Want fresh breath without resorting to candy mints or ducking into the restroom to brush your teeth? There are some natural solutions, some of which you may already have in your cupboard!

1. Mint - Chewing on just a few raw mint leaves freshens breath in a jiffy! We've also found that mint tea does the job just as well.

2. Parsley - If your meal comes with a sprig of parsley, try eating it when you're finished eating! Parsley contains an enzyme that can help do away with odor-causing particles, like garlic.

3. Coriander - If mint is too strong and parsley too boring, try coriander. It has a green lemony flavor that we love.

4. Anise Seeds - These little seeds taste like licorice and leave a long-lasting flavor. Too many can taste too overpowering, but just a few will work wonders.

5. Cardamom Pods - You don't want to swallow these, but chewing on a single pod for a few minutes can help get rid of bad breath.

6. Cinnamon - You can chew on whole sticks of cinnamon or make yourself some tea (add cardamom and you're on your way to chai tea!).

We've been thinking about making our own breath-freshening candies following this method for homemade cough drops and using a strong infusion of one of these spices as the base. We've also heard about making flavored toothpicks by soaking wood toothpicks in natural spice extracts and letting them dry. Something else to try!

What other breath freshening tips do you have?

Related: Etiquette: How to Tell Someone There's Food In Their Teeth

(Image: Flickr member The Bitten Word licensed under Creative Commons)