Table of Contents
Cure A White Coating on the Tongue
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There are several possibilities for what causes a white coating on the tongue, or THRUSH. The most common cause of a white coating is a candidal infection, which is caused by fungus. Thrush can also be caused by antibiotics or steroids that were inhaled for sinus or asthma issues. A white coating can also simply be the buildup of dead cells on the tongue. Finally, a white coating on the tongue may be caused by dehydration! If you aren't drinking enough water, it's possible that little pieces of food are sticking to your tongue! Simply drinking more water will remedy this condition so we suggest you try this first for a week or two and see if it makes a difference.
MOST POPULAR TONGUE REMEDIES:
| REMEDY NAME | # of YEAS |
| OIL PULLING | 3 |
| SALT | 4 |
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
POPULAR REMEDIES:
| SALT | 28 YEAS |
1 YEA
[YEA] 08/21/2009: Fred from San Diego, California writes: "Remedy: Probiotics
I had a white coating on my tongue for a long time. The salt remedy didn't work for me (it made the coating orange). After doing research on the web I tried this, and it worked in ONE DAY:
I took a large spoon and filled it half full of water. I opened one of my probiotics (commonly called "acidophilus") capsules, and poured a small amount of the powder into the water. I used very little, only about half the size of a pencil eraser. I rocked the spoon back and forth to get all of the powder wet. After brushing my teeth and right before going to bed, I swallowed the contents of the spoon. That's it!
The next day my tongue coating was better, and doing it a few more nights made an incredible difference. You don't have to wait weeks or months to see if this works for you. I didn't scrape my tongue or do anything else special, though I do think that limiting your sugar intake is beneficial.
My probiotics have two bacterial strains: L acidophilus and B. lactis (also known as B. infantis), and it is quite concentrated at 15 billion organisms per capsule. I'm guessing that any good probiotic would work, but have only tried mine."
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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA
[WORKED TEMPORARILY] 08/18/2008: Liza from Manila, Philippines writes: "I have been using Apple Cider Vinegar plus Baking Soda for 2 weeks now for my LPR [Laryngopharyngeal Reflux]. I noticed that the 'mucus' on my throat is gone but i have white tongue. How will I get rid of this? And I still have halitosis. I need some help. Thanks."
EC: Please check for remedies on the following pages:
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/tongue.html
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/breath.html
09/08/2010: Canuckboy from Calgary, Alberta replies: "My recipe for a nice pink tongue is as follows:
* Apple Cider Vinegar: Drink 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ACV in a glass of water, preferably 3 times a day. *Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS): 3 drops of MMS plus 15 drops of ACV wait 3 mins add a bit of water and gargle, squish around for 30 to 60 secs and spit out. * Iodine: use Kelp in cooking as a spice - makes my mouth moist and clean. Or, drink a drop of Lugol's solution in a glass of water. * Tongue scraper"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/09/2006: DS from NYC writes: "A great remedy I just discovered by accident to take away the white coating on your tongue is powdered charcoal. I was taking this at night to cleanse my digestive system and discovered the next morning that my tongue had no coating on it! Amazing!"
05/22/2009: Jack from NYC, NewYork replies: "How do you do with charcoal. Can you please tell more detail or procedure how to use."
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CHINESE MEDICINE DIAGNOSIS OF THE TONGUE
07/22/2009: Kevin from Vancouver, BC writes: "I am an acupunturist.
Usually a white tongue or coating mean cold is inside.
Yellow means heat is inside. I know these terms seem a bit out there but using the idea of yin and yang is or cold and hot is more sophisticated than trying to figure out a single cause when the body is an orchestra or functions.
So for a white toungue one would suggest Hot or warming food. For example ginger or cinnamon or cayenne. I would also suggests other tonic herbs like ginseng but only if there is not thick coating. A thick coating means excess or too much and so to build that would make it worse. You need to decrease the thickness. This is done by taking herbs that help to clear dampness usually bitter ones or astringent like orange peel for example.
