Supporting Nitric Oxide

Last week we explored nitric oxide as a hidden messenger - a molecule that exists for only seconds in the body, yet shapes the rhythm of healing in profound ways. It supports blood flow, oxygen delivery, immune clarity, tissue regeneration, and microbial balance. It is not a supplement or a quick fix. It is something your body already knows how to create, when the conditions are right.

This week, I want to walk with you into that next layer: how do we support nitric oxide naturally, through the breath, the foods we choose, the oral rituals we keep, and the energetic systems that guide them all?

This is not a “do this, not that” kind of post. It is a remembering. Because nitric oxide doesn’t respond to urgency, it responds to rhythm. And healing doesn’t happen through information alone. It happens when we feel safe enough, supported enough, and nourished enough to shift from constriction into flow.

Breath as a Portal: Where Healing Begins

Breathing is the first medicine, and the way we breathe shapes nitric oxide more than any single nutrient or supplement ever could. When we breathe through the nose, nitric oxide is produced in the paranasal sinuses and carried into the lungs, where it enhances oxygen exchange and opens blood vessels. This is how we oxygenate with efficiency, circulate with grace, and regulate inflammation without suppression.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, breath is an expression of Lung Qi. It governs rhythm, vitality, and the connection between heaven (Yang) and earth (Yin). But the Lung also relies on the Kidney to anchor the breath, and the Kidney relies on mineral balance and constitutional essence. This is why shallow breathing and fatigue often go hand in hand with nutrient depletion, and why nitric oxide sits at the intersection of both breath and Blood.

Mouth breathing bypasses all of this. It limits nitric oxide, increases oral pH imbalance, and activates a low-grade stress response that leaves the body in constant overdrive. In children, it’s often the unseen root of airway collapse, grinding, inflammation, and even emotional dysregulation. In adults, it leads to fatigue, gum sensitivity, poor sleep, and a deep sense of energetic depletion.

And if nasal breathing feels difficult, or if you're navigating sleep apnea or structural restriction, this is a sign the body is asking for deeper support. In these cases, nitric oxide is often low not from deficiency, but from disconnection. Myofunctional therapy, airway evaluation, and restoring tongue posture can be powerful tools for reawakening that flow, especially in children and fatigued adults.

The body cannot make nitric oxide in flow if it cannot breathe in safety. Breath is the first doorway. We don’t need perfection, we need presence. Begin simply:
Close your mouth. Feel your breath rise and fall through the nose. Let the body remember what it’s like to receive, not just survive.

Food as Signal: Nourishing from the Soil Up

Dietary nitrates are converted into nitrites by the oral microbiome and then into nitric oxide through digestive and systemic pathways. This is the enterosalivary cycle, and it’s how we naturally support nitric oxide production through food. But the real magic happens when we think beyond biochemistry and return to the energetics of nourishment.

Beets, arugula, spinach, celery; these are not just nitrate-rich foods. They are Blood tonics in TCM, energetically grounding, supportive to the Liver and Heart. They anchor scattered energy and provide minerals like magnesium and potassium, which are needed for nitric oxide synthesis via the endothelial (vascular) pathway.

I often see clients who are supplementing endlessly but remain mineral deficient. Why? Because they are not assimilating. The Spleen, which governs digestion in TCM, is often overworked by cold, damp, or overly processed foods. If the Spleen is weak, we cannot transform and transport what we ingest. Nitric oxide, like Blood, requires transformation. It doesn’t come from quantity; it comes from quality and timing.

I’m often asked about beet powders or nitric oxide supplements, and I understand the draw. When energy is low or circulation feels stuck, we naturally want a boost. But while these products can offer short-term support, they don’t address the deeper question, why isn’t the body producing nitric oxide on its own?

Nitric oxide can’t simply be forced into place. If the microbiome is disrupted, minerals are imbalanced, or the breath is shallow and stressed, supplementation can end up masking imbalance rather than healing it. I don’t recommend relying on nitric oxide tablets or powders as a primary solution. In some cases, they may even create overstimulation in a system that’s already depleted.

