Say ahhh: The benefits of tongue scraping

If you’ve been over to the apartment of your health nut friend and maybe had a poke around her bathroom (trust us, everyone does it), you probably noticed a strange looking metal device next to her bamboo toothbrush and natural toothpaste. It may look like a Medieval torture device, but don’t freak out. She’s actually just a master of oral hygiene.

So, what is it, you may ask? Well, that little copper tool is actually a tongue scraper. Tongue scraping is pretty foreign to us in the west, but the Ayurvedic self-care ritual goes back centuries. This oral hygiene practice removes food debris, bacteria, fungi, toxins and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. Ick, right?

When we are sleeping, our bodies are totally awake, kicking into high gear to work on digestion and removing toxins from our bodies. But when they remove these toxins, they have to go somewhere, so where the heck do they go? Onto the surface of your tongue.

If you don’t scrape away these toxins, they actually get reabsorbed by your body. So all the hard work your digestive system and detoxification pathways did overnight will be for naught. When they are reabsorbed, they can cause digestive problems, respiratory difficulties and even a compromised immune system.

Now you could certainly just use your toothbrush – though really, how many of us actually brush our tongues anyway – but dental research has actually concluded that a tongue scraper is far more effective at removing the toxins and bacteria. Brushing and flossing do help to loosen the bad stuff and get it moving, but you need something that will scrape it away completely. And as nearly half of the bacteria in your mouth lives on and in the deep crevices of your tongue, using a tongue scraper allows you to collect the toxic coatings (expect to see anything from green to yellow to clear to white “gunk”) and bring them out of your body.

Other than protecting your immune system, respiratory system and digestive system (which are all pretty darn important if you ask us), there are a whole host of benefits to tongue scraping. One of the biggest ones we can think of is the prevention of halitosis. Bad breath is a major turnoff, whether you’re on a date, at an interview or simply chatting with a friend. Bad breath actually has a negative impact on your personal life and your self-esteem, so if you can prevent it, why not?! Scraping your tongue significantly reduces the bacteria that cause bad breath.

Other than talking and kissing, one of our favourite uses of our tongues is tasting food. Proper digestion begins with salivation and taste, and if you aren’t properly removing that toxic mucus hanging out on your tongue, your taste buds will actually become blocked. This can severely dull your sensations of flavour and even cause false cravings. So when you want to taste all the fresh, juicy flavours of The Glowor The Dragon Bowl, you should make sure to scrape your tongue, opening up its pores and exposing its taste buds. This will also help with digestion and assimilation of food.

You’ve got all the info on all the benefits, but are you still wondering how to tongue scrape properly? We’re here to help. As soon as you wake up in the morning, with an empty stomach, you should head to your bathroom to get scraping. Hold each end of your copper tongue scraper in one hand and stick out your tongue. Place the scraper as far back on your tongue as you can and drag it across the surface of your tongue toward the tip, applying gentle but firm pressure. Rinse your scraper and repeat about 5 to 10 times, until your tongue feels clean and is mucus-free. Then you’ll be ready for the day ahead!