There is a whole study of toungue coating and colour out there that is foundational to chinese diagnosis. Your toungue is a great indicator of health.
So to recap white toungue means cold so get warm and the toungue will change. Literally and with warming food. DO not eat ice cream or drink cold drinks with a cold tongue."
03/22/2010: Laurie from Belleville, Ont, Canada replies: "Hello Kevin
You stated that "Yellow means heat is inside " but didn't say how to treat this. I've only recently come up with a yellowish tongue and would like to get rid of it....any ideas ?"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 12/28/2008: Suzanne from Abbotsford, BC, Canada writes: "I had a white coating on my tongue for many years and would just brush it when I brushed my teeth. Didn't seem all that bad. However, when I went on an anti-Candida diet (i.e. no sugar), I noticed one day that my tongue wasn't white anymore. Honey and fruit seems to be ok, though, because I have had those regularly after the appropriate time on the diet. I'm guessing that it is related to systemic yeast infection, which I have had for some time."
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2 YEA
1 QUESTION
[YEA] 10/13/2009: Chris from Floral Park, Ny writes: "I found a bottle of vegetable glycerin in a health food store for about $5. I put a few drops on my toothbrush and bushed my tongue. It has been white for years even after hydrogen peroxide, salt, different toothpastes. After using glycerin for a day my tongue is almost totally pink. My mouth also tastes sweet but not overly so."
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[QUESTION] 01/17/2009: Anon from Buffalo, NY writes: "Hi. Where can I find glycerin? I looked in the toothpaste aisle and in the organic aisle at the supermarket. Is it something you can only find online? Thank you."
EC: No, check the wound care section in your local pharmacy or grocery store. We usually see it on either the very top or the very bottom shelf. At Whole Foods, we once found a great brand of vegetable glycerin in the castor oil/massage oil section. Singers use veggie-based glycerin to coat sore throats as it's safe for internal use.
Here's one advertised at iherb.com: http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=7962&at=0
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[YEA] 05/25/2006: Marina from Bronx, NY writes: "I wanted something natural to whiten my teeth and take the white film off my tongue. A co-worker of mine told me to try glycerine to replace it for toothpaste when i wanted a whiter smile and clean tongue so i tried it and to my surprise the stains on my teeth were gone they were gleaming and my tongue was so pink and healthy. and i loyally use it every now and then when my teeth are looking dull and brush my tongue with it daily!"
01/08/2009: Brian from Vancouver, BC Canada replies: "Glycerin (oral health)
Glycerin, including the drugstore USP type, is very effective in killing mouth bacteria and dissolving stains. It is an approved food additive, present in large quantities in ice cream, etc.
It works by hygroscopic action: it instantly pulls the water out of bacteria. Sip, swish, especially on the back of the tongue, and swallow for instant sweet breath. It is also a sweetener (60% sweetness rating); actually 3-carbon alcohol, with more uses than virtually any other chemical on Earth. (1500+ at last count).
Doubles healing speed, halves scarring."
02/18/2009: Zarina from Lusaka, Zambia replies: "Is this the usual glycerine that we use on the body??"
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1 YEA
2 NAY
[NAY] 12/22/2008: Shawnta E. from Virginia Beach, VA writes: "The white tongue issue most of you are probably referring to is called geographical tongue. This is only present in about 3% of the population. I was diagnosed with this about 3 years ago, and officially, there is no cure for it. I had searched high and low for one, and all official websites state there just isn't one. However, some sites have stated to brush with peroxide, but I haven't had much success with it. Sorry I couldn't offer a positive remedy."
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[NAY] 11/19/2008: Jeanne from Hickory, NC writes: "white tongue: I am using Oral Peroxide, have been for apx. 2 months. Very little diff. Looking for home remedy that works."
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[YEA] 06/10/2008: Matt from Magna, Utah writes: "re: white tongue. I am surprised no one has proposed using hydrogen peroxide to remove a tongue coating. Flush several times for between 30 and 60 minutes with approx. 2 or 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.. worked for me"
04/07/2009: Wolf from Malibu, CA replies: "30 to 60 minutes? really?"
