Free U.K Shipping Over £300*
Description
xChewing sticks from Ghana
Using a chewing stick is a simple task, generally learned at a young age from parents and other relatives. Its been practiced since antiquity and has been used by many cultures for tooth cleansing. Even now in Ghana, most people still patronize this traditional system of oral health since its inexpensive and easily available. Some common plants used as chewing sticks in Ghana include Garcinia manni (Sokodua), Terminalia catappa (abrofonkate€), Psidium guajava (Guava), and Azadirachta indica (Neem tree)
My grandmother's favorite oral health tool was made from the twig of Garcinia manni (Sokodua), a popular plant in Southern Ghana According to two studies (Odongo et al, 2011 and Addai et al, 2010), the plant has antistreptococcal activity and contains compounds such as tannic acid and lectins which could reduce bacterial colonization, decay, and periodontal diseases
It also neutralizes acidogenic challenges to teeth hence a great potential for dental caries prevention.
Aside from this plant caring for the oral cavity, extracts from the plant according to research protect other systems of the human body For example, aqueous extract from the stem bark of the plant is found to contain nutritional antioxidants which induce apoptosis in cancer cells and suppresses degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (Hypertension, stroke), rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes (Clegg. 2007)
Tannic acid and monn present in the plant can change plasma lipid profile and exhibit hypolipidemic activity thereby reducing high levels of cholesterol in the body. The plant has also shown antimalarial properties (Chan et al, 2011)
These scientific findings reveal that even as my grandmother was chewing her sticks. the juice from the stick may also be nourishing and healing other parts of her body and to some extent act as prophylaxis against certain infections. So then I wonder, could this habit be some of the reasons why my grandmother and our ancestors lived long compared to our generation? Could it also be that these chewing sticks were the magic wand that ensured grandma's good health?
taken from www.ghanaweb.com
Shipping & Return
xReturns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 14 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
Shipping
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.