White Tongue Cure

General Feedback

Posted by Lisa (Grand Rapids, Michigan) on 04/10/2009

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.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Wolf (Malibu, CA) on 04/07/2009

30 to 60 minutes? really?

Salt

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 03/15/2009 490 posts

Hi Jan, Never heard of anyone having tonsil stones before, but the same old EV olive oil & lemon juice that works on kidney stones, should also dissolve stones located in the gallbladder, parotid glands or elsewhere.

Salt

Posted by Jan (Philadelphia, PA) on 03/14/2009
★★★★★

Thank you Earth Clinic. Your information has helped another reader!!!. I suffered with white tongue for years and bad breath.I just read to try brushing my tongue with SEA-SALT and water and i flossed before i rinsed.IT WORKED! my tongue is pink again. I am home alone and can't wait to ask my family how my breath smells.my teeth feel nice and smooth as if they were polihed by a dentist.the taste in my mouth feels fresh- it never tasted this fresh before.but above all my tongue is pink. i read if your tongue is white you have bad breath and i also have tonsil stones. i also used sea-salt in my nettie pot and my sense of smell seams better.I am going to do it again before i go to bed. i have spent a fortune with the pharmacies, doctors, dentists, and herbalist and my mouth never felt this good. I was giving up hope that there was no cure and here it is right in my kitchen cabinet-something that i use every day. READERS THIS WORKS! now i am going to look up info for tonsil stones just in case.

Salt

Posted by Lyn (Perryopolis, PA) on 03/13/2009
★★★★★

white coating on tongue: I just tried the salt...it did work. I read it is a sign of an acidic pH in the body...I just experienced a bout of diverticulitos and from what I've learned so far...the acidic pH is the cause of all gastro intestinal ailments which include: IBS, Gastritis, Diverticulitos, Crohns, Colitus and many other ailments from Rheumatoid arthritis to Leukemia (Cancer Cells like bacteria will only thrive in an acidic enviroment) I suggest everyone who has a white coating on tongue to (which no matter what you've tried and had success with...it will return) Google acidic body pH levels.

Salt

Posted by Maria (Veracruz, Mexico) on 03/12/2009
★★★☆☆

WORKED TEMPORARILY

It worked for a while, but it doesn't stop the coating for good and all the dryness of the mouth. Do you know how can we stop that?

Salt

Posted by RMercado (New York, NY) on 02/25/2009
★★★★★

I have had this coated tongue problem forever. I think I have tried it all and nothing seemed to work. I was just reading your postings and decided to take salt from my kitchen and give it a try. I took some salt in my toothbrush and brushed my tongue couple of times. VOILA...it worked. For the very first time i can see my pink tongue in the mirror. From now on i am going to leave a salt container in my bathroom. Thank you guys and God bless you all.

Pineapple

Posted by Karen (Randolph, New Jersey) on 02/23/2009

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

Pineapple

Posted by Juan de la Cruz (Manila, Philippines) on 02/23/2009
★★★☆☆

WORKED TEMPORARILY

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.

Salt

Posted by Ron (Fairfax, Virginia) on 02/19/2009
★★★★★

I must say that I have never replied to a website like this because I normally don't believe a lot of things people post like this Butttt.... I went ahead and tried what I was reading from 19 out of 21 people having a positive response. Now I'm posting and responding to all of you who had positive results and I have to say "THANKS to all of you" It really did work for me as you all stated.

The salt did have a burning or stinging sensation but fighting through it paid off big times. The gargling with salt water first a 1/2 cup of warm water adding a Tbl spoon of sea salt, spiting it out. Second covered my tongue with the sea salt letting it stay for about 5 minutes and Third brushing tongue several times over with the sea salt and wonders happen to my tongue, (Pinkness) I did brushed and added the Baking soda, sea salt and rinsing with the Hydrogen Peroxide for a fourth time. WOW!!! I kept on looking in the mirror AMAZED with the results! IT REALLY WORKED!(Cure A White Coating on the Tongue)

Glycerin

Posted by Zarina (Lusaka, Zambia) on 02/18/2009

Is this the usual glycerine that we use on the body??

