In Ayurveda, one of the primary investigative tools of practitioners for determining the state of one’s health is tongue diagnosis or evaluation of the tongue.
The tongue is the beginning of the digestive tract, which lumbers on for another 30 feet or so. Since we cannot see much beyond the mouth without some invasive diagnostics, a quick look at the tongue can tell much about the health of your inner digestive lining and its function.
In fact, Ayurveda suggested that the surface of the tongue reflects an entire map of the body, reflecting its overall health.
Common findings with Tongue diagnosis
- Internal organs health
- Vata, Pitta or Kapha state or imbalance.
- Presence of toxins and needs of detox.
- Tension and emotions held in spine, shoulder or organs.
- Anemia and cirtulations.
- Malabsorption of nutrients
- Inflammation of organs and body
- Parasitic infection
Organs location in Tongue
Tongue represents the location of various organs.
- The front of the tongue is related to upper GI tract, lungs, and heart;
- The Middle part of the tongue is connected with liver, spleen, and stomach;
- The back is associated with large intestine and kidneys;
- The very tip is the location of thyroid and vertical line in the middle of the tongue represents the spine.
How to read your tongue
We will tell you how to read your tongue by yourself with the help of Ayurveda.
There are three doshas that are responsible for the balance as well as imbalance of metabolism inside our body.
Check if your internal organs are fine with the help of these doshas.
Vata dominance
If there is a presence of cracks on your tongue, then it shows Vata dominance. Vata is generally matched with the neurological system of our body. Thus it occurs when there is some sort of nervous system involvement generally like anxiety, tension, or due to other diseases.
Pitta dominance
Pitta is actually related to the ‘AGNI’ that can be said to be digestive power and it’s also related to heat. Hyperacidity, fevers, ulcers, and red dots that can be seen on the tongue represent the aggravation of pitta.
Kapha dominance
If there is some sort of swelling or edema or obesity or any kind of fluid retention it shows the Kapha dominance. The swelling or edema generally reflects any kind of inflammation in that particular place.
Caring For Your Tongue
Tongue scraping is the simple practice of scraping the tongue before brushing the teeth. Studies have shown that this simple technique:
- Reduces undesirable bacteria in the mouth that compromise gum, teeth, and oral health.
- Reduces volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) that are byproducts of mouth bacteria linked to bad breath.
- Increases function of taste buds to better taste and digest food.
- Changes environment of mouth to reduce putrefaction and decrease bacterial load.
Toxins, or ama, collect on the back of the tongue and can cause obstructions in respiration and foul smell.
Copper may be the best metal for tongue scraping because the mouth is loaded with both good and not-so-good bacteria. Copper not only seems to be toxic to the bad bacteria, it also provides important enzymes that are needed for the healthy microbes of the mouth to survive.
How To Scrape Your Tongue
In the morning, right after you wake up, scrape your tongue. Make it the first thing you do. Even if you wake up in the middle of the night, scraping the tongue followed by a glass of water can reduce accumulating digestive ama (toxins).
With a relaxed tongue, using your U-shaped tongue scraper, gently reach to the back of the tongue and scrape from back to front. Repeat this 5-10 times, reaching as far back as comfortable, rinsing the scraper after each pass. A slight gag can help bring up some mucus and ama from the back of the throat.
Follow tongue scraping with brushing (with non-fluoride toothpaste), flossing, and a large glass of water.
To complete an Ayurvedic oral hygiene routine, this can be followed by oil pulling. Of course, this would require another round of tooth brushing.
Get into the habit of scraping your tongue prior to each brushing.
How’s the health of your tongue?
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