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1 YEA
2 NAY
[YEA] 11/10/2007: Rich from Scranton, PA writes: "Listerine mouthwash (antiseptic) really helps clean up your tongue. Just slowly swish it in your mouth and continue even if it burns. After the burn is unbearable or stops, then spit it in the sink. After three rinses my tongue was less white."
[NAY] 09/06/2008: Jini from Toronto, Canada replies: "It didn't work for me."
[NAY] 12/11/2009: Jay from Los Angeles, Ca Usa replies: "I have been using it for about two months and no improvement yet."
12/11/2009: Dj from Pdx, Or replies: "Jay,
Try OP with some pepermint essential oil or the H202 rinse works really well on bad breath and white tungues in my experience.
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide.html
Also if you don't already just brushing the tungue while brushing your teeth will help."
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2 NAY
1 BETTER BUT NOT CURED
[NAY] 03/20/2010: Me from Adelaide, Australia writes: "im 42, ive had a white tongue for about 6 months, it also is now going brown, like ive been smoking (i dont smoke , use drugs and would be lucky to drink one beer a month), dont have massive sugar or anything overload in my diet
tongue tastes horrid and feels like ive burnt it, rear teeth coated, tried everything:
oral medicine from doctor (mild response but made stomach sore)
water drinking increase
mouthwash
now trying rock salt, which cleans it better, but it still keeps coming back
its driving me insane, waking to it every morn (i brush tongue with salt and gargle) then by afternoon its back."
03/21/2010: Cait from Los Angeles, Ca, Usa replies: "It might be something in your diet causing the issue. I get a white tongue when I drink milk or soy milk and a brown tongue when I eat honey! Goat milk and rice milk is okay for me, no white tongue. Experiment by removing one food after another to find out what the culprit is. It could also be a sign of candida overgrowth.Good luck to you!"
03/21/2010: Cimmarron from Pomona, Mo replies: "Hi,I had the same problem with my tongue several months ago. I found out that I was taking too much cod liver oil, it had too much vit A and D in it. I quit taking the cod liver oil and started taking the flaxseed oil and I started brushing my tongue with tooth paste and peroxide,.... my tongue turned pink again. Hope this helps"
03/21/2010: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "I had a white coated tongue for most of my life (52 years old). Yesterday I decided to follow some advice I read here and bought natural tooth paste with salt. It is more expensive than normal tooth pastes but well, it did the trick right away. My tongue was clean from the first time I brushed my teeth with it and it is still clean today. I think that all that stuff in tooth pastes is not good for you."
07/22/2010: Miss Ely from Valley Stream , Ny replies: "Okay so im 18 and I just got my tongue pierced 3 days ago. I do have that white stuff on my tongue and I really want to get rid of it since I got my tongue pierced. What should I do? should I wait till my piercing heals completely or should I do the salt method or any method now? and will my piercing get infected? thnx"
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[BETTER BUT NOT CURED] 11/20/2009: Shaun from Provo, Utah writes: "I have not been aware of "white tongue" as a condition until more recently, having it begin to dawn on me. Looking back from late teen years, I kept good oral heigene, but my breath was offensive, and I didn't know how to alleviate it. In later years the tongue became the focus of concern. Will toothpaste break down that white coating on the tongue? No. Somehow I began to find relief by bringing a heaping load of baking soda into my mouth on my toothbrush. I would then press the powder against the roof of my mouth for a while, then brush and rinse it off as well. It was a great help, actually chemically breaking down that white coating. It was so helpful that I began to put baking powder in a small jar and having it with my toothpaste when I travel. I've also gargled with water and some hydrogen peroxide. Salt water is great too, but I want to avoid the table salt containing aluminum, added in as a non-caking agent.
