What Is Tongue Scraping or Jiwah Prakshalan in Ayurveda?

In Ayurveda, the tongue is the first organ in our body from where digestion begins. Ayurveda also states that the tongue mirrors the state of our organs and is essential for diagnosis in Ayurveda. If the tongue has a thick coating of a different colour, it means the individual’s body has a lot of toxins.

In order to get rid of these toxins from the tongue, Ayurveda suggests using a tongue scraper in a process called tongue scraping or Jiwah Prakshalan. This blog aims to cover the benefits and methods of tongue scraping.

Tongue scraping is an ancient ayurvedic ritual that aims to keep the tongue clean and removes toxins, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, food debris, etc. It is also a process of self-care. Ayurveda recommends the practice of Jiwah Prakshalan, alongside other brushing activities in the morning and night.

Moreover, when we sleep at night, the digestive system works to remove the toxins from our body, and it gets deposited in our tongue. If we do not use a tongue scraper, the same toxins mix with the foods we have ingested and enter our bodies. Tongue scraping has various other benefits, which we will discuss now.

Tongue scraping, as the name implies, is the process of scraping away any form of the residual build-up to clean up the tongue completely. This process decreases the level of bacteria in one’s mouth vastly. Below we have listed the various benefits of tongue scraping:

• Jiwah Prakshalan improves one’s sense of taste.
• Incorporating tongue scraping in one’s daily mouth washing routine will reduce bacteria and ama in one’s mouth.
• This also solves the problem of bad breath.
• Prevents one from having cavities and bleeding gums, improving the overall mouth conditions.
• This process boosts one’s immunity as the toxins from the tongue do not reenter one’s body while eating.
• Similarly, it improves digestion as harmful bacteria, viruses and other toxins are removed during brushing.
• Regularly scraping your tongue will also help you to track your health. If there is some unhealthy ama toxin accumulation, you will be able to identify the imbalances in your body. According to Ayurveda, this helps understand one’s doshas in the body.
• It stimulates saliva production, which helps balance Agni elements in one’s body.

Ayurveda recommends that individuals scrape their tongues daily in the morning on an empty stomach. Furthermore, one should do this ritual just after waking up. The tongue scraper should be gold, silver, copper or brass. One can follow the steps below for tongue scraping:

Step 1: Begin your tongue scraping process as soon as you wake up in the morning.

Step 2: Move the tongue scraper backwards and forwards along the entire length of your tongue.

Step 3: Rinse the tool after every iteration as toxins will start settling the tool.

Step 4: Repeat the entire process 10 times.

Step 5: The last step is to rinse your mouth with water, then brush and floss.

One can also try oil pulling after completing all the steps mentioned above.

Like brushing, tongue scraping also comes with certain do’s and don’ts to follow. Here are some of the important do’s and don’ts of tongue scraping:

Do’s of Tongue Scraping

• You should consistently clean your tongue with a tongue scraper. It is advisable to do it twice a day, once in the morning after waking and once at night before going to bed.
• Buy a high-quality scraper with smooth edges, so you don't hurt yourself.
• Use the tongue gently over your tongue from the back to the tip.
• Beginners may face gag reflexes while tongue scraping. To stop that, you can start scraping from the middle of the tongue and then gradually moving backwards.

Don’ts of Tongue Scraping

• You should not apply too much pressure while scraping your tongue. Doing so can damage your tongue’s delicate surface and harm the taste buds.
• Do not continue scraping if you notice white patches, ulcers or bad breath consistently after scraping. Visit a doctor immediately.
• Do not use a toothbrush for tongue scraping. It is not an effective tool.
• You do not have to worry about yellow or white discharge from the tongue as it would diminish over time.

Ayurveda practitioners recommend using tongue scrapers made of gold, silver, brass and copper. However, owning a tool made of gold and silver to scrape your tongue every day is not a very affordable option.

People mostly use copper or steel tongue scrapers to clean their tongues. But Ayurvedic practitioners prefer copper scrapers more than steel variants. Copper is preferred over steel because of the following benefits:

• Tongue scrapers made of copper have great shelf life only if you take care of them properly.
• Scientists have already proven that copper fights bacteria.

In comparison, steel tongue scrapers available in the market are made of hospital-grade material so that they will be antibacterial. Stainless steel tools will also last longer if carefully used. They can be used in place of copper ones, but they are not the first choice in Ayurveda.

Moreover, one must avoid using scrapers made of plastic because they are ineffective. Plastic also contains harmful chemicals such as BPA, which will transfer to one’s body through the mouth.

Ayurvedic practitioners recommend tongue scraping, and once you start doing this process consistently, you will start noticing the differences. Your mouth will feel fresher, and your bad breath problems will decrease slowly with time.