Watch your tongue

This organ speaks volumes about the secrets to your health, writes Faye Remedios

Do you remember your doctors telling you to stick your tongue out when you were unwell? They had a good reason for this. You see, your tongue is like a roadmap to your health. Western medicine and Ayurveda might not always agree, but in this case, they both acknowledge the role your tongue plays in predicting and revealing the state of your health. These surprising truths are gained without you having to utter a word.

The Ayurvedic premise, Rogah sarveapi mande agnou, translates to ‘all diseases are caused by a reduced digestive ability'. Agni, or your digestive fire, is key in the science of Ayurveda, and the mouth where digestion first starts, is an essential aspect. The basis is simple: any problem in your Agni results in health issues. “Your tongue is literally like a mirror. If you have good digestion, it shows on your tongue and if you have bad digestion that reflects here as well. An Ayurvedic doctor, just by looking at the tongue, can tell you the state of your stomach or your gut health,” says Dr Rekha Radhamony.

In the preface of Walter Shantree Kacera’s book, Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis, Dr David Frawley, writes, “The tongue shows us the nature of Agni, or the digestive fire, and after the pulse, is the most important tool of diagnosis in Ayurvedic medicine. Learning to examine it properly is one of the main clinical skills in Ayurveda, and a good means of self-examination as well.”

Vasant Lad agrees with him in his book, Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing - A Practical Guide, where he talks about Tongue Diagnosis or Jhiva Pariksha, and says, “The tongue is the organ of taste and speech. Examination of this important organ reveals the totality of what is happening in the body.” He goes on to explain that the various parts of the tongue are related to different body parts, and any discolouration, elevations or depressions can indicate a health problem in the corresponding body part. So by examining your tongue, your doctor can gauge the state of your heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, spleen, and stomach. The right diagnosis can go beyond this to reveal imbalances in the three doshas — pitta, vata and kapha. Your tongue can show if your body is filled with toxins; if it needs detoxing; or even if certain areas hold tension or emotions like your shoulders, spine or organs. Other health issues that can be gauged include inflammation, malabsorption of nutrients, anaemia and parasitic infections. Generally, a healthy tongue is pink, has no white coating, and when extended, remains straight. One of the first indicators of an underlying health issue is the colour of our tongue that reveals imbalances in the doshas.

Vata problems show up as a grey, brown-black colour; pitta as yellow, green or an orange tinge; while a white colour indicates kapha. This can go beyond just unbalanced doshas to warn of other impending issues. For instance, a bluish tinge can point to heart problems, while a purple-blue hue can indicate a liver disorder. Those who are under excessive stress can have tongues that are cracked while swelling on the tongue can disclose inflammation in the body, an allergic reaction, obesity, or hypothyroidism. Too pale a tongue can show low red blood cells, poor circulation, or anaemia. While it is good practice to keep your tongue in the healthiest possible state and examine it to know when to head to a doctor, an expert is the only one who can do a detailed diagnosis.

Dr Vaishali Sawant Chavan, an Ayurveda health expert, has a few tricks up her sleeve to help keep your tongue healthy, which includes gargling with sea salt or water boiled with neem leaves to eliminate any bacteria; taking a teaspoon of aloe vera juice that is filled with antibacterial and antifungal properties, and swishing it in your mouth to remove dead cells from your tongue; applying a bacteria-destroying turmeric paste on your tongue to get rid of white patches; using the neutralising acids in baking soda along with its ability to keep your pH levels in check by mixing a bit with lemon juice to brush your mouth and tongue; and lastly, upping your intake of garlic, which contains the compound, allicin to cure yeast infections in the mouth.

As for your diet, she says, ”Eat a healthy diet rich in protein, fruits, vegetables, calcium, and whole grains. Limit eating and drinking between meals, cut down on sugary, processed, canned, coloured, and flavoured foods and beverages. Load up on spinach, and seafood. Avoid smoking and drinking; various studies have proven that tobacco products can permanently change the shape of your taste buds, leaving you unable to taste bitter foods or coffee. You can also eat foods like chopped onions and ginger to fight the bad bacteria that thrive on the tongue.”

There you have it, the secrets of your tongue, and the way to use it to set you on
the path to vibrant health.

Coming clean

Have you woken up to find your tongue feeling heavy and coated with a thick white coating? If yes, you need to see if you are religiously cleaning your tongue every day. Tongue scraping is an important part of the Ayurvedic process. “Scraping your tongue helps keep it healthy, removes accumulated toxins, and aids digestion by increasing the production of saliva. Apart from improving your digestion, you reduce any signs of bad breath too,” says Dr Rekha Radhamony. But there are misconceptions about this that she would like to clear up. Bad gut health shows up on your tongue as a white coating, which people often label as ama or toxins. “But you cannot actually see ama with your naked eyes. What you can do is understand that there is an underlying problem and its symptoms.” Another important factor is that you cannot diagnose a problem by just observing your tongue for a day. “Some people naturally have very pale tongues while others are naturally pink. To see if the white colour is an abnormality, you need to observe your tongue for at least 15 days.” She recommends scraping your tongue with a copper, brass, gold or silver scraper after oil pulling and brushing your teeth. Even a stainless steel one would work in a pinch but advises staying away from plastic, which is completely unnatural.