Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Salvadora persica L.: A Medicinal Plant with Multifaceted Role in Maintaining Oral Hygiene

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Plant and Human Health, Volume 3

Abstract

Negligence of oral hygiene is one of the chief causes of oral complications affecting human health worldwide, regardless of demographics, consequently contributing to the increasing global death rate. Inadequate oral hygiene is linked with numerous diseases and oral cavity is the gateway to many pathogens, which may lead to death by inviting life-threatening ailments such as antimicrobial drug resistance and cancer. About 70% of oral cancers are preceded by the onset of precancerous oral lesions. According to WHO, oral diseases occupy fourth position in terms of treatment expense, which subsequently adds the burden on the developing countries by investing resources for the upliftment of healthcare systems in maintaining oral hygiene. There is an urgent need to find out a solution to prevent the oral diseases, which is accessible and equally affordable by each individual. Salvadora persica is a traditional herb, which gained importance in the modern medicine, due to its documented oral treatment, since time immemorial, and contemporary research evidences proving its therapeutic potential. S. persica has varied pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, reducing dental plaque, and anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anticancer activities. S. persica has vital phytochemicals such as saponins, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and the most prominent benzyl isothiocyanate. In this communication, we have discussed the role of S. persica in maintaining the oral health and its medicinal efficacy towards treatment of various ailments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdul H, Balto G, Halawany HS, Biju N, Jacob V (2015) The efficacy of Salvadora persica extracts in preserving the viability of human foreskin fibroblasts. Saudi Dent J 27:137–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abdulbaqi HR, Himratul-aznita WH, Baharuddin NA (2016) Evaluation of Salvadora persica L. and green tea anti-plaque effect: a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med 16:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad H, Rajagopal K (2014) Salvadora persica L. (Meswak) in dental hygiene. Saudi J Dent Res 5:130–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Akhtar J, Siddique KM, Bi S, Mujeeb M (2011) A review on phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of miswak (Salvadora persica Linn). J Pharm Bioallied Sci 3:113–117

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Ayed MSZ, Asaad AM, Qureshi MA, Attia HG, AlMarrani AH (2016) Antibacterial activity of Salvadora persica L. (Miswak) extracts against multidrug resistant bacterial clinical isolates. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2016:7083964

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Sieni AII (2014) The antibacterial activity of traditionally used Salvadora persica L. (Miswak) and Commiphora gileadensis (Palsam) in Saudi Arabia. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med 11:23–27

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Antony ML, Kim S, Singh SV (2012) Critical role of p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis in benzyl isothiocyanate-induced apoptotic cell death. PLoS One 7:e32267

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arroyo R, Suñé G, Zanzoni A, Duran-Frigola M, Alcalde V, Stracker TH, Soler-López M, Aloy P (2015) Systematic identification of molecular links between core and candidate genes in breast cancer. J Mol Biol 427:1436–1450

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Atanasov AG, Waltenberger B, Pferschy-Wenzig EM, et al. (2015) Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review. Biotechnol Adv 33(8):1582–1614

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Almas K, Al-Bagieh NH (1999) The antimicrobial effects of bark and pulp extracts of Miswak, Salvadora persica. Biomed Lett 60:71–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Boreddy SR, Sahu RP, Srivastava SK (2011) Benzyl isothiocyanate suppresses pancreatic tumor angiogenesis and invasion by inhibiting HIF-α/VEGF/Rho-GTPases: pivotal role of STAT-3. PLoS One 6:e25799

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bos G (1993) The miswãk, an aspect of dental care in Islam. Med Hist 37:68–79

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Coopman V, De Leeuw M, Cordonnier J, Jacobs W (2009) Suicidal death after injection of a castor bean extract (Ricinus communis L.). Forensic Sci Int 189:e13–e20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coelho KR (2012) Challenges of the oral cancer burden in India. J Cancer Epidemiol 2012:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dabholkar CS, Shah M, Kathariya R, Bajaj M, Doshi Y (2016) Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activity of pomegranate-containing mouthwash against oral-biofilm forming organisms: an invitro microbial study. J Clin Diagn Res 10:ZC65–ZC69

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Damaskinos P, Koletsi-Kounari H, Economou C, Eaton KA, Widström E (2016) The healthcare system and provision of oral healthcare in European Union member states. Part 4: Greece. Br Dent J 220(5):253–260

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El-Desoukey RMA (2015) Comparative microbiological study between the Miswak (Salvadora persica) and the toothpaste. Int J Microbiol Res 6:47–53

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ezoddini-Ardakani F (2010) Efficacy of Miswak (Salvadora persica) in preventing dental caries. Health 2:499–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghahroudi R, Alireza A, Afsaneh R, Salehifard M, Hosein S, Siamak Y, Afshin K, Zeinab K, Mahvash MJ (2014) Inhibitory activity of Salvadora persica extracts against oral bacterial strains associated with periodontitis: an in-vitro study. J Oral Biol Craniofacial Res 4:19–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garg JM (2009) https://www.feedipedia.org/content/saltbush-salvadora-persica-leaves-and-flowers

