A tongue scraper
is an oral hygiene device designed to clean off bacteria, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the surface of your tongue. The film that develops on your tongue while you sleep is a good indicator of what’s going on inside your body. It can be clear, thick, white, yellow, brown, or even green. The bacteria and fungi on the tongue are related to many common oral care and general health problems and can be a leading cause of bad breath for many.
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!
So, here are 5 good reasons why you should scrape your tongue every day:
1. It improves your breath
Removing the bacteria, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the tongue significantly reduces the odour from the mouth. You may have been told to use your toothbrush for this purpose, but brushing the tongue doesn't efficiently remove all of the film that develops on the tongue. You will be blown away the first time you do this by the amount of gunk that comes off!
2. It improves your ability to taste
Removing build-up from the surface of your tongue will better expose your taste buds. This will lead to better enjoyment of the flavours of your food. Ayurveda teaches that the better we enjoy and savour our food, the better our bodies digest and assimilate, leading to better overall health. Also, Ayurveda teaches that blocked taste buds and tongue receptors interferes with our body’s ability to communicate with our brain about what types of foods we need to maintain our health, leading to false cravings.
3. It stops toxins from being reabsorbed into your body
As you sleep, your body is detoxifying, and much of the film on your tongue is toxins excreted from your body. Scraping your tongue first thing in the morning will remove this sludge from your tongue and from your body, improving your overall health and your immune system.
4. Improves oral health
By removing bacteria and toxins, you are also contributing to better dental health, leading to healthier teeth and gums. The bacteria that you remove from your tongue is responsible for periodontal problems, plaque build-up, tooth decay, gum infections, gum recession, and even loss of teeth.
5. Get to know your tongue
Did you know your tongue is a mirror reflection of your internal organs? Just like with hand or foot mapping, the tongue is mapped out to reflect various parts of your body. You can learn so much about what is going on in particular areas just by looking at your tongue every morning. By scraping your tongue, you are actually stimulating and massaging those corresponding internal organs, just like in acupressure or acupuncture. It's incredible!
How do I scrape my tongue?
Using a tongue scraper, extend the tongue and place the scraper as far back on the tongue as is comfortable. Gently scrape from the back or base of the tongue using one long stroke, until you have scraped the whole surface. Rinse the scraper and begin again. Scrape firmly, but gently. Do this until the tongue feels clean and is free of coating. Wash the scraper well after each use with hot water. When you first get started scraping your tongue, be extra gentle. Your tongue will get used to it quickly. You will be amazed at how much stuff comes off your tongue in the morning!
Once you start tongue scraping, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. It's easy to do, super satisfying, and one of our stainless steel tongue scrapers will last you a lifetime!
