Tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that has recently gained a lot of media attention. But what exactly is it and why should you be doing it? Tongue scraping removes bacteria, dead cells, and excess mucus from the surface of your tongue. It may seem like a simple task, but somewhere along the line, this critical step has become lost in translation.
Fortunately, as people become more aware of their health and the practices that lead to better wellness, tongue scraping is making a comeback. What are the benefits of tongue scraping? Let’s explore…
What Is Tongue Scraping?
Tongue scraping is the process of removing bacteria, dead cells, and excess mucus from the surface of your tongue. It is an ancient practice that’s believed to aid in digestion, improve your oral health, and promote a sense of calm. The scrape itself is usually a metal scraper that you run across the surface of your tongue to remove the excess gunk that has built up. The material can vary between copper, stainless steel, and even bamboo.
Ayurveda practitioners believe that certain materials like copper, gold, and silver can help calm down your nervous system. While it’s important to note that there is no hard evidence that scraping your tongue will have any of the benefits listed below, there are a few compelling arguments that make it worth a try.
How to Scrape Your Tongue
- Make sure you’ve brushed your teeth and used mouthwash before scraping your tongue. Nothing is as disgusting as scraping your dirty tongue with a dirty scraper.
- The best time to scrape your tongue is either in the morning or after you’ve eaten a big meal. While you can do it at any time of the day, doing it too close to brushing your teeth can be harmful to the enamel.
- Place the scraper on the surface of your tongue and scrape in one direction.
- Once you’ve scraped the surface of your tongue, you can rinse the scraper off and continue with your morning routine.
- You can also use an Ayurvedic tongue cleaning paste to clean your tongue and get rid of the bad bacteria.
Morning Mouth & Its Benefits
Morning mouth is a phenomenon that occurs when plaque bacteria are left on the surface of your tongue throughout the night. Morning mouth makes it difficult to remove plaque and can cause bad breath. While brushing your teeth in the morning can help to remove parts of the plaque, scraping your tongue removes the majority of the bacteria.
Scraping your tongue in the morning can help reduce plaque and bad breath, as well as improve your digestion. Bad breath is caused by bacteria in the mouth, which thrive in a moist environment.
Since morning breath is caused by bacteria left over from the previous night, reducing that bacteria can help with bad breath.
Better Breath & Oral Health
If you’re looking for ways to improve your oral health, then tongue scraping is a solid option. The bacteria that remain on the surface of your tongue can cause bad breath and plaque buildup. Scraping your tongue can help to remove that bacteria, reducing the risk of plaque and bad breath.
In addition to improving your oral health, scraping your tongue can also help to strengthen your gums and rid your mouth of the nasty taste of plaque. If you suffer from bad breath, scraping your tongue can help.
Stress Reduction & Mental Health
As we’ve seen so far, the process of scraping your tongue has many benefits. One of those benefits is stress and anxiety reduction. When you scrape your tongue, you’re stimulating the parasympathetic nerve, which is the part of the nervous system responsible for rest and recovery. You’re also stimulating the salivary glands and increasing the flow of saliva, which helps the process of digestion.
Saliva contains enzymes that break down food, which is why stimulating the flow of saliva is such a helpful practice. All of these actions help to reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental health.
Massage the Internal Organs, According to Ayurveda
In Ayurveda, scraping your tongue is said to stimulate the agna or Agni, which is the digestive fire within the stomach. The scraping of your tongue is said to massage the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine, which leads to better digestion. It also helps to cleanse the mouth, which is essential for maintaining good oral health.
The bacteria in the mouth can make their way through the digestive tract, which can cause digestive issues like bloating, cramping, and gas. By cleaning out your mouth, you’re lessening the chance of that happening. If you’re looking for ways to increase digestion and improve overall health, then tongue scraping could be the answer.
Digestive Benefits
Digestive health is essential for overall wellness. When your digestive system isn’t working properly, it can create issues such as bloating, cramping, gas, and constipation. Scraping your tongue is said to help improve the digestion of your food. It’s also said to help with the flow of saliva, which is essential for breaking down food.
If you’re struggling with digestion, it could be that your mouth isn’t clean enough. Scraping your tongue is a simple way to help cleanse your mouth and improve digestion. If you’re struggling with digestive issues, tongue scraping is a simple practice that could make a big difference.
Bottom line
Tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that has recently gained a lot of media attention. But what exactly is it and why should you be doing it? Tongue scraping removes bacteria, dead cells, and excess mucus from the surface of your tongue. It may seem like a simple task, but somewhere along the line, this critical step has become lost in translation.
Fortunately, as people become more aware of their health and the practices that lead to better wellness, tongue scraping is making a comeback. If you’re looking for ways to improve your oral health, then tongue scraping is a solid option.