  • Halawany HS (2012) A review on miswak (Salvadora persica) and its effect on various aspects of oral health. Saudi Dent J 24:63–69

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Halliwell B (1994) Free radicals, antioxidants, and human disease: curiosity, cause, or consequence? Lancet 344:721–724

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammad H, Al-Qaoud K, Hammad M, Mansi M (2014) Effects of salvadora persica extract on DOK oral epithelial dysplasia and PE/CA-PJ15 oral cancer cell lines. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 118(6):e195–e196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habtemariam S (2017) Going Back to the Good Old Days: The Merit of Crude Plant Drug Mixtures in the 21st Century. Int J Complement Altern Med 6(2):00182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibrahim MM, Al Sahli AA, Alaraidh IA, Al-Homaidan AA, Mostafa EM, El-Gaaly GA (2015) Assessment of antioxidant activities in roots of miswak (Salvadora persica) plants grown at two different locations in Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 22:168–175

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaikumar B, Jasmine R (2016) A review on a few medicinal plants possessing anticancer activity against human breast cancer. Int J PharmTech Res 9:333–365

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jin L, Lamster I, Greenspan J, Pitts N, Scully C, Warnakulasuriya S (2016) Global burden of oral diseases: emerging concepts, management and interplay with systemic health. Oral Dis 22(7):609–619

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khalessi AM, Pack ARC, Thomson WM, Tompkins GR (2004) An in vivo study of the plaque control efficacy of Persica™: a commercially available herbal mouthwash containing extracts of Salvadora persica. Int Dent J 54:279–283

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khan M, Ali M, Ali A, Mir SR (2014) Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of Arabic and Indian origin Salvadora persica root extract on diabetic rats with histopathology of their pancreas. Int J Health Sci (Qassim) 8:45–56

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Navneet, Gautam SS, Kumar V (2016) Preliminary phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of Salvadora persica Linn extracts against oral pathogens. Fung Genomics Biol 6:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriebel K, Hieke C, Müller-Hilke B, Nakata M, Kreikemeyer B (2018) Oral biofilms from symbiotic to pathogenic interactions and associated disease -connection of periodontitis and Rheumatic Arthritis by Peptidylarginine Deiminase. Front Microbiol 9(53):1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Karygianni L, Al-Ahmad A, Argyropoulou A, Hellwig E, Anderson AC, Skaltsounis AL (2016) Natural Antimicrobials and Oral Microorganisms: A Systematic Review on Herbal Interventions for the Eradication of Multispecies Oral Biofilms. Front Microbiol 6:1529

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kolenbrander PE, Palmer RJ, Periasamy S, Jakubovics NS (2010) Oral multispecies biofilm development and the key role of cell–cell distance. Nat Rev Microbiol 8:471–480

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karygianni L, Ruf S, Follo M, Hellwig E, Bucher M, Anderson AC, Vach K, Al-Ahmad A (2014) Novel Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Photoinactivation of In Situ Oral Biofilms by Visible Light plus Water-Filtered Infrared A. Appl Environ Microbiol 80(23):7324–7336

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Khatak M, Khatak S, Siddqui AA, Vasudeva N, Aggarwal A, Aggarwal P (2010) Salvadora persica. Pharmacogn Rev 4:209–214

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lai K-C, Huang A-C, Hsu S-C, Kuo C-L, Yang J-S, Wu S-H, Chung J-G (2010) Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) inhibits migration and invasion of human colon cancer HT29 cells by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 and urokinase plasminogen (uPA) through PKC and MAPK signaling pathway. J Agric Food Chem 58:2935–2942

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee JH, Sun YN, Kim YH, Lee SK, Kim HP (2016) Inhibition of lung inflammation by Acanthopanax divaricatus var. Albeofructus and its constituents. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 24:67–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matasyoh LG, Matasyoh JC, Wachira FN, Kinyua MG, Thairu Muigai AW, Mukiama TK (2008) Antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Ocimum gratissimum L. from different populations of Kenya. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med 5:187–193

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Miyamoto T, Okimoto T, Kuwano M (2014) Chemical composition of the essential oil of mastic gum and their antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Helicobacter pylori. Nat Prod Bioprospect 4:227–231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mohamed SA, Khan JA (2013) Antioxidant capacity of chewing stick miswak Salvadora persica. BMC Complement Altern Med 13:1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noumi E, Snoussi M, Trabelsi N, Hajlaoui H, Ksouri R (2011) Antibacterial, anticandidal and antioxidant activities of Salvadora persica and Juglans regia L. extracts. J Med Plant Res 5:4138–4146

