What is Tongue Scraping?
What is tongue scraping?
Tongue scraping is the act of cleansing the tongue from back to front using a stainless steel or copper tongue cleaner (or a spoon works, too) followed by rinsing the mouth with water and brushing the teeth.
What effects do tongue scraping have?
Tongue scraping removes the film from the tongue that has accumulated over night. This film is a combination of digestive byproduct, oral debris, and bacteria. By removing this film first thing before taking water or food, we are decreasing toxin build up throughout the day. Also, halitosis (or bad breath) begins in the mouth and primarily on the tongue. By removing these bacteria, we are making space for fresh breath and decreasing the chances that those bacteria will set up as infection in the mouth or digestive tract. Lastly, tongue scraping stimulates our tastes buds and internal organs allowing us to taste our food with more pleasure and digest more simply.
How does tongue scraping work?
The tongue is one detoxification pathway of the body. Recall an evening of indulging - maybe a heavy meal eaten late at night. You may have noticed a not so good feeling in your mouth the next morning. The film or phlegm on the tongue after waking up is considered to be toxins from undigested food particles eaten the night or day prior. By scraping this film away we are removing it from the body before these toxins are swallowed and reabsorbed while, simultaneously, stimulating digestion for our next meal. Many medical sciences describe the tongue as a map of our internal organ systems with different areas of the tongue reflecting different organs. In other words, if something is happening with an internal organ it will appear on the tongue and, vice versa, whatever happens to tongue has a similar effect on the coordinating organ. By scraping the tongue we are sending an indirect message to all organs specifically the digestive system to stoke gastric fire and digestive enzymes.
Is tongue scraping uncomfortable?
Tongue scraping is not painful unless contraindicated due to a physical issue with the tongue itself. Light to moderate pressure is used to scrape the tongue back to front. It may be beneficial to have a private space to practice if you are shy, though!
Can I try tongue scraping at home?
Please do! Here’s how you do it :
Purchase a tongue cleaner. You can find them in many online stores. Click here to see my recommendation.
Gently scrape from the back of the tongue forward until you have scraped the surface of the tongue 7-14 times. It is important to scrape in full motion from back to front each time and discard phlegm after each scrape.
Rinse the mouth with room temperature water and discard.
Brush your teeth and floss to complete your oral care routine.