What we are here to do
Our aim is to showcase and spread the century-long tradition of the miswak, and to use modern science to improve the real limitations we have found. All while holding on to a few things we will not trade away.
A miswak used on its own cleans about as well as a toothbrush, and it does that with no tube, no water and no power.3 That is the tool we want to put in as many hands as possible and hopefully help a ton of people along the way.
Our commitments
Natural
Keep it natural
No synthetics, ever. The miswak goes in your mouth with natural products and uses the organic chemicals in it to help you.
Waterless
Keep it waterless
It has to work with no tap. That is what lets us reach the 2.2 billion people who have no safe water at home. Your purchase helps them. 2
Heritage
Keep the heritage
The potency and chemistry is in the form factor, so the miswak stays whole. We will not grind it into a brush or infuse it to make it easier to sell.
Give it away
Help people in need
We help provide miswaks to people who need them around the world. Your purchase funds our research and the distribution of miswaks, in areas where the need is highest.
Three goals
Our goal: solve the three problems
Education
Most people are never taught the technique, so they get it wrong and decide it does not work. We wrote the method out in full in how to use a miswak.
Mold
A miswak grows mold when it is stored damp, and nobody gives a moldy stick a second chance. This is the main problem our research is built to solve, and it is why a miswak turns black.
Taste
The taste can feel sharp and earthy, not minty, so the first week feels wrong. We are working to make that first week easier without adding anything synthetic flavors and keeping it natural.
The rule behind all of it is simple. Whatever we change, the miswak comes out natural, required no water and helps others while staying true.
Where your purchase goes
A fifth of our profits goes to humanitarian aid. Beyond that, every order helps fund two things: the research that will fix the mold and the taste, and the distribution of miswaks to people who cannot buy their own or dont have access to clean water.
Who we want to help
Tooth and gum disease is worst where clean water is hardest to get, and the same people turn up near the top of both lists. A toothbrush needs a tap, toothpaste and a sink before it does anything. A miswak needs none of them, which is the whole reason it can reach the people a toothbrush cannot.
A miswak needs no water, no toothpaste no electricity and fully biodegradable, which is why it can help the people a toothbrush cannot. 7
Read on
Where to go next
Questions
Questions People Ask
What does The Miswak Stick give to people in need?
A fifth of our profits goes to humanitarian aid, and your purchase helps fund the distribution of miswaks to people who cannot buy their own, along with the research behind improving them.
Why does a waterless toothbrush matter?
Over two billion people have no safe water at home, and tooth and gum disease is worst in those same places. A miswak needs no tap, no paste and no power, so it can reach people a toothbrush cannot.
What are your commitments?
Keep the miswak natural, keep it waterless, keep the heritage by selling it whole, and help provide miswaks to people in need. Every improvement we make has to keep all four intact.
Sources and references
Nothing here is medical advice or a clinical claim.
References
- World Health Organization (2022). Global oral health status report: towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. Geneva. Read the paper
- WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2023). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000 to 2022. Read the paper
- Ramli, H., Mohd-Dom, T. N., Mohd-Said, S. et al. (2022). The effectiveness of miswak practices in reducing plaque and gingivitis among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 298:115598. Read the paper
Published research, not medical advice.