Of interest to those here. There is a "detox" diet, which I tried a few years ago and I believed helped me much in overall health, giving relief to a burdened liver (as the whites of my eyes were jaundiced looking.)
after getting I'll and seeing a very jaundiced look in my eyes, I went ahead and comitted to this Stanley Burough's "Master Cleanser" or lemonade diet. My mother had tried it. One thing you do when on the diet (10 day minimum) is monitor your tongue. Within. Few days on that detox, the tongue become a white shag carpet as the body begins to operate a cellular house cleaning. The tongue indicates the progress. And when do you note you're clean? The tongue turns pink and the white coating is gone.
I did that cleanse diet (a little yellow book at the health food store,) and found that in 30 days I did not get rid of white tongue, which indicates I am still full of toxins, despite all the absolutely vile stuff I hacked up when on the diet. I will begin that diet anew after thanksgiving. Perhaps this round I'll obtain that enviable pink tongue.
When on that diet, I must relate that I only needed 6 hours of sleep a night to feel very rested, nor did I toss and turn. I always awoke and felt bright, easily able to rise from bed. I had energy all day and ambition not evident since my teen years.
One other thing to share, that last time I got sick and jaundiced looking, I took up the free bio-meridian scan offered by Dr Jack Stockwell in SLC on his radio show. They tested me and the technition asked: "what have you done to your lungs? You have done damage to your lungs, you've got scar tissue in your lungs and are loaded in the abdomen with toxins."
Bingo. I was becoming a believer in the scan. My Sr. year of high school I was in a finishing room in the woodshop two hours a day for a few months. It was toxic. The year after I graduated, the fire Marshall condemned the place, forcing a wall to be knocked out and many more exhaust fans installed. My time there resulted in my developing an athsmatic condition, where I just struggled to get air. After a year it seemed this condition left me and I forgot about it until that scan affirmed lung damage and toxins were in my system.
So is that the basis of my white tongue? Will another long 2-3 weeks on the lemonaide diet cleanse me enough to obtain permanantly that white tongue? I shall see.
Thanks for the site and the reading of all these posts dealing with white tongue. It's very informative."
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[NAY] 07/27/2009: Je from Manila, Philippines writes: "Helo im here coz i stil have white coating on my tongue and halitosis as well, i tried brushng my tongue using baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and now the charcoal powder..And i stil have a sour taste n my mouth when i wake up. Somebody plz help me get rid of ths embarasing problem."
07/27/2009: Kathy from Nevada replies: "try to brush your tongue with salt...it takes the white stuff off!"
07/27/2009: Dj from Pdx, Or replies: "Je,
Try oil pulling. I use sesame seed oil and about 5 droppers full of clove bud oil. I mix it up in a 1 cup container take a swig and swish it every morning. I brush my teeth (and tongue) before I OP every morning. I floss about three times a week. Some people brush before and after.
The OP can be difficult the first couple of times until you get use to the texture. Yes it is okay if a little bit gets swallowed, just don't swallow it all.
Remember also that it can take a couple of weeks to see lasting results although most see improvement right away. OP is not something you can do once and be done with it. It must be done daily for a while and then you can go into a maintenance schedule you are comfortable with. There will be times when you end up OP two or three times a day every now and then (mostly in the beginning)
The nice thing about all the natural remedies is they are flexible to your needs. listen to what people have to say and then make a program that works for you.
Good luck."
08/08/2009: Donna from Sydney, Australia replies: "If you want to cure bad breath and white tongue try Manucca Honey each day. Just a teaspoon each morning. It takes about 2 weeks to work. The higher the umm in the honey the better"
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06/21/2009: Rich from Boca Raton, Fl writes: "I've experimented with the white tongue for 6 months. Tried:
Failures:
1. Honey. No success.
2. Salt - strong effect, but no success.
3. Oregano Oil - stings, but no success.
4. Peppermint Oil - failure.
5. Listerine(Eucalptus oil) - failure.
6. Baking Soda - success for 1 day, failure afterwards.
7. Borax - success for 1 day, failure afterwards.
8. Diluted Bleach - turns tounge white, failure.
9. Acidified Bleach - 1/2 cap of bleach plus 2 TBSP ACV. This should create Hypochlorite. Turns toungue whiter. No success. This is supposed to have 10x the killing power of bleach.
