The One Self-Care Tool I Use Everyday
There’s one self-care tool I use everyday: my tongue scraper. Even when I travel, it comes with me.
This small, simple tool can be life-changing. Everything tastes more vibrant. But the benefits of tongue scraping go well beyond taste.
So what is tongue scraping all about? What are some of the health benefits of using a tongue scraper? And how exactly do you scrape your tongue? These are the questions I’ll answer in this blog post.
What is tongue scraping?
Tongue scraping is an Ayurvedic practice that dates back to ancient times. It is exactly as it sounds: you use a tool to gently scrape the top of your tongue.
But why?
Tongue scraping aims to get rid of ama, or undigested gunk that collects on your tongue during sleep. Ama appears as a thick white coating on your tongue in the morning after the deep digestive processes your body undergoes during sleep.
You may have more ama if you eat a late meal, or eat foods that your body has a difficult time digesting, which includes eating foods out of season. This happens to me when I eat ice cream late at night after dinner, for example. If you’re sick, you may also have more ama on your tongue.
The good news is that your body practically offers you the opportunity to get rid of some of this excess ama while it’s on your tongue. This is why it’s best to do it first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything. Otherwise, you may swallow it and your body will have the hard work of trying to digest it all over again.
Health benefits of tongue scraping
Daily tongue scraping:
enhances taste
improves digestion
promotes oral health, including better breath
can help stimulate a morning bowel movement
supports overall health
Yes, you read that right. Using a tongue scraper first thing in the morning can make it easier for you to go.
Scraping your tongue removes toxins from your tongue. In doing so, it gently massages your digestive tract which starts…eh hem…at your tongue! If your system is a little slow to start, you may notice a difference when you start using a tongue scraper.
In my experience, scraping your tongue is one of the easiest ways to check in on your overall health. That and observing your poop, but I’ll leave that for another blog post.
If your body’s having a tough time digesting your food and lifestyle (read: stressors), then you’ll likely find more ama on your tongue. If your body can easily handle your daily life and food intake, then you’ll likely find less ama on your tongue.
This isn’t the only reason why tongue scraping supports overall health. Tongue scraping can be a keystone habit, a concept coined by Charles Duhigg, meaning it is a small behavior change that carries over into other aspects of your life.
It’s so simple, why not do it.
How to use a tongue scraper
Upon waking, after your morning pee, scrape your tongue.
Here’s how:
Hold the ends of the tongue scraper in each hand.
Stick out your tongue as far as feels comfortable.
Place the edge of the tongue cleaner on the surface of your tongue as far back as feels comfortable. (No need to make yourself gag.)
Apply gentle pressure and pull the tongue cleaner forwards in a long stroke.
Rinse off any white coating that’s collected on the scraper, then repeat for up to 3-7 times.
Stop scraping if you notice that no more white gunk is collecting on the end of the cleaner. You’re good to go!
Use a copper or stainless steel tongue scraper, like the one here. (You can use my coupon code for 15% off all Farm True products: EMILIE15 ) Copper is antibacterial and antimicrobial, and stays clean when rinsed with hot water.
Plastic tongue cleaners are usually too light, which doesn’t effectively scrape off the ama. Brushing your tongue with your toothbrush does not do the trick either. Instead it moves the gunk around your tongue instead of getting the ama off and out.
Do not scrape your tongue more than once a day. Too much tongue scraping is not a good thing. You want to cleanse your taste buds, not harm them.
Remember, ama only appears on your tongue after your night’s sleep. Any other stuff that appears on your tongue later in the day is likely related to something you ate or drank. Try a simple rinse with warm water if it bothers you.
You may notice less ama with regular use of a tongue scraper. But life happens, and you may eat something your body doesn’t love, or go through a particularly stressful time. Be kind to yourself and keep on tongue scraping every day.
Are you ready to try it?
If tongue scraping does change your life, I want to hear about it. Send me an email and tell me how you implement tongue scraping into your daily self-care routine.