Today a reader asked about how to get rid of the white coating on your tongue…

“All my life I have had bad breath, a white coating on my tongue and a dry, terrible taste in my mouth. I am doing the master cleanse right now, in day 5 and I still have the heavy white tongue coating and a bad taste in my mouth. Will that go away with the 10day master cleanse. I go to the dentist often and do the Neti pod sinus irrigation so I can narrow down the reason for the bad breath. I thought that this might help my problem Please advise!”

I’ve dealt with the white tongue myself, so I know where you’re coming from, and I think I can help.

First off, yes, the Master Cleanse can help you get rid of the white coating on your tongue. The first few days on the cleanse you’ll be purging your body of the easy-to-get-at waste. After that’s out the way it will go to work on the more deep rooted pockets of waste that have built up in your body over the years.

It’s these later days in the cleanse that most people start to see their tongue restored to a nice healthy pink color.

Here’s some more tips for getting rid of the white coating on your tongue

Drink green tea: Green tea will help eliminate the bacteria in your mouth

Don’t use alcohol based mouth wash: Over drying your mouth with alcohol based mouth wash will only make the problem worse

Scrape your tongue: The master cleanse will get to the root of the problem, but in the mean time you can get rid of the existing coating with an inexpensive tongue scraper

Oil pulling: This is one of my favorites, and it can do more than just get rid of the white coating on your tongue. It can actually help detox your entire body, and it’s easy to do. All you have to do is take cold pressed, organic sesame seed oil (non-toasted) and swish it around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. The results from oil pulling can be astonishing, but keep the following in mind…Don’t gargle the oil. You want to swish it around your mouth and tongue and pull it through your teeth. DO NOT SWALLOW THE OIL! It’s filled with bacteria.When you’re done spit it out, and rinse your mouth out with water.

Invest in a water filter: You want to make sure you’re removing as much bacteria as possible from your drinking water.

Supplements That Get Rid Of White Tongue

You find a lot of white tongue natural remedies and supplements online, but  you really only need two. They are…

If you follow this advice, you should see the white coating on your tongue vanish in a few weeks.

60 Responses

  1. I am day 33 of the Master Cleanser and had that coat on the tongue. Just now had the sensation as if I swallowed something. I looked in the mirror and my tongue is pink. It’s gone !

  2. I had scheduled my cleanse to start tomorrow and have everything I need to start BUT now have a UTI and have antibiotics ordered. I want to proceed with my cleanse and NOT take the antibiotics. Can you advise?

  3. Brush your tongue with hydrogen peroxide. Then gargle with if for a few minutes.
    It will foam and bubble on your tongue. You may have to brush again and you may have to do it every day for awhile until the detox takes care of it.
    Obviously don’t swallow it.
    Works well and it’s inexpensive.

  4. Good day, my husband was diagnose with Motor Neuron Disease 18 months ago. His hands, fingers, speech and swallowing get worse every day. Its difficult to swallow liquids and food. 8 weeks ago he had an operation to put a PEG in his stomach for tube feeding. His feeding include 6 x per day a Protein plus multi fibre and also a mix (home cook of meat/chicken/fish, potatoes, veggies, fruit, fruit juice, milk, olive oil, eggs, clucose power and a nutrition supplement. His weight drops from 82kg to 54kg – he is very weak after the operation and struggle a lot with mucus (flem/saliva) – he try not to swallow it. He suffer with white/yellow choating on his tongue. Can you help please

  5. A white tongue is a sign of pathological dampness according to traditional Chinese medicine and bad breath stems from excessive heat or phlegm in the stomach. Scraping your