Improve your Health with a Tongue Cleaner
I love seeing my student’s faces when I introduce them to a tongue cleaner. Soon they realize why it’s so important to have a tongue cleaner as a part of a daily oral cleaning routine.
This little handy and inexpensive tool is a must-have for dental and mouth hygiene in Ayurveda. Along with oil pulling, the tongue cleaner or scraper is mentioned in classical Ayurvedic text.
Post-nasal drip in the West is considered as one of the causes of bad breath. This drip coats the back of the tongue with mucus that is rich in bacteria. The dying bacteria produce volatile sulfur compounds that create bad breath.
Ayurveda and Oral Health
In Ayurveda, the white coating on the back of the tongue represents what Ayurvedic practitioners call ama (natural toxins), which is more than a postnasal drip. Ama refers to any toxin that has a sticky and heavy quality, causing dis-ease and dysfunction in the body.
The tongue represents the entire gastrointestinal tract, and trained Ayurvedic practitioners can see what is happening in a person’s digestive system by what they see on the tongue surface. Oral bacteria affects the health of the cardiovascular, respiratory and reproductive systems as well.
The human body is constantly processing toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. It not only sends the toxins to the GI tract for elimination, but it also sends them out to the tongue.
Using a tongue cleaner/scraper is a fantastic way to reduce bad breath and eliminate the excess bad bacteria in the mouth and tongue.
Regular use of a tongue cleaner can also help improve
- sense of taste,
- digestion and
- overall health.
Using a tongue cleaner/scraper is a fantastic way to reduce bad breath and eliminate the excess bad bacteria.
I like to scrape my tongue first thing in the morning right before I do oil pulling, brush my teeth, drink water or eat anything. I also do it at night time before I brush my teeth and go to bed. Adding a tongue cleanser to your daily dental hygiene can do wonders for your health!
You can find this handy little tool in your health stores, www.banyanbotanicals.com, and grocery stores.