10. Olive Oil - this started to turn my teeth yellow. Bad Failure. Candida may feed on the Oleic acid in Olive Oil. I dunno, but I ended this experiment early.
*****
Successes"
11. Turmeric - partial improvement. Temporary. Turns tounge yellow.
12. Mega-Garlic - partial improvement. Temporary. Tongue turns brown. I got some bloodblisters on the "cheek-gums" where white blisters previously existed. Took a few days. But these multi-month whit cheek blisters actually healed. This one probably works if you're willing to follow it through for a month.
13. Coconut Oil. Partial Success. Assuming it's candida, I will say that this kills the Aeorbic form, and not the Anerobic form. Some of the white stuff instantly disappears, and some doesn't. Coconut oil definitely does something.
14. Vinnegar and Borax mix. This is at least as good as the coconut oil. Two anti-infectives mixed. Success is temporary, but you can prevent any infection from getting worse... at least hold it to a stalemate. There is a commercial drug that uses this (Dermapet). I don't mention the brand name to promote it, but instead to say there is science behind it, and clinical studies, which are listed on the website. On a side note... I have tried three different ACV's, Heinz, Publix, and Braggs. I suspect the organic one, braggs, to have live acidophilus whereas the others which were pasteurized don't... as the braggs aftertaste lasted for 24 hours. Most of the white stuff disappears, some of it doesn't.
15. Potassium Iodide(KI) - placed a 64 mg ki pill on the white area of the gum, that wasn't cured by the ACV/Borax mix... cured that area... I'm thinking that's the anerobic form of candida.
16. Providone - once per day - does something. Also turns toungue brown.
************
In progress:
17. Providone/Borax mix. The comparable drug is by Frio Technologies. This has clinical trials ongoing, with success on Gingivitis, and ongoing testing for Thrush. Whereas Providone turns your tongue brown, this mix doesn't.
18. Providone - 6x per day. Started this a week ago. I've seen zero yeast in my mouth for a week. Got the blood-blister effect like the garlic (without being smellY). Seen no yeast in my mouth for a week. 1/2 of the top of my tongue turned dark brown. Seems to be scabbing up and healing. No need for the tongue scraper any more. I think I have a cure, but need more time (wait for the scabs to heal).
*****
A healthy mouth has 600 different bacteria plus fungus's, virus's, protozoa. Perhaps the definition of healthy mouth is flawed. Something is broken in mine. We'll see if I can fix it. Current Regimin is Coconut oil plus Providone(Iodine).
Iodine supposedly kills 90% of bacteria, disolves starches(yeast), and metals. If you are iodine deficient, which I may be(2 billion people are (WHO), this may help. Bacteria and yeast may reproduce quick so doseage may be small, but frequent(ie every couple hours).
****
I believe I have a cure, but need more time. Will re-post in 1 week or 2."
07/16/2009: Rich from Boca Raton, Fl replies: "I tried other stuff too, listerine, peroxide, etc...
However, I suspect 4 things... Chloride deficiency, Iodine Deficiency, Potassium Deficiency, Candida/Yeast overgrowth as the root cause. With a high potassium diet, I can turn the tongue red again for a few hours. With a teaspoon of KI, I can do the same thing.
As a high salt diet is the Merck Veterinary Cure for Candida in chickens, I suspect a chloride deficiency may cause gut problems, and yeast overgrowth, and poor digestion.
I've got premature greying, which I suspect may be Iodine deficiency(since I don't eat fish). Iodine kills yeast(and more bacteria than Chlorine).
Potassium deficiency in animals causes the intestines to turn white. I suspect the tongue as well. I suspect it just neutralizes the acids of Bacteria, and without it, they damage you, and stuff turns white do to damage.
