HerbalEGram:  Volume 5, Number 5, May 2008

In a small study, researchers at the William Wrigley Jr. Company have found that magnolia bark extract (Magnolia officinalis) (MBE) can significantly reduce bacteria in the mouth.¹ The study included 9 volunteers from the company who chewed gum or ate compressed mints one hour after lunch. Those who consumed the products with MBE had up a 60 percent reduction in oral bacteria. The authors found that the MBE was more effective in the hydrophilic (water soluble) environment of the gum rather than in the compressed mints. ²

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have used magnolia bark (also called houpo or hou po) for a variety of stress related problems for centuries.^3,4 However, the use of magnolia bark as a dried extract is relatively new (Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD., e-mail, May 5, 2008). According to Dr. Dharmananda, the two main extracts used in the research of magnolia bark are aqueous and methanolic, with methanol being the preferred form due to the availability of active compounds.⁴ It is believed that the two main compounds responsible for magnolia’s primary healing properties are magnolol and honokiol.  They behave similarly to anti-stress and anti-oxidant compounds.³

Although the historical record of traditional use as well as modern scientific research has shown magnolia bark and its extracts to be quite safe for human use, magnolia has been restricted in some countries due to confusion with other herbs and misunderstandings about its safety or possible toxicity in some products. In one instance, it was labeled as being coupled with Stephania tetrandra for a weight loss study in which several of the participants suffered from renal failure. It was later discovered that roots from a species of Aristolochia were improperly substituted for S. tetrandra roots, raising questions about magnolia’s safety in what may be termed a “guilt-by-association” situation. Additionally, a concern about the alkaloids in the tree bark garnered action from Health Canada to put magnolia on its alert list.⁴ However, a peer-reviewed safety assessment of magnolia bark and MBE by the American Botanical Council in 2004 concluded that magnolia and MBE are safe for human use and that concerns about the safety of the alkaloid magnocurarine are unwarranted since the alkaloid is not systemically absorbed when orally ingested.⁵

Wrigley is one of the first gum manufacturers to have its non-sugar chewing gum brands (Orbit®, Extra® and Eclipse® gum) approved by the American Dental Association.⁶ The company was acquired by candy maker Mars Inc at the end of April 2008.⁷ The authors plan to continue testing the anti-microbial properties of MBE in chewing gum.

—Cassandra Johnson

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