Self-Care: Tongue Scraping

The Ayurvedic self-care ritual known as tongue scraping is an oral hygiene practice that should be done on a daily basis to maintain oral health, and remove toxins, bacteria, food debris, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. When we sleep, our digestive system removes undigested toxins from our body bringing them to the surface of our tongue (gross!). That’s why it is so important to scrape away these toxins before doing anything else upon rising. Otherwise, they will get reabsorbed by the body and can lead to digestive issues and a compromised immune system. 

Instructions:
Practice this self-care method first thing in the morning before you have any food or liquids. Holding the two ends of the scraper in both hands, gently scrape your tongue from back to front in one long stroke. Rinse and repeat (typically 5 to 10 times) until the scraper is free of film coating and your tongue feels clean!

Tongue scrapers can be found at most health food stores as well as online. Chose a stainless steel scraper like this one that I have by Dr. Tung’s!

xo Natalie