*********
With the providone experiment, things are going great. A little slower than I wanted. No yeast in the mouth. Receding Gumlines unreceding. Strange 6 month pimples on the forehead near the hairline, healing. I would recommend this.
However, 1% providone is the minimum concentration to kill alot of bad stuff. Providone usually comes in 10% bottles. Saliva will dilute it. Providone from CVS is different from Providone in Walgreens(other ingredients).
Warning: Too much providone for too long is bad; molecular iodine like molecular chlorine can damage cells at a specific concentration for specific duration... I don't know what this number is though. The iodine is less toxic than chlorine though (both msds and experimentation)."
10/26/2009: Tim from Tucson, Arizona Usa replies: "Have any of the people reporting here with white tongue been exposed to raccoon, or mouse droppings, or have a dog that has been exposed to the droppings? I am thinking that there might be a connection from the intestional issues, Candida, and Baylisascaris procyonis."
EC: For those interested in learning more about Baylisascaris procyonis (roundworm infection of raccoons): http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no4/01-0273.htm
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06/06/2009: Freya from Plymouth, England writes: "White coating on tongue: I tried all of the remedies suggested on this page and none of them worked! I was wondering if it meant baking powder of bicarbonate of soda? Anyway, completely by accident I discovered that if you put a pea sized amount of special tooth and gum toothpaste for treating gum disease on your tongue for a minute, it will give a pink tongue for the day! This is only temporary and it tastes yucky, but it is simple and easy."
EC: In the USA, we call bicarbonate of soda (and not baking powder) "Baking Soda".
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2 YEA
1 BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
[YEA] 11/26/2007: Sara from Carson City, NV writes: "I have had a coated tongue for quite some time now. I tried oil pulling two nights ago swishing the oil in my mouth for 20 minutes. After I spit and brushed my teeth my tongue was bright pink. I couldn't believe it! Thank You"
05/23/2008: Daniel from Chicago, Illinois replies: "Just wanted to ask what oil you used for the oil pulling to the person who said that it got rid of his/her white tongue"
11/06/2008: Sara from Carson City, NV replies: "high quality sesame oil (not toasted)"
[YEA] 05/05/2009: Andrew from Wilmington, USA replies: "I just tried using the sesame seed oil...20 minutes seemed awfully long, but it seems to have worked. The only downside was holding it in for 20 minutes, and preventing myself from throwing up. The texture and taste was...well, not good."
11/13/2009: 2much from San Francisco, California, Usa replies: "Hello, I was reading the comments on Oil Pulling and I am interested in trying it. But what is it? and How do I try it? Thanks is advance."
EC: All about Oil Pulling here: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html
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[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS] jenmal@gmail.com from Minneapolis, Minnesota writes: "I found this site because I was searching for a rememdy for the whiteness on my tounge. I struggled with the idea of OP for about a week and decided to do it. The first time I did it I did it for 20 minutes, but immediatly noticed my tounge was nice and pink again. The second day and beyond (now on my 5th day), i got a cold sore which I get very infrequently,and I also would get weird headaches too, so I hope it is s good sign. It is one of the worst cold sores I have ever had BTW, and I also felt real sick for a little while and sluggish.It almost feels like things are trying to leave my body. I am going to keep it up and see what develops, and will post my results later."
06/21/2009: chris from shreveport, la/usa replies: "it sounds like you are having a healing crisis. which means your body is detoxing. congrats!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/12/2008: Angie from Sparta, Missouri writes: "re: Recurring sore on gums and white tongue... For 2-3 years I have had a recurring sore on my gum that would not go away and plus a lot of white build up on my tongue. towards the end of last year I started using 1 drop of certified organic peppermint oil on my toothbrush that I bought from ebay 1-2 times a day. since then my tongue is pink, no more white buildup and the sore is almost gone. I hope this helps someone out. I really believe the key is using organic peppermint oil."
