Liquid barrier (plus fresh breath): Lenexa startup tests all-natural mouth rinse as COVID-killing solution

A couple’s curiosity in nutrition and health inspired TRI-OLOGY — a versatile liquid solution intended to combat oral diseases. Lab tests now are showing that same liquid solution to be capable of eradicating SAR-CoV-2, known as COVID-19, Janice King and Dale Winetroub said. 

“We’re not doing rocket science; we’re taking whole plants and when they are synergistically put together, it’s amazing what happens,” said King, who co-founded TRI-OLOGY, a product of NOWsystems, Inc. with her partner, Winetroub. “We were tested against bacteria. We were tested against fungi. And it was found to fight them off successfully. 

“When COVID-19 came out, we already knew from anecdotal evidence that we were effective against viruses, but we had to test it to see,” she continued. “Sure enough, it came back that our product had completely eliminated the COVID-19 virus.”

Click here to learn more about TRI-OLOGY.

Although independent lab tests have indicated TRI-OLOGY can effectively disarm COVID-19, NOWsystems Inc. is just beginning human testing to confirm the percentage of inactivation of the virus when the liquid solution is used in the mouth, the duo noted.

“We’ve been in dentistry for 10 years,” King said. “We know how safe it is. We know how effective it is. We’ve got to get the word out that [TRI-OLOGY] acts like a liquid barrier. So, you could safely go to a restaurant and take off your mask and know that you’re not going to be spreading or catching COVID through the air.”

TRI-OLOGY first entered the market in 2010 exclusively to dentistry. After seeing benefits in tissue healing and gum health, King said a team of dentists in Independence, Missouri, recommended selling the product on the consumer market. Since 2017, TRI-OLOGY has been available for purchase on Amazon and their website.

Not your everyday mouth rinse

Setting itself apart from its competitors, King said, TRI-OLOGY is non-alcoholic and made from all natural products. Its formulation is able to identify the “bad bacteria” in one’s mouth and eliminate it, while keeping the healthy bacteria.

Janice King and Dale Winetroub, TRIOLOGY, NOWsystems, Inc.

“We’ve heard the commercials that say a mouthwash product ‘kills 99.9 percent of the bacteria and germs in your mouth,’” King mocked. “But you don’t want to kill out 99.9 percent of the microbiome in the mouth, because then you’re setting yourself up for all kinds of diseases.”

The human mouth contains a healthy barrier of bacteria, King explained. When washed with harsh chemicals and alcohol-based products, that layer in the mouth is stripped and therefore exposed tissue is left vulnerable to disease. 

Along with a liquid rinse, TRI-OLOGY comes in a brushing gel and spray version, Winethroub said. 

“With COVID, health professionals are saying not to touch your eyes, your nose, your mouth — which we commonly do,” Winethroub continued. “This is a product that you can apply to your face, mouth, hands, and it will act as a shield. We’re not all about COVID, but because of the pandemic, we know this has got to be emphasized.”

The independent lab testing found that the formula will clean and protect tissue for up to 12 hours, but the couple said they recommend reapplying about every four hours. 

TRI-OLOGY does not act as a cure to COVID-19 and should not be treated as such, King said. 

“But whether you have [COVID-19] or not, you are still going to benefit from using this product because you’re building protection in your mouth from secondary infections,” she added. 

Other uses for TRI-OLOGY include fighting bad breath, combating dry mouth and acting as a wound healer, according to TRI-OLOGY’s website.

TRIOLOGY, NOWsystems, Inc.

Hitting home

Marcus Nelson, who has served as NOWsystems Inc.’s product specialist since 2014 and is also the son of King, said he was skeptical of TRI-OLOGY when his mother first pitched the product.

TRIOLOGY, NOWsystems, Inc.

“I wasn’t passionate at the beginning,” Nelson admitted. “I remember her sending me Mason jars of this green goop when I was in college, and I’ve got to be honest, the first formulations were not great.

“But once I started working one-on-one with the dentists and learning about all the people it was actually helping, it was a big awakening to how incredible TRI-OLOGY really is,” he said. 

Nelson recalled meeting numerous clients at conventions throughout the years, but there was a specific story that hit home for him.

“I met this lady who had a daughter who was going through routine radiology treatments,” Nelson said. “With that, patients can develop thrush and ulcers that make it hard to eat and drink, so doctors will prescribe mouthwash to help. 

“A while back, my grandfather had Leukemia and developed such severe thrush through the radiology that he had to stop his treatments; he ended up passing,” he continued, noting that the prescribed mouthwash was not helpful to his grandfather, nor the woman’s daughter.

“I could really relate to them,” Nelson said. “I gave the mother a bottle [of TRI-OLOGY] and said, ‘I can’t tell you this will be much help or fix the situation by any means, but feel free to try it out, and I hope it helps.’ 

“Three months later, I was doing a presentation at a dental office. In the middle of my presentation, [the mother] was there as a hygienist and spoke up, saying how much the product helped soothe her daughter’s throat and increase her quality of life … It was a pretty special moment.”