Eating is something everyone likes. However, sometimes when you are presented with your favorite food, over-enthusiasm can't be curbed and you drive straight in into piping hot food and you scald your tongue. This can lead to a distressing sensation called burnt tongue. However, worry not because today's article deals with the home remedies for burnt tongue, that are guaranteed to give you instant relief.
Burnt tongue is a condition when the taste-buds at the top layer of the tongue get singed and you lose the ability to taste things. Additionally you experience a constant burning sensation inside your mouth, which is unpleasant and irritating at the same time. It doesn't allow you to enjoy the rest of your food, because everything tastes the same- or tastes like nothing at all. This usually occurs when you have something extremely hot like tea, coffee, soup or other scalding liquids and sometimes even super hot food like melted cheese, etc.
Here are some of the best and many recommended home remedies for burnt tongue which we have rounded up for you, to give you instant relief.
1. Cold water
The the very first thing you need to do when you are trying to soothe a burnt tongue is to bring down the temperature of your mouth, so that the damage is fixed to only the top layer. Lowering the temperature of your tongue stops harm to your cells from spreading and restores health and taste back into your mouth. If you're feeling like itching your tongue, which is a common symptom, using cold water or ice can provide you with effective relief.
You can either rub an ice cube on your tongue immediately after burning it. You can also sip cold water gently and allow it to sit on your tongue. When the temperature of the water becomes warm, sip more till your taste is restored.
2. Sugar
Sugar is yet another effective remedy when you are trying to save your taste buds from losing their senses. Sugar has glucose which immediately stops the response process that takes place in your mouth and on your tongue when you consume something extremely hot. By stopping the response, it also prevents further damage to your cells, and the strong flavour of sugar and the sweetness restores the sense of taste back to your mouth.
The form of sugar you can use for this remedy is sugar granules, that are chunky and stay on your tongue for longer, giving you better effect with a little amount used. You are able to pop a sugar cube in your mouth to help you retain your dental health and prevent the burning process.
3. Honey
If you are experiencing swelling and pain along with the intense burning sensation after eating something hot, then you can use honey as a good remedy that gives you immediate relief. It has excellent anti-bacterial properties which prevents any infection from attacking your damaged cells and tissues. Honey also offers some great anti-inflammatory properties, which reduces the swelling and numbs the pain, if you are feeling any. The sweetness helps your tastebuds get back their sense of taste, which means that your condition improved within minutes after you consume honey.
Take a tablespoon of raw, organic honey and put it on your tongue. After it gets diluted and watered down with your saliva, drink it and replace some more honey till the burning sensation disappears completely.
4. Aloe vera gel
One of the best and most effective remedies for curing a burnt tongue is obviously, a natural ingredient that everyone should have in their houses because of its multiple natural properties. Aloe vera gel has cooling properties, along with some amazing, natural anti-inflammatory properties, which reduces swelling helping calm your taste buds after the intense effect of heat. Additionally, it kills all the bacteria that might hinder the process of recovery, because natural aloe-vera gel also has great anti-bacterial properties.
Take an aloe vera leaf and slice it vertically across the centre. You will find it filled with clear gel-like substance, which you'll scoop out and apply straight to the affected area. You can also drink a mixture of aloe vera gel and mint water to cool down your entire system following the ordeal.
5. Lavender oil
Lavender oil is one of the best natural soothers that you can get their hands on, and it is recommended that you keep some lavender essential oil around in your house for emergencies exactly like it. Lavender oil has compound which cools down your system and heals your tongue if you suffer from from a burnt tongue condition. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which reduces swelling and redness so that your condition is not aggravated.
Simply apply some soothing, aromatic lavender oil for your tongue so that your burning sensation stops immediately. The fumes out of this essential oil also restore your style of no time, so that you can continue feasting without spoiling your mood.
6. Yogurt
Yogurt is a superb natural way to stop feeling the intense burning sensation which plagues you once you have consumes something hot, and therefore burnt your tongue in the process. Yogurt has a number of good bacteria which stops the burning process, while simultaneously taking out the chances of infection to a great extent. Yogurt also has a cooling effect due to its creamy and milky texture.
Simply cover your tongue having a tablespoon of yogurt (preferably Greek) so that you stop feeling the burning sensation in your tongue. You can also use whatever dairy you have on hand with the same texture, for example sour cream, or cream cheese to cease the reaction that goes on inside your mouth.
7. Chewing gum
Chewing gum might not have any nutritious properties as a result, but chewing gum can stop the burning sensation immediately. Chewing gum is also loaded with sugar, which helps reduce the pain, and restores taste to your mouth. The texture of chewing gum is also great for stopping your cells on your tongue from getting damaged and preventing the loss of taste for a long period of time. Additionally, it stops your tongue from getting dry, which can aggravate your condition, because gum makes you salivate and excrete extra saliva which hydrates and cools down the mouth area.
Simply chew on gum when you burn your tongue, so that you can cure your condition in no time!
8. Glycerine
Glycerine is a lesser known remedy for conditions like burnt tongue, where you need to bring down the temperature of your mouth and your tongue as quickly as possible. The texture and components of glycerine is fantastic for this, because it has a thick, sugar-like sweetness, which will help restore the sensation of taste, in addition to stops the burning sensation from spreading inside your mouth. The texture of glycerine provides a thick, protective coating, which has a cooling and soothing effect on the burned area.
Take a teaspoon of pure glycerine and apply it to your tongue, after which you can refresh the mouth area with a minty mouthwash, which also has its own benefits, as discussed below.
9. Mint
Mint contains menthol, which is a refreshing ingredient used in lots of mouth fresheners and gums to increase your oral hygiene. It also has an intense cooling effect on your mouth, and is ideal for situations where you might burn your tongue. If you consume enough mint, you may also numb the pain that sometimes occurs once you burn your tongue. Mint stops the burning sensation from spreading with other taste buds, and can cure the damaged on within a few minutes.
You can apply peppermint extract mixed with a little honey on your tongue the benefits that mint has to offer in circumstances like this. You can also chew a handful of mint leaves, that will have as effective an impact as anything else.
10. Juices
Drinking juices and funky, soothing liquids like the same can have the same effect as sipping cold water, which soothes your tongue to some great extent, and also helps with the curing process. It is because juices contain a lot of healing minerals, vitamins, nutrients and anti-oxidants, which start the healing process as soon as you consume them. However, make sure that you steer clear of aggravating juices and liquids like the extract of citrus fruit and soda, because the strong, acidic nature of the same could worsen your condition, instead of improving it.
These are some of the most common home remedies for burnt tongue people have used which have worked out for them. Next time you burnt your tongue while trying to down your favourite food after some too much gusto, you know what to do to fix it in no time!
If you have any other lesser known remedy for treating a burnt tongue at home, let us know in the comment section below!