Why Scrape the Tongue?
Do you know what tongue scraping is?
This ancient Ayurvedic practice has been getting much attention lately; the dental care aisles are brimming with various tools to clean the gunk off your tongue.
But why? Overnight, as the body processes everything that was ingested that day, toxins (called AMA by Ayurveda) begin to form and are visible as a coating on the tongue. If the ama is more of the Kapha variety, it will appear as a thick, white coating. Pitta ama tends to be more yellow, and Vata ama is brown (let me know if you want to learn more about the three doshas, and I will write a blog about it).
Scraping the coating off first thing in the morning ( before brushing your teeth or eating ) prevents reabsorption of the toxins that your body worked so hard to expel. It’s a way to cleanse our bodies and improve our immunity.
Tongue scraping, or jihwa prakshalana, is a traditional part of Ayurvedic self-care and a great way to check in with your body each morning. Notice the color of the coating as well as the quantity. The amount indicates whether our body could digest the food we consumed the previous day. The more junk we eat, the larger the amount of ama. Interesting, right?
For example, when I replace my healthy eating with heavier foods such as pizza, cheese, or desserts, or I am sick, I have a thicker coating on my tongue the next morning. Isn’t that amazing how our bodies work?
These toxins cause obstructions in respiration, as well as foul-smelling breath. The coating they produce can interfere with our ability to taste, clouding this sense organ and even creating unhealthy cravings. But above all, cleaning our tongues in the morning is a great defense against illnesses – a great time to do that, right?
According to Ayurveda, the tongue maps the body organs, and each section corresponds to a different one. The very back area of the tongue corresponds with the colon, so scraping that area stimulates peristalsis and is usually thicker. When we scrape the tongue, it’s like giving our internal organs a gentle massage. Isn’t that cool?
How to Scrape Your Tongue
- Scrape your tongue before drinking water or brushing your teeth first thing in the morning.
- Use a copper tongue scraper preferably. Plastic tongue scrapers are out there, but I’m not a fan, as they are harder to keep clean.
- Stick your tongue out and allow it to be loose and heavy. Scrape 4-5 times with small movements at the tongue’s end, close to the throat. Wash it each time you scrape and take the gunk out.
- Work the tongue scraper back to the front five to seven times, rinsing the scraper after each round.
- Follow by brushing, flossing, and a large glass of warm lemon water. Drinking warm water with ½ lemon provides a gentle flush for the GI tract and the kidneys and stimulates peristalsis.
I can guarantee that you will be hooked once you start a regular practice of tongue scraping. After a few weeks, you will notice a significant difference. Your mouth and breath will feel fresher, and your taste buds more alive. Personally, I cannot imagine leaving the house before scraping.
Banyan Botanicals has a kit that includes the scraper and a couple of other goodies to complement it.
Use code 15Anna on Banyan Botanicals for a 15% discount on your first order.
Let me know how you feel after starting this new, great habit!
Namaste!
Hope
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