I’ve been dipping into a white powder recently. I rub it all over my mouth: on my gums, on my lips, and under my tongue. As long as I am careful, none of it goes up my nose. And while it may give my mouth a tingle, it sure doesn’t get me high. No, the white powder isn’t cocaine or any other drug. But it is something that I hope will improve my quality of life. a humble spice that I hadn’t heard mentioned in 50 years.

A few years ago I wrote about my canker sore malady and my dashed hopes in the Kiwi Fruit cure. Even after that disappointment, I have never stopped looking for a minor miracle, something that would put canker sores in my rearview mirror. And maybe I have found it!

Last weekend former neighbors Nancy and John were at our house for dinner and conversation. I was in the midst of a pretty bad canker sore outbreak making both chewing and conversing a challenge.

Halfway through the salad course, a piece of pear lodged in my throat and I excused myself from the table. I returned to discover that in my absence my mouth had become the topic of discussion and John had the answer to my prayers.

“Alum,” John told me. “Just rub some on and the sores will all go away.”

Alum? If you are like me, you don’t know much about alum. I remember in high school, the school pool was closed for a week while alum was added to disinfect it. But other than that, I knew nothing.

Some research reveals that alum is the chemical aluminum potassium sulfate. It is a fine white powder that is used in pickling foods, purifying water, and fireproofing textiles. Deeper research suggests that alum MAY have some value in lessening inflammation and decreasing the length and severity of canker sore attacks.

So why not give it a try? What did I have to lose? On our next weekly visit to Woodman’s Market Barb and I scrutinized the spice aisle looking for a jar of my potential savior. The McCormick spice rack–no alum. The Spice Island rack–no alum. Spice Supreme rack–no alum. I was about to give up hope when Barb found a tiny 1.3 oz canister of Tone’s Alum.

I could barely wait until bedtime to self-treat the half-dozen lesions I had in my mouth. I opened the small vial, sprinkled the white powder on my index finger, and began to dab at each sore.

My mouth began to tingle as it filled with a peculiar acrid taste. Smoke poured out my ears and I began to speak in tongues (ok, maybe it just seemed that way.) I said a “shehecheyanu” and went to bed.

I awoke the next morning and heard the angels sing in heaven. Instead of the mouth pain, the nasal congestion, and the achy muscles that had been my companions for the last several days, I felt — 90% fine! A look in the mirror revealed my mouth ulcers had shrunk and were no longer surrounded by fiery red, swollen, gums.

It has been a few days now. I rub in a sprinkle of alum every day, and every day there has been an improvement. And no new lesions have cropped up.

A big thank you to John. I am hopeful that alum, unlike Kiwi Fruit, will be my ongoing magic bullet. This pickling spice has made me a happy gherkin!

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