Candle wood / toothache bark

What is Candle wood / toothache bark?

Candle wood, or toothache bark, is the bark and root of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides, a thorny West African tree. In Yoruba it is called orin ata, the "pepper stick". The twigs are chewed as a natural toothbrush.

It is used most often for tooth and gum pain and for cleaning the mouth. Chewing it makes the tongue tingle and go slightly numb. In parts of West Africa the root bark is also used in blends for sickle cell disease.

Here is the honest verdict. Good human evidence for this plant on its own is very thin. Long use in a tradition means it is familiar, but it is not proof that it works or that it is safe.

The page below tells you what tradition claimed, what the lab and trial work actually shows, and who should stay away from it.

How does Candle wood / toothache bark work?

The numbing you feel when you chew the bark is real and quick. Beyond that, most of what is said about how it works comes from lab benches, not from people.

The bark holds pungent amides. In lab tests these act on nerve endings in the mouth and cause tingling and mild numbness. That is why the plant earned the name toothache bark.

In test tube studies, extracts slow the growth of some mouth bacteria and fungi. Whether that cleans or protects real teeth and gums has not been shown in good human trials.

For sickle cell disease, certain acids from the root have kept sickled red cells in a rounder shape in test tube work. Animal and lab data point the same way. None of this proves that taking the bark helps a person with sickle cell disease.

Some lab and animal work also suggests effects on pain, swelling and malaria parasites. These findings are early. Treat them as leads, not as results you can count on.

What forms does Candle wood / toothache bark come in?

Chewing sticks are the most common form. These are cut twigs or root pieces sold in West African markets and in some shops abroad.

Dried bark or root is sold whole or as a powder. It is brewed as a tea or used as a mouth wash.

Capsules of the powdered bark are sold online as a supplement.

It also appears in mixed herbal products. The best known is a multi-herb blend for sickle cell disease that includes this plant with three others.

Quality varies a great deal. Other Zanthoxylum species look much alike, so mislabelling is common. Strength is rarely stated in any useful way.

Where it comes from:

West African healers used this bark for hundreds of years, and the use is well recorded. Chewing sticks from the plant were a daily habit in Yoruba, Igbo, Akan and other communities.

Healers applied the chewed twig to a sore tooth or swollen gum for the numbing effect. Bark teas were given for fever, belly pain and body aches.

In Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso the root was used in mixtures for sickle cell disease. Some communities also used the root to bring on labour, which is one reason it is treated with care in pregnancy.

None of that history is a reason to treat yourself with it today.

What does Candle wood / toothache bark help with?

• Toothache and gum pain: This is the plant's best known use and the source of its English name. Chewing the bark gives a tingle and mild numbness within minutes. No good human trial shows that it treats the cause of a toothache. A tooth that hurts usually needs a dentist, since decay and infection do not clear on their own.
• Daily mouth cleaning with a chewing stick: Chewing sticks do remove plaque, mostly by the brushing action of the frayed fibres. Small studies of chewing sticks report cleaning roughly like a toothbrush when used well. Most of that work is on chewing sticks in general, not this species. Hard or careless chewing can wear teeth and push gums back.
• Sickle cell disease (as part of mixed herbal blends): Root extracts have kept sickled red cells in a rounder shape in test tube work. This is the strongest lab lead the plant has. A small Nigerian trial of a four-herb product containing this plant reported fewer pain crises. The plant alone was not tested. Never use it in place of your sickle cell care.
• Fever and malaria: Bark teas were given for fever across West Africa. In lab tests, extracts slow malaria parasites. There is no trial showing that it treats malaria in people. Malaria can kill fast and needs tested drugs and a prompt test.
• Pain and swelling: Animal studies report less pain response and less swelling with bark extracts. Those results have not been repeated in people. Treat this as an open question, not a reason to skip a pain reliever that works.
• Upset stomach and gas: The pungent bark was used for belly pain, gas and poor appetite. Human evidence is absent. The same sharpness can irritate the stomach in some people, so it may make matters worse.

What are the side effects of Candle wood / toothache bark?

• Tingling, burning or numbness in the mouth and tongue
• Sore or irritated gums
• Worn tooth surfaces and gums pushed back, from hard chewing
• Nausea or stomach pain
• Loose stools
• Dizziness
• Skin rash or itch in people who are allergic to it
• Slower blood clotting, suggested by lab work

Good to know:

Mouth tingling and gum soreness are common and usually mild. They fade once you stop.

Serious harm is rarely reported, but that is partly because almost no one collects reports on this plant. Thin reporting is not the same as proof of safety.

Stop using it if you get a rash, bad belly pain, easy bruising or yellow eyes.

How much Candle wood / toothache bark should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no agreed amount for this bark, and no amount here is advice for you. Capsule labels often print 300 to 500 mg of powdered bark, once or twice a day. That number comes from sellers, not from trials. Chewing sticks carry no dose at all. How much you take in depends on the stick and how long you chew. The root is stronger than the twig. Products rarely say which part they contain, which makes any figure on a label hard to trust.
• Best time of day: Time of day does not matter for any proven effect. People who use a chewing stick usually do so in the morning, like brushing. If you chew it for pain, the numbness comes and goes within the hour.
• With or without food: If you take the powder or capsules, taking them with food may ease the burn in the stomach. The bark is sharp and can sting on an empty stomach. Chewing sticks are used away from meals, by habit rather than for any medical reason.
• Time to effect: The tingling and numbness start within a few minutes of chewing and fade quickly. That is the one effect you can expect to notice. For everything else, there is no honest timeline. It may do nothing at all for your fever, pain or sickle cell symptoms.
• How long to take it: No safe length of use has been set, because no one has studied it over time. Short, occasional use is what tradition describes. Daily use for months has not been tested for safety in people. If you are using it every day, tell your doctor or dentist.