Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, occurs when the salivary glands don't produce enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. Saliva is necessary to remove plaque and sugar from the mouth and prevent tooth decay. Xerostomia can be caused by certain medications, disease, nerve damage, chemotherapy treatment or aging. Conventional treatment may include cholinergic agonists---drugs that increase saliva flow. These drugs can have unpleasant side effects and may interact with other medications. Herbs and acupuncture are two alternative medicines that may help relieve symptoms of dry mouth. It is important to consult a health care professional before starting alternative medicine therapy.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, and involves lightly inserting needles into specific points on the body to restore energy balance and remove blockages and stagnation. In TCM, dry mouth may have a range of causes, including heat in the blood, phlegm heat or yin deficiency. An experienced TCM acupuncturist will determine the cause and the proper acupuncture points to use. According to MayoClinic.com, acupuncture may relieve symptoms of dry mouth due to various causes, although researchers do not know precisely how it works. A study by F.P. Braga, et al, published in the July-August 2008 issue of "Minerva Stomatologica" tested the effect of acupuncture on cancer patients with dry mouth due to radiation treatment. Patients received acupuncture twice a week for six weeks. The study found a significant increase in salivary flow rates both statistically and in patients' subjective reports. Further studies are needed to understand exactly how acupuncture relieves dry mouth symptoms.
Yellow Gentian
Yellow gentian, or Gentiana lutea, is a perennial with dense clusters of yellow flowers native to Europe. Yellow gentian is a bitter herb, and traditional healers use the root and rhizome, or underground stem, to stimulate appetite and relieve digestive problems like flatulence and bloating. Herbalists consider yellow gentian to be a sialagogue---an herb that promotes saliva secretion. The active ingredients include bitter terpenoids like gentiopicrin, swertiamarin, sweroside and amarogentin, which effect the nervus vagus and stimulate saliva flow, gastric juices and bile, according to Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink in their 2009 book, "Medicinal Plants of the World." Herbalist David Hoffmann, in his 2003 book, "Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine," says that yellow gentian stimulates saliva and has a fortifying effect on the digestive system. Scientific studies are needed to support the traditional use of yellow gentian as a sialagogue.
Jaborandi
Jaborandi, or Pilocarpus jaborandi, is a small tree with tiny pink flowers native to South and Central America. Traditional healers use the leaves to treat a wide range of disorders, including fever, flu, epilepsy, bronchitis and asthma. The plant is a potent glandular stimulant, according to Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink, and some indigenous groups use it to induce sweat and saliva---their local name for it translates as "slobber-mouth," according to rain-tree.com. Based on the principle "like cures like," homeopathic practitioners use this remedy to treat night sweats. The active ingredient is an alkaloid called pilocarpine, which has several medicinal uses, such as treating glaucoma, inducing pupil constriction and relieving symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome, an immune system disorder characterized by dry mouth and eyes. Pilocarpine hydrochloride is a commercial preparation of pilocarpine available by prescription. It is a cholinergic agonist, according to cancer.gov, and works by enhancing the effects of neurotransmitters involved in glandular secretion. This drug may have mild to serious side effects and can interact with various medications so it is important to talk to a health care professional before taking drugs containing pilocarpine.
