Tongue Scraping: It Offers More Benefits Than I Thought!

 

 I’ve known for years that the tongue can be a good indicator of what’s going on in other parts of your body. And I’ve experienced first-hand how coated and “fuzzy” it can be when I’m doing a cleanse and my body is detoxing, or when something’s off with my digestion. And I know a coated tongue can be a breeding ground for bacteria and contribute to bad breath, so from time to time I have given it a good “once over” with my toothbrush, especially if I’m heading in for a regular teeth cleaning. But I’ve never gone so far as to get an “official” tongue scraper, or clean my tongue on a daily basis. But after reading this article by Dr. Sheila Patel that’s going to change. I didn’t realize there were so many reasons to use this ancient Ayurvedic practice and so many benefits as a result…..

 

The Benefits of Tongue Scraping

The ancient Ayurvedic recommendation of tongue scraping is one that is often overlooked. There are many benefits to this daily practice as far as oral health, and overall physical, mental, and spiritual health. Since the oral cavity is one of the main gateways between your mind/body and the environment, maintaining the health of this connection is critical to general well-being.

In the Charaka Samhita, an early Ayurvedic text, it says that by cleaning the tongue, “(this) removes foul smell, tastelessness … and by taking out dirt coated on the tongue, teeth and mouth brings relish immediately.” No doubt, people who clean their tongue on a daily basis can validate the invigorating effects this practice has. In fact, by removing the coating and stimulating the tongue this helps to balance the heavy and dulling qualities of Kapha dosha in your physiology.

Scraping the tongue daily removes any build-up on the tongue, which, if left untreated, can lead to bad breath and may house a significant number of bacteria. This simple practice is a direct way of removing Ama from your physiology. In Ayurveda, Ama refers to any accumulation of toxic residue in the mind-body. This can result from improper eating, poor digestion, or a reflection of an imbalance somewhere in the gastrointestinal system.

In addition, from an Ayurvedic perspective, by removing this coating you improve your ability to taste your food, which makes it more satisfying. By increasing your taste reception, not only do you eat less, you also eliminate the need to add more sugar, salt, or excessive spice to the food to make it more flavorful. Many of the beneficial phyto-nutrients and “body signals” that your food contains are first interpreted by the mind-body upon contact with receptors on the tongue. You want to improve this communication between your food and your body by removing any coating that is interfering with that connection. Also, many herbs have their beneficial effects from the initial contact with receptors on the tongue. Hence, you need a clear tongue to receive this healthy information.

Keratin Balance

Western medicine is also beginning to acknowledge coating on the tongue as a sign of poor health. According to the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (AAOMP), a coated or hairy tongue is a sign of imbalance of keratin on the tongue. Under normal circumstances, the amount of keratin produced, and the amount that is “knocked off” by eating, is balanced. When the diet is too soft or the oral cavity is irritated in some way keratin can accumulate. When bacteria grow on this layer of keratin, it can lead to discoloration of the coating, which many people notice.

It’s easy to see how a healthy diet that consists of plant roughage and fiber, and where food is not overcooked or too soft, will help maintain this balance. It’s therefore important to get healthy “textured” food in your diet, such as fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, as well as nuts and seeds. While the AAOMP does recommend tongue scraping to address this issue, they also regard the coating as “harmless.” However, when you incorporate an Ayurvedic view of health into this picture, you have an increased awareness of how this coating can ultimately affect many aspects of your physical and emotional well-being.

What Kind of Tongue Scraper to Use

The Charaka Samhita states that “tongue scrapers should be made of gold, silver, copper, tin and brass and should be non-sharp and curved, so as not to injure the tongue”. Stainless steel scrapers, which are now widely available and resist corrosion, are effective as well.

How to Scrape Your Tongue

The tongue should be gently scraped from back to front for 7 to 14 strokes. The scraper may be rinsed off between strokes if there is a lot of accumulation. Some people report stimulation of the gag reflex during scraping, which may indicate that the scraping is too aggressive. If this occurs with gentle scraping, begin slightly more forward on the tongue to avoid the gagging reflex.

A Daily Practice

From an Ayurvedic perspective, tongue scraping should be performed on a daily basis. This ancient practice helps to stimulate the internal organs through energetic connections with the rest of the body, improve digestion by increasing your sense of taste, and cleanse the body by removing Ama and bacteria from your oral cavity. In addition, it increases clarity of the mind by reducing heaviness and Ama from the head. When your physical and emotional bodies are balanced, it allows you to expand your spiritual awakening as well.

The tongue is the mirror to all the organs of the body, and thus, a daily look at the tongue prior to scraping gives you a clue to your general health. In Ayurveda, a good tongue examination is a useful way of evaluating the health of the entire body. When you examine your tongue, it’s an opportunity for self-awareness, where you can reflect on the choices of the last several days, months, or years and see how those choices have affected your health. If a thick coating is noted, you are accumulating toxicity. By noting this, it gives you the opportunity to become more self-aware and make new, healthier choices.

Author: Sheila Patel, M.D. is a board-certified family physician who is passionate about bringing holistic healing practices into the Western medical system.

Source: http://www.chopra.com/ccl/the-benefits-of-tongue-scraping?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=ccl%20newsletter%20141217&utm_campaign=December#sthash.qcVA0sWg.dpuf

 

FYI, I read somewhere that the practice of cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush, as I had been doing periodically, could actually embed some bacteria deeper into the tongue, rather than remove them. So I guess that’s another reason to change to a tongue scraper.

If you are sitting on the fence as to whether to give tongue scraping a try, consider these testimonials I found in doing my research on the topic. One said “the best thing I never knew I needed,” and another said “I don’t know how I survived without it,” but this one basically said it all….”I thought that brushing my tongue was an effective way of keeping it clean. You would think that a vigorous scrubbing with a toothbrush would do the trick. Boy, was I wrong. After using this for the first time, I was both amazed and disgusted at the gunk that was on my tongue! I use it every day and it always pulls off some nasty looking plaque or whatever it is. I know I don’t want that stuff in my mouth and this is an effective tool for the job. Highly recommend!!

After that last testimonial I immediately started searching on-line for a scraper and planned on getting the stainless steel one by Dr. Tung’s that I was most familiar with. But then I checked out Amazon and found so many different options it was almost overwhelming. I have decided to go with the Ayurvedic pure copper anti-microbial one, but probably any of them will do a good job. If in doubt, just self-test/use kinesiology to see which one your body would like to use.

Also, I had the thought that combining the daily practice of oil pulling with tongue scraping might be a great one-two punch for oral and overall body health, and found several resources that mentioned/recommended doing just that.

Related Self-help Health posts:

Deadly Dental Bacteria: Coconut Oil Does It Again!

Oil Pulling: Can You Say “Go Swish”?

Natural Ways to Support Dental Health

 

Salud and Happy Scraping!

p.s. Be sure to subscribe to Self-help Health so you don’t miss any future posts. Also check out my new website Evolution Made Easier and blog of the same name for more helpful information, tips, tools and resources.

Disclaimer: Please note that any information here is provided as a guideline only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician, nutritionist, trained healthcare practitioner, and/or inner guidance system. Always consult a professional before undertaking any change to your normal health routine.