Garlic breath is halitosis (bad breath) resulting from the consumption of

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

Causes

The major volatile compounds responsible for garlic breath are

allyl methyl sulfide Allyl methyl sulfide is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CH2=CHCH2SCH3. The molecule features two functional groups, an allyl (CH2=CHCH2) and a sulfide. It is a colourless liquid with a strong odor characteristic of alkyl sulfid ...

, allyl methyl disulfide,

allyl mercaptan Allyl mercaptan (AM) is a small molecule allyl derivative and an organosulfur compound derived from garlic and a few other genus ''Allium ''Allium'' is a large genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants with around 1000 accepted species, makin ...

, diallyl disulfide,

dimethyl disulfide Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is a flammable liquid with an unpleasant, garlic-like odor resembling that of "leaking gas". The compound is colorless, although impure samples often appea ...

and methyl mercaptan, along with minor amounts of dimethyl selenide. Various other sulfur compounds are also produced when

allicin Allicin is an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic and leeks. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic. Allicin is unstable and quickl ...

in garlic is broken down in the

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

and

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

. Out of the many compounds,

(AMS) does not break down quickly and remains in the body in significant amounts hours after consumption, resulting in an odor that can last for hours — or even for as long as two days. AMS is the only one of the garlic-derived

organosulfur compounds Organosulfur chemistry is the study of the properties and synthesis of organosulfur compounds, which are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur der ...

detectable in the lungs or urine, as well as the mouth, which means that AMS is reabsorbed into the blood stream and travels to other organs for excretion - namely the lungs, kidneys and skin. Anaerobic bacteria, which do not metabolize oxygen, are a main source for producing volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) which cause bad breath.

Remedies

Mouthwash or

breath mint A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach, given their association with natural byproducts ...

s are not particularly effective, since the

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

ous compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream, and exit the body through the

lung The lungs are the primary Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...

s and

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

. Consuming

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

is a common folk remedy. Studies conducted at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

have shown that drinking

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

can reduce garlic breath. Lettuce, chicory, celery, potato, parsley, mint leaves, peppermint, and basil were shown to be the best remedy according to the study. Eating these foods raw is more effective than heated. Indeed, enzymes that degrade the sulfurous compounds responsible for garlic breath are heat sensitive and found in previously mentioned food.

References

External links

What causes it, how to cure iton curing garlic breath
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008134921/http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/31/garlic-breath-drink-some-milk/ , date=2018-10-08
How do you get rid of garlic breath
Oral hygiene