White Mustard (Sinapis alba) seeds contain glucosinolates, mainly sinigrin and sinalbin. Isothiocyanate metabolites, together with flavonoids and tocopherols, present anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. This narrative review is a result of a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, spanning in vitro, in vivo. and clinical studies. The presented data highlight that mustard-derived products suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and inhibit a broad spectrum of pathogens at micromolar concentrations. In the largest (n = 113) double-blind dental trial to date, a white-mustard toothpaste reduced the mean value of Silness-Löe plaque index by −2.43 vs. −1.95 placebo and bleeding on probing by 30.6% vs. 26.8% within four weeks, while salivary Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingival colony counts decreased by 40%. A six-month follow-up study with a sinigrin-rich “Bamberka” extract confirmed these gains and selectively suppressed red-complex periopathogens. Clinical translation is limited by heterogeneous extraction methods, a lack of phytochemical standardization, and an unresolved allergenic risk linked to seed proteins Sin a 1 and Sin a 2. Mustard, therefore, emerges as a promising phytotherapeutic adjunct for controlling inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress, but widespread use awaits harmonized manufacturing guidelines, comprehensive allergological screening, and rigorously designed randomized trials benchmarked against chlorhexidine.
Brodzikowska et al. (2026) studied this question.