8 Top Benefits of Tongue Scraping (According to Ayurveda)

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

If you aren't familiar with the many benefits of tongue scraping, you may be in for a surprise.

Not only does it help reduce bad breath, it can improve the health of your entire body.

As part of a daily oral hygiene routine, scraping the coating off your tongue can be as important as cleaning sweat and residue from your armpits and elsewhere.

It's no wonder, then, that Ayurveda has recommended tongue scraping for thousands of years.

Let's take a look at the reasons.

What is Tongue Scraping?

The purpose of tongue scraping is to remove the debris and toxins that have accumulated on the tongue overnight. This debris, also known as a tongue coating, forms from bacteria.

A slight, dime-sized coating at the back of your tongue is normal. However, a thick or large coating is a sign of excessive bacteria. This excess itself is a sign of blood toxins and imbalances, as bacteria thrive on these toxins.

Colors can range from white or grey to brown or yellow depending on the particular toxins in the blood mixing with the bacteria.

While you can also brush your tongue, studies show that tongue scraping is almost twice as effective for removing bacteria and foul odors.

To scrape your tongue you will need a metal or plastic scraper, which you purchase online. Or, in a pinch, you can use a spoon, but this is less effective.

What Are the Benefits of Tongue Scraping?

Your tongue's health impacts that of your whole body. The following are just a few of the ways tongue scraping can help.

1. Toxin (ama) removal. Toxins accumulating on the tongue come from a variety of sources:
   • Fermentation due to undigested food sitting too long in your gut.
   • Food debris and dead bacteria.
   • Environmental toxins found in food, the soil and air, skin care or cleaning products to name a few.
   • Sweet, thick blood (Kapha ama, also called 'damp')
   • Liver stress from alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, or even toxic emotions and thoughts. Ayurveda's holistic view of the body understands the role of toxic emotions or negative thoughts that can manifest physically in numerous ways.
     
   Many of these accumulated toxins can be removed by daily scraping of your tongue, which prevents their reabsorption back into your body and promotes overall detoxification.
2. Reduced bad breath (halitosis). As bacteria thrive on accumulated toxins, they give rise to a foul odor that causes bad breath.
   
   A study of causes of and treatments for bad breath concluded that approximately 85 percent of all halitosis cases have their origin within the mouth; of these, 50 percent are caused by tongue residues."
3. Improved taste bud sensitivity. When tongue coatings cover up your taste buds, they can ruin your palate, and reduce your ability to make good food choices.
   
   This can lead to imbalances and unhealthy food cravings.
   
   Scraping your tongue refreshes your palate and taste buds supporting you to naturally crave healthy foods.
4. Prevention of certain conditions. In a recent article, the Mayo clinic describes oral health as a window to overall health in your body.
   
   The author explains that some health conditions may be especially impacted by the presence of bacteria in your mouth: cardiovascular disease, endocarditis, pregnancy and birth complications, and pneumonia.
   
   A recent article on this topic published by the Harvard School of Public Health concludes: "There is no health without oral health."
5. Diagnosis & Prevention - The tongue is an essential diagnostic window into your health, revealing many blood level imbalances. Scraping your tongue daily gives you an opportunity to examine your tongue daily. You will automatically start to notice how different foods affect your body.
6. Strengthens your immune system. Ama dulls the immune system. the removal of ama not only refreshes your immune system, but also reduces inflammation of the throat, reducing your susceptibility to respiratory illness.
7. Supports good digestive health. Impaired digestion has many negative health consequences including the buildup of ama in your digestive tract that causes gas, bloating and constipation.
   
   Tongue scraping helps activate the saliva production that is essential for starting your digestive process off right.
   
   Taste buds are also important for activating enzymes necessary for effective digestion once food reaches your gut.
8. Helps prevent cavities. The bacteria that accumulate on your tongue produce acids that destroy tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Tongue scraping helps by reducing the amount of bacteria in your mouth.
   

How to Use a Tongue Scraper

Start at the back of your tongue and gently scrape forward, pushing down mildly on the scraper without injuring the tongue. Do this until the coating is removed, for a maximum of 10 times.