Wrigley uses magnolia bark extract to kill bad breath

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. has added a traditional Chinese medicine to their Eclipse gum and mints in order to kill odor-causing bacteria. The ingredient, magnolia bark, was found to kill 99.9% of oral microorganisms within five minutes, according to researchers at Wrigley. A study of nine volunteers found that the mints killed off more than 61% of bad breath-causing germs within 30 minutes. Mints without the ingredient were only 3.6% effective. The gum can be found in stores later this summer and mints will be available in the fall.