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1 YEA
1 WORKED TEMPORARILY
[YEA] 03/02/2008: John from Richmond, VA writes: "Pineapple helped to get rid of my white tongue. I'm not sure why, I think it has an enzyme or chemical in it that causes the tongue coating to dissolve. Eat at least a couple of bites once or twice a day. This helps, but is not enough alone. The proper oral routine is necessary too. I found that brushing twice a day with a sls-free toothpaste allowed my tongue to shed normally and remain pink and healthy, which wouldn't happen with regular toothpaste. And don't use mouthwash or brush or scrape your tongue. Oil pulling once a day will help as well."
11/11/2008: Jen from Nashville, TN replies: "Hi, I was just reading your remedies for a white coating on the tongue and I don't know what you mean by "oil pulling". Could someone please explain this process?? Thanks for your help!"
[WORKED TEMPORARILY] 02/23/2009: Juan de la Cruz from Manila, Philippines replies: "Yes, eating pineapple worked for me, but it has to be raw (sour). In that case, I would put a little salt in it to taste. But this is just a temporary solution because the white coating usually returns the next day or two.
I always use a tongue cleaner, then brush my tongue with ALOE VERA toothpaste which is sold by Forever Living (5 US dollars, approximately). Then, I discovered a cheaper ALOE VERA toothpaste with almost the same quality (1 US dollar). I also had a coworker with slight bad breath and I gave him the cheaper ALOE VERA toothpaste. I noticed that every time he uses that, his bad breath is gone. But every time he used an ordinary toothpaste of whatever brand, his bad breath returns."
02/23/2009: Karen from Randolph, New Jersey replies: "I also had this problem, white tongue, which I presume is thrush (yeast infection). I got rid of it by brushing and flossing twice a day with baking soda, followed by hydrogen peroxide rinse.
I also stopped eating sugar completely, and drank a glass of buttermilk every day. This took about two weeks to a month to work,(don't quite remember, it was years ago); you have to be persistent. If I even took one bit of something sugary or sweet, it would come right back.
Pau d'arco tea works well if you drink it once a day. [You have to boil the tea, not just steep it in hot water. ]good luck"
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04/10/2009: Lisa from Grand Rapids, Michigan writes: "White tongue coating. READ THIS............
Getting to the source of the problem. There may be many reasons that we have a white tongue, but there could be something that many of us have in common that we are eating, chemical exposure, dehydration, medication, etc.
Please note: Be careful with cleaning your tongue as some people develop constant tongue burning that does not go away.
Let's answer these questions so that we may see if we are doing something in common that is contributing to a white tonuge coating. Please feel free to add questions that you feel may have contributed to your white tongue coating. Try to think of something new that you did, something you ate, something you may have been exposed to, new medications, that you changed before you started getting a white tongue coating.
Please do not use any brand names as we are not allowed to use them on this site.
I included my answers.
1. Do you drink at least 8 glasses of filtered or bottled water each day? (8 ounces of water for a total of 64 ounces of water each day.) No
2. If not how many ounces do you drink? 30-50 ounces a day.
3. Do you have any digestive problems? (Stomach hurts, stomach uncomfortable at times, stomach enlarged, constipation, or diarrhea, etc.) Yes, stomach uncomfortable at times.
4. Are you taking any medications? Yes
5. If yes, what is it for? (Females include birth control pills.) Birth control pills.
6. Have you taken any antiyeast medications? Yes.
7. Do you drink alcohol? No.
8. Do you smoke? No.
9. Do you have any animals? If so what are they? Yes, 1 cat.
10. Have you been scratched or bitten by an animal? Scratched by cat.
11. Do you use or are you exposed to chemical cleaners? Such as bleach, counter cleaners, etc. Yes, bleach, toilet cleaner, and table cleaner.
12. Do you use air freshener in your home? Are you exposed to air freshener at work or at friend or relative's home? Yes, automatic air freshener in my home.