    Google Scholar 

  • Orwa C, Mutua A, Kindt R, Jamnadass R, Anthony S (2009) Agroforestree database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sites/treedbs/treedatabases.asp

  • Patel PV, Shruthi S, Kumar S (2012) Clinical effect of miswak as an adjunct to tooth brushing on gingivitis. J Indian Soc Periodontol 16:84–88

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Palombo EA (2011) Traditional medicinal plant extracts and natural products with activity against oral bacteria: potential application in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. J Evid Based Complement Altern Med 2011:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patil R, Shailesh M. Gondivkar, Amol R. Gadbail, Monal Yuwanati, Mugdha Mankar (Gadbail), Manoj Likhitkar, Sachin Sarode, Gargi Sarode, Shankargouda Patil (2017) “Role of oral foci in systemic diseases: An update,” Int J Contemp Dent Med Rev 2017:1-8

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards D (2013) Oral diseases affect some 3.9 billion people. Evid Based Dent 14:35

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sardari F, Kazemi Arababadi M, Heiranizade M, Mosadeghi M (2015) Anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity effects of Salvadora persica (meswak) extracts on Jurkat t-cells. J Microbiol Biotechnol Food Sci 4:379–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheweita SA, El-Hosseiny LS, Nashashibi MA (2016) Protective effects of essential oils as natural antioxidants against hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in mice. PLoS One 11:e0165667

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Siddeeqh S, Parida A, Jose M, Pai V (2016) Estimation of antimicrobial properties of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Salvadora persica (Miswak) on oral microbial pathogens—an in vitro study. J Clin Diagn Res 10:13–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva AC, Lopes PM, Azevedo MM, Costa DC, Alviano CS, Alviano DS (2012) Biological activities of a-pinene and β-pinene enantiomers. Molecules 17(12):6305–6316

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sinha D, Sinha A (2014) Natural medicaments in dentistry. AYU (Int Q J Res Ayurveda) 35:113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spanò V, Attanzio A, Cascioferro S, Carbone A, Montalbano A, Barraja P, Tesoriere L, Cirrincione G, Diana P, Parrino B (2016) Synthesis and antitumor activity of new thiazole nortopsentin analogs. Mar Drugs 14:226

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava SK, Singh SV (2004) Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction and inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B activation in anti-proliferative activity of benzyl isothiocyanate against human pancreatic cancer cells. Carcinogenesis 25:1701–1709

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taha E, Mariod A, Abouelhawa S, El-Geddawy M, Sorour M, Matthäus B (2010) Antioxidant activity of extracts from six different Sudanese plant materials. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 112:1263–1269

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf MA, Claudio PP (2014) Benzyl isothiocyanate inhibits HNSCC cell migration and invasion, and sensitizes HNSCC cells to cisplatin. Nutr Cancer 66:285–294

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wu C, Huang A, Yang J, Liao C, Lu H, Chou S, Ma C (2011) Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC)-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species causes cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis via activation of caspase-3, mitochondria dysfunction and nitric oxide (NO) in human OS. J Orthop Res 29:1199–1209

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xie B, Nagalingam A, Kuppusamy P, Munira N (2017) Benzyl isothiocyanate potentiates p53 signaling and antitumor effects against breast cancer through activation of p53-LKB1 and p73-LKB1 axes. Sci Rep 7:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu J, Zhou X, Wang J, Li Z, Kong X, Qian J, Hu Y, Fang J-Y, Aramayo R, Sherman MB et al (2013) RhoGAPs attenuate cell proliferation by direct interaction with p53 tetramerization domain. Cell Rep 3:1526–1538

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yardimci G, Kutlubay Z, Engin B, Tuzun Y (2014) Precancerous lesions of oral mucosa. World J Clin Cases 2(12):866–872

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Waseem Mohammed Abdul, Furkhan Ahmed Mohammed & Khalid Rehman Hakeem

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Kaleemuddin Mohammed & Syed Shoeb Razvi

  3. Princess Al-Jawhara Albrahim Center of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders (PACER-HD), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Kaleemuddin Mohammed, Babajan Banaganapalli & Noor Ahmad Shaik

  4. Department of Genetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Babajan Banaganapalli & Noor Ahmad Shaik

Authors
  1. Waseem Mohammed Abdul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kaleemuddin Mohammed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Furkhan Ahmed Mohammed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Syed Shoeb Razvi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Babajan Banaganapalli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Noor Ahmad Shaik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Khalid Rehman Hakeem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Vice President of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences, Amann, Jordan

    Munir Ozturk

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Khalid Rehman Hakeem

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Abdul, W.M. et al. (2019). Salvadora persica L.: A Medicinal Plant with Multifaceted Role in Maintaining Oral Hygiene. In: Ozturk, M., Hakeem, K. (eds) Plant and Human Health, Volume 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04408-4_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation