Tongue Scraping Uncovered.
Have you ever tried Tongue Scraping? Have you ever even heard of
Tongue Scraping?
Well, have you ever noticed a pale bile-looking coating on your tongue or even a tacky feeling that seems to affect your taste? If so, tongue scraping could really benefit you.
In Ayurveda, this is known as ‘Ama’, which can be identified as an accumulation of metabolic toxins habituating in the oral cavity whilst we sleep and as the body detoxes. This substance also indicates the state of our digestive systems- if you're witnessing an increase in Ama then it is likely you may have an imbalanced digestion.
The antithesis to ‘agni’ (fire)- Ama is heavy, sticky and stagnant. It is important for our gut health that we pay attention to the consistency and appearance of Ama on our tongue as this will give us an indication of whether our digestive system is working too hard and unable to process foods effectively. It is noted that the colour of the Ama can indicate which dosha is being compromised. A whitish Ama is said to be related to Kapha, whilst yellow is understood to be connected to Pitta and brown as Vata.
Here are Some of the Benefits...
Some benefits of this Ayurvedic ritual known as Jihwa Prakshalana or ‘tongue scraping’ in the West, go beyond noticing if your dosha is in or out of balance. This holistic approach to mouth hygiene bring along many benefits such as:
- Promotes a healthy tongue and therefore a happy gut!
- Removes toxins and plaque build-up from the mouth
- Eliminates bad breath
- Heightens taste bud sensitivity
- Can improve skin due to the removal of toxins from being ingested
So now we have covered
why this ritual of ‘jihwa prakshalana’ is necessary, let’s give you the lowdown on how to scrape that tongue…
- Do this as soon as you wake up in the morning
- Open mouth and gently stick out tongue
- Use a hand for each handle. Then place the scraper firmly at the back of the tongue and pull forward with a little pressure.
- Rinse the write debris from the scraper
- Rinse mouth in between each of the 6-8 rounds of scraping. Move from left to right across the mouth each round in 7 strokes. Adjust this depending on the coating
- Rinse the scraper well in hot water and store
