Home Remedies for Burning Tongue

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS), popularly called burning tongue, is an ailment commonly found among people in the middle age group. While the exact cause of the ailment is not known, people suffering from it experience a burning sensation on their lips, gums, tongues, inside their cheeks, etc. Burning tongue can be acute, lasting for a few weeks, or chronic, lasting for months at a stretch. Some of the symptoms of this problem are dry/sore mouth, thirst, burning sensation in mouth, lips, palate, gums and tongue, loss of taste, numbness on the tip of the tongue and metallic or bitter taste in the mouth. The right kind of diet, combined with some conscious efforts, can cure a person suffering from this ailment. Read on to explore home remedies for treating burning tongue.

• Yeast infection
• Hormonal deficiency and/or abnormality
• Diabetes
• Menopause
• Oral Candida, such as oral yeast
• Dry mouth
• Medications, like diuretics, oral diabetic medicines, some blood pressure medicines, etc
• Blood abnormalities, such as dyscrasias and anemia
• Endocrine disorders
• Nutritional deficiencies (especially vitamin B-12, niacin, iron, and folic acid deficiency)
• Gastric acid reflux
• Allergies from certain foods, toothpaste, mouthwash and chewing gums
• Dental disease
• Noxious oral habits, such as tongue biting
• Psychological factors, such as depression
• Chronic infections
• Inflammatory disorders
• Lingual nerve damage
• Tobacco use
• Oral cancer

• A burning sensation, affecting tongue, lips, gums, palate, throat or whole mouth
• A tingling or numb sensation in mouth or on the tip of tongue
• Mouth pain that worsens as the day progresses
• Dry mouth
• Increased thirst
• Sore mouth
• Loss of taste
• Taste change, such as a bitter or metallic taste

• An effective way to cure burning tongue is to suck on a piece of ice. It works wonders, treating the ailment effectively.
• Enhance the consumption of water. Larger quantity of water intake helps keep the mouth moist.
• Increase the consumption of food rich in Vitamin B, such as potatoes, bananas, lentils, chile peppers, tempeh, liver oil, liver, turkey, tuna, nutritional yeast (or brewer’s yeast) and molasses.
• Apply glycerin on the tongue. It would give a cooling sensation, thereby relieving the pain and burning sensation.
• Another effective treatment for curing burning tongue is to have honey with milk. It increases the blood flow to the tongue, thereby healing it.
• For meals, resort to plain food, with lots of boiled vegetables. This would act beneficial in treating burning tongue.
• Lavender oil acts as an antiseptic. It not only works well to cure burning tongue, but also promotes blood circulation. Apply lavender oil on the affected area and leave overnight.
• Add iron rich food, such as broccoli, spinach and parsley, to your diet. They will help in treating burning tongue, by aiding the production of new red blood cells, replacing the damaged ones.
• It is recommended to have fresh fruit juice and vegetable juice, while suffering from burning tongue. These juices provide the necessary nutrients to the body and help relieve the burning sensation.
• Sugar free chewing gums would also be worthwhile in curing burning tongue. They keep the tongue moist and ease the pain.