Whole-food beetroot powders may have a place for some, but I see them more as a bridge, not a crutch. When used with intention and alongside foundational work, like breath support, airway evaluation, and mineral replenishment—they can gently support. But they are not a replacement for what the body already knows how to do when the right conditions are in place.

Support your nitric oxide pathway through whole, vibrant foods:
Dark leafy greens, roasted beets with sea salt, warm bone broth with bitter herbs, and citrus to stabilize the nitric oxide once it forms. These aren’t just foods, they’re signals. And when chosen with intention, they tell the body it is safe to enter into restoration.

The Oral Microbiome: Protecting the Gateway

In biological dentistry, we often say the mouth is the gateway to the body, but the truth is, it is more than a gateway. It is a translator. The bacteria in your mouth are responsible for the first conversion of nitrates into nitrites, which means that disrupting your oral microbiome directly reduces nitric oxide output.

This is one reason I do not recommend antiseptic mouthwashes, synthetic antimicrobials, or “natural” products that kill indiscriminately. Nature does not kill without reason. Our mouths are meant to hold balance, not sterility. Some of the very species that get wiped out by these products are the ones we rely on to generate nitric oxide and modulate pH.

When we preserve the mouth’s ecology, we preserve the body’s capacity to heal.

Some ask which toothpaste helps stimulate nitric oxide. The truth is, no product can create what the body doesn’t already know how to do. But the right paste can help preserve the conditions that allow it—by respecting the microbiome, supporting salivary pH, and avoiding ingredients that harm the bacterial species we depend on. It’s less about what the paste adds, and more about what it protects.

Gingivitis is often framed as a brushing problem, but I see it as a deeper signal. Low nitric oxide can change the chemistry of the mouth, altering pH, reducing salivary protection, and allowing inflammation to settle in. Topical care matters, but root-cause healing happens when the system is supported to restore balance from within.

Herbal and Energetic Allies

Certain herbs have been shown to support nitric oxide production, either through vascular relaxation or by supporting the underlying systems involved in its synthesis. In TCM and Western herbalism, we see crossover in the use of:

• Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis): nourishes Blood, supports circulation, and may modulate nitric oxide

• Ginseng: strengthens Qi and supports nitric oxide via endothelial function

• Astragalus: builds defensive Qi, strengthens Lung and Spleen, and supports vascular integrity

• Hawthorn: supports Heart function, circulation, and energetically softens stagnation

These herbs are not quick fixes. They are allies. And like all plant medicine, they work best when matched to your pattern, not your symptom.

I encourage working with a practitioner if you’re exploring herbs for nitric oxide support. Energetics matter as much as biochemistry. The goal is not to force production but to restore capacity.

Final Reflections

Nitric oxide is not something we supplement; it’s something we remember. When the body is hydrated, nourished, breathing rhythmically, and energetically grounded, nitric oxide flows. And when it does, healing becomes easier. Oxygen moves. Blood nourishes. Inflammation clears. Microbiomes stabilize.

This is how we support nitric oxide:
Not by adding more, but by protecting what already wants to work.
Not by chasing outcomes, but by listening to the body’s requests.
Not by effort, but by rhythm.

These principles apply to children, too. Gentle support of nasal breathing, mineral-rich nourishment, and microbiome-friendly oral habits can guide nitric oxide pathways even in early development. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is reduce interference and let their bodies remember how to regulate on their own.

I’m often asked whether nitric oxide can be tested at home. While there are test strips that estimate salivary nitrites, they don’t measure nitric oxide itself. And they certainly don’t tell us whether the system is ready to heal. I pay more attention to patterns, saliva flow, inflammation, fatigue, and breath quality often reveal far more than a test strip ever could.

Let this be the closing note in this exploration. Nitric oxide has offered us its message, not through hype or urgency, but through subtle reminders: breathe through the nose, honor your inner terrain, and create space for healing to happen without interference.

I hope this two-part series has brought clarity, affirmation, and perhaps a few quiet truths back into view.

May your breath remain grounded, your mouth remains in harmony, and your healing continue in rhythm with the body’s wisdom.