In keeping with our quest for wellness, the TUNG Brush and Gel team has learned even more about the teachings of Ayurveda that are fascinating and relevant!
Learning from the Ancients
Ayurvedic teachings included the examination of the tongue as a way to the understanding of the soul and body. The tongue was considered the mirror of all of our organs and our bodily health. Wow, just think about how advanced a concept that was for way back then! The understanding of bacteria, oral hygiene and the respiratory and digestive systems as reflected in the tongue!
In Ayurveda, the word Ama refers to any accumulation of toxic residue in the mind or body. And, given that the bacteria that accumulate on the tongue are considered to be impure and toxic, the cleaning of the tongue is absolutely a task that coincides with the Ayurvedic way of life! Not only does cleaning your tongue remove toxins from your body, it also enhances the enjoyment of foods by allowing you to taste things more purely.
The ancient text associated with the origins of Ayurvedic practice, the Charaka Samhita, gives us a lot of information about tongue scraping. Interestingly enough, this was considered such an important daily ritual, that the scraper was supposed to be made only of gold, silver, copper, tin or brass and was to be dull and curved to protect the tongue. And, just to give you a sense of how ancient a teaching this was – the Charaka Samhita is said to have been written about 2500 years ago! Anyway, you were supposed to scrape your tongue between 7 and 14 times, back to front, every day to remove the toxins.
Stop Tongue Scraping, Start Tongue Brushing
The idea of tongue scraping has continued to modern times, but, while the purpose is valuable, the use of many scrapers can become more deleterious than healthy because of possible injury to the surface of the tongue as well as the increased risk of gagging. We think that the followers of Ayurveda would love the progress we have made with the safe TUNG Brush and Gel – daily use will still remove the Ama and will contribute to your overall wellness, but safely and with tremendously reduced gag reflexes!
Don’t forget, the best practices can definitely be learned from the ancients. They knew more, without the internet and without technology, than most of us can ever dream of knowing – a little update to their ideas may not hurt, but the teachings and philosophies have endured the test of time.
