Tongue scraping can sound like an odd thing to do and the founder of the one you have in your box, Jasmine Hemsley says ‘think of it as tingling your tongue instead — sounds more enticing!’ hence why she called hers Tongue Tingler. ‘Tingling your tongue makes it happy, and a happy tongue is the starting point to a healthy gut and body’ says Jasmine.
Here's why, according to Jasmine...
By taking good care of your tongue, you are checking in with your health daily. The health of the tongue has long been understood in many Eastern cultures (notably in Chinese medicine) to be a reflection of our overall health.
Benefits
While you sleep, your body is busy clearing out Ama (toxins), some of which ends up on the tongue as a coating that should be removed rather than re-ingested.
Ayurveda teaches us that tongue cleaning removes these toxins and activates the salivary glands, which then improves digestion and the ability to taste. This means it can help you become more in touch with what your body needs, and less likely to overeat in search of flavour. It can also help with sore throats, sinus infections and blocked noses, as well as removing excess mucus and minor infections.
Ayurveda teaches us that tongue cleaning removes these toxins and activates the salivary glands, which then improves digestion and the ability to taste. This means it can help you become more in touch with what your body needs, and less likely to overeat in search of flavour. It can also help with sore throats, sinus infections and blocked noses, as well as removing excess mucus and minor infections.
How To Clean Your Tongue
Some people use their toothbrush to clean their tongue, which actually just moves the toxins around rather than removing them. The teeth are hard, so they require a soft brush to clean them efficiently, whereas the tongue is soft, so gently pulling a hard tongue scraper across it is the best way to clean up the coating. The best tongue scrapers are simple U-shaped pieces of metal in gold, silver, copper or stainless steel.
To use, take the two ends of the tongue scraper in each hand, stick out your tongue, and guide the arch of the tongue scraper to the back of the tongue. Gently scrape forward and down several times, rinsing the white mucus off the scraper in between. Rinse the mouth once you are done, then wash the scraper with hot water after use and store in a clean, dry place. (I hook mine over my toothbrush holder).
Do this first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything or start talking, which activates the saliva glands (within a few minutes of waking for maximum effectiveness). You can also clean the tongue at night if you’re unwell.
How To Keep Your Tongue Tingler Clean
Being a simple copper curve, all it really needs immediately after use is a rinse under the hot tap and a wipe — simple. Copper is naturally antibacterial which takes care of most things, but... metal natural reactions mean that a tarnish can develop, which while totally safe, isn’t as glossy and gleaming as when the scraper first arrives.
Jasmine cleans her Tongue Tingler once in a blue moon by taking a lemon wedge and dipping the cut side in salt then gently working the salt-covered lemon over the Tongue Tingler to remove the tarnish, squeezing the lemon gently as you work and reapplying more salt to the lemon as needed. Rinse the Tongue Tingler thoroughly with warm water (use an old toothbrush to get into the grooves and remove any remaining salt) and dry with a towel, polish if you like with a soft dry cloth.