13. Do you wash your toothbrush? I do now. I wash it in dish soap and rinse well.
14. Do you soak your toothbrush in salt? Yes, I do now. (Occasionally)
15. Do you brush your teeth daily? Yes, sometimes 2x a day.
16. Do you floss daily? Yes.
17. What new foods did you start eating that you didn't eat before? Yogurt, salmon.
18. Anything else that you can think of? Not at this time."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 02/28/2010: Rudi from Hong Kong writes: "I have always had a thick white coating on my tongue. While drinking a few glasses of red wine (i think very cheap and bad quality as the taste was very sour and it came from China) i felt some tinkling on my tongue and a bit burning. The tinkling was as if small blisters burst open. The next day the white coating was dark purple from the wine, and after brushing the colour was still here. One or two days later i looked at my tongue and it was pink! Never seen this in my life before, and not justa little pink. But fresh, smooth, clean, the best and nicest tongue i have ever seen. Like photoshopped!
Now after 9 weeks it is coming back a little but, not too much. I wish i could find that wine again!
Anybody here has an idea about what in this red wine might have caused this amazing result?"
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04/13/2009: Fouad from Beirut, LEBANON writes: "Dear Sirs.
I was facing a problem since one year or more and I tried so many ways to solve this problem but I couldn't. but the problem began when I faced a problem with swallowing I began to take many kind of antibiotics then the problem began. then I got
1 white tongue
2 always I feel that I need to drink water
3 everything I eat it taste like lemonade in my mouth
and so many symptoms please I need a solution because all this made me crazy
If you please can you send the soluton to my mails"
EC: You might find some helpful remedies here: http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/mouth_acid.html
or here:
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/mouth_acid_questions.html
04/22/2009: Terry from Nairobi, Kenya replies: "I have read about cleaning the white coating of the tongue am impressed that there are many people out there trying to find solution when the medical fratanity gave up long ago. I have used glycerin plus aloe vera which have helped with my breath alot. I will try the salt and see if it works keep up your suggestions its really helping and if someone comes with a permanent solution that will be great."
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28 YEA
4 NAY
1 BETTER BUT NOT CURED
1 WORKED TEMPORARILY
[YEA] 01/03/2010: Bowens4 from Canton, Mi writes: "I just used the salt cure for white tongue. I used regular table salt for lack of sea salt. It worked great !! All skeptics, please try this remedy. It truly works. Thanks to all who provided a response. This is my first time ever providing a response because I am so pleased white the positive result. A pink tongue after brushing constantly with no results. use the salt, it again, works immediately."
01/14/2010: Arp from Burlington, Vermont replies: "Table salt is dangerous and should be considered poisonous. Try using kosher salt or sea salt ;)"
02/28/2010: Sirsmellybreath from Mentor, Ohio, Usa replies: "I have had a white coating...shag rug to be more accurate, for most of my life (I'm mid 40's). I just thought it was normal. I tried this salt cure...and dang...my tongue looks SO much better. I didn't really measure..just made a paste for my toothbrush..kept in on for 4 minutes then brushed a few more times. I'm so embarrassed that I have been blasting people with my nasty breath for so many years when such an easy cure was available. I'm going to try Lactobacillus supplements to prevent reoccurence."
[NAY] 03/02/2010: Sirsmellybreath from Mentor, Oh replies: "I'm changing my vote to nea. Yes, it does work...temporarily. My coating started returning in 2 days despite cleaning the tongue twice a day. Leaving baking soda on the tongue for a few minutes then brushing also removes the coating and without the dangers of salt. Salt can burn and even permenantly damage the tongue. I'm sure you can safely use baking soda several times a week without a problem"
03/04/2010: Ravanshe from Chicago, Il, United States replies: "Hey - have a couple questions I was hoping somebody could answer. What is the exact "recipe" for the salt method and is there anybody who could provide some feedback on its effectiveness in the long term? Is this a once daily type thing, is there any method that people have had good results with that lasts? Also, where does one get glycerin and how is it supposed to be used?
Thanks so much!"
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