As per Ayurvedic beliefs, the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, spleen and stomach are just a few of the body’s essential organs that the tongue is directly connected to.
Ayurveda claims that the health and well-being of these organs are reflected in the tongue, making regular tongue inspection a great tool to assess your general health – one reason doctors ask you to stick out your tongue.
According to Elise Marie Collins, a yoga health coach and author of "Super Ager: You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, a Better Memory, and Live a Long and Healthy Life," tongue scraping, a holistic healing practice from India, is the newest craze.
Collins asserts that the popularity of Instagram and bloggers who promote a healthy lifestyle has contributed significantly to the increase in tongue scraping.
Its supporters assert that it eliminates pollutants and foul breath, improving general physical, mental and spiritual health.
The Mayo Clinic does, however, state that additional research is required to evaluate whether tongue scraping has any long-term advantages despite some published studies suggesting that it might temporarily alleviate bad breath..
The lungs, the heart, the stomach, the liver, the spleen, the kidneys and the intestines are all connected to various sections of the tongue.
In addition to gently removing toxins from the tongue, a tongue scraper also stimulates, massages and cleans the deep tissues and organs that are connected to it.
Systemic imbalances (and improvements) are reflected on the tongue’s surface because the tongue reflects the health of so many important organs. You can monitor any substantial changes that might point to variances in your own internal state of balance by using a tongue scraper every day.
Our environment, food and beverages all contain toxins that our bodies are continually exposed to. Additionally, metabolic waste from our own bodies and unresolved emotional issues can also be poisonous.
Toxins build up in the body and start to impair our health and immunity when they are not adequately digested and removed.
The following are indicators that the body is starting to store toxins: a tongue coating that is white, body odour or breath that smells bad, mental haze or uncertainty, a general feeling of weakness or stagnation, recurring body aches, reduced appetite, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and lethargy
If you identify with one or more of the aforementioned symptoms, there probably is some level of toxicity in your system, according to a paper by Dr George E. White titled “Tongue Scraping as a Means of Reducing Oral Mutans Streptococci” that was published in “The Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry” in 2012.
If you have recently developed halitosis (or foul breath), it is advisable to visit your doctor or dentist. In certain circumstances, bad breath is the result of a periodontal issue. A person’s life, relationships and self-esteem can be severely impacted by the condition of halitosis.
According to recent studies, the majority of halitosis cases (between 85 and 90%) are caused by the metabolic by-products of naturally existing bacteria in the mouth, the majority of which are found on the surface of the tongue, writes White in the aforementioned publication.
He continues: “The very back of the tongue provides a particularly hospitable environment for many anaerobic bacteria because it is relatively undisturbed by routine oral activity, it is drier than other parts of the mouth, it tends to be poorly cleansed, and it frequently harbours a number of substances on which the bacteria feed – tiny remnants of food, dead epithelial cells, and post-nasal drip, to name a few”.
The same bacteria that cause gum disease, plaque build-up, tooth decay and periodontal disease are also implicated in a number of systemic illnesses, according to a growing body of research.
Other advantages of scraping your tongue, according to Dr Lad Vasant, author of “Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles of Ayurveda” include:
- Toxins, germs, and dead cells are removed from the tongue to stop foul breath.
- Increasing taste perception
- Promoting general digestive and oral health
- Gentle intrinsic organ stimulation
- Increasing awareness of your health situation
- Amazingly, employing a tongue scraper has advantages that go far beyond maintaining good oral hygiene and having fresh breath
According to Vasant: “In Ayurveda, healthy digestion is the cornerstone of health since it literally is the process by which our daily food intake nourishes our tissues and, eventually, our state of consciousness.” In addition to preventing the build-up of pollutants, healthy digestion guarantees proper waste removal.
“Having a regular regimen is one of the most fundamental pillars of Ayurveda,” claims Vasant. The nervous system starts to relax as the body adjusts to the predictability of performing the same tasks at around the same time every day.
Particularly in the morning, a routine gives us the chance to prioritise what is most crucial while establishing a pleasant attitude for the day.
According to Vasant, an average Ayurvedic morning regimen might involve meditation, exercise, bathing and grooming procedures including using a tongue scraper, brushing with tooth powder and oil pulling.
Toxins that have accumulated in your mouth overnight can be removed from your body by using a tongue scraper on a daily basis.
Additionally, it stimulates the digestive system, massages and awakens the internal organs, and guarantees that you begin the day as cleanly and fresh as possible.