiments

PropolisThe hive's immune system in a substance. Bees gather sticky resin from tree buds, mix it…
Manuka HoneyHoney with uniquely high methylglyoxal (MGO) content — an antimicrobial compound…
BeeswaxThe wax the bees build their whole world out of — secreted from glands on their bodies…
Raw HoneyUnpasteurized honey containing glucose oxidase (enzyme that generates hydrogen peroxide…

Drinks

AllspiceSmall dried brown berries, used whole or ground. Contains eugenol (also the active…
White TeaThe gentlest of the true teas: young leaf buds dried in the sun with almost no…
Oolong TeaThe middle child of the true teas, sitting between green and black in oxidation.

Fruit

AgbalumoThis is the fruit Black America forgot we had. Agbalumo — the star apple of Yoruba…
African CherryOrange-yellow fruit with translucent sweet-sour pulp, containing exceptionally high…

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