Salt

Posted by Zarina (Lusaka, Zambia) on 02/18/2009
★★★★★

i was looking for a cure for coated tongue and the first posting i read was on salt, i tried it right away and it worked so simple really, i felt foolish because it is also so logical.

Salt

Posted by Russ (Wells, ME) on 01/31/2009
★★★★★

that salt trick really worked for my coated tounge I was pleasently surprised at how fast it worked thank you very much!!!

Salt

Posted by Shaun (York, UK, England) on 01/29/2009

John, I have tried all the usual tricks and treatments to cure this and the best I have come up with is to just to simply get a warm face flannel and rub the tongue twice a day. Job done. Of course you can use salt or whatever, but once I had cleaned up any possible candida (with Milk of Magnesia and or borax/bicarbonate), I found it wasn't necessary to use that any more. I know this may sound all to simplistic but I assure you that you will chuckle to yourself when you see the results.

Salt

Posted by John (Bayside, NY) on 01/29/2009
★★★★☆

It works temporarily but when will the white tongue permanently go away???

Glycerin

Posted by Anon (Buffalo, NY) on 01/17/2009

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

Salt

Posted by Emma (Melbourne, VIC Australia) on 01/14/2009
★★★★★

Just tried the salt thing on my tongue and it worked! Just used a mouth swab (like a big cotton bud) on it and it all came off! Except that irritating bit at the back, but I can live with that for the time being! Thank you everyone who suggested that little one!

Have had a coated tongue (which goes an attractive shade of brown if I drink too much tea! Lovely) on and off for about a year now-it does get better if I drink more water and don't brush (esp not hard brushing-this can damage your taste buds-not good!). I do think its a dietary think-Dr Gillian McKeith talks about cures for coated tongues in her book "You Are What You Eat"-must dig that out...!

Salt

Posted by Tracy (Houston, TX) on 01/14/2009
★★★★★

I tried the salt remedy to cure my coated tongue immediately after reading this post and it worked. First I gargle with salt and water, thenn I brushed my tongue with the salt and repeated it three times then amazingly my tongue turned pink and my breath smelled better. I can't believe that what my parents told me a long time ago still works. I poured about a tablespoon of salt and a forth of water for the mix.

Glycerin

Posted by Brian (Vancouver, BC Canada) on 01/08/2009

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.

Salt

Posted by LB (Buffalo, NY) on 01/03/2009
★★★★★

I'm amazing I found something that works. I've had this white tongue issue for some time now and my girlfriend kept telling me to brush my tongue, which I had always done.. and did not work.

I took a spoon of sea salt, put it on my tongue, held it for a couple of minutes.. did it a couple of times.... then brushed my tongue with a little sea salt.. rinsed a few times in between and after... and my tongue is a little sore, but it's pink again after all this time!

Salt

Posted by James Carver (Coquitlam, BCV) on 01/02/2009
★★★★★

White tongue: salt was the best thing i ever tried. i've tried other things but this one simply worked like a charm my tongue feels so good now. thank u everyone.

Salt

Posted by Kimberly (Lake Zurich, IL) on 12/30/2008
★★★★★

I have to say, this really does work! I just found this site about 30 minutes ago and tried the salted toothbrush remedy as soon as I read about it(I used sea salt) and no more white tongue! And my mouth feels a lot cleaner! I first used 2 teaspoons of sea salt and rubbed it all over my tongue, I let it sit for as long as I could, about 20 seconds was all I could do. Then I rinsed and gargled with water and spit it all out. I then dipped my toothbrush in a small dish of sea salt and then brushed my tongue. Rinsed and swished with water and then spit it all out. I will try the peroxide rinse tonight and tomorrow to see if it help with my bad breath and report back on the outcome. This is THE best site!!

Dietary Suggestions

Posted by Suzanne (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) on 12/28/2008
★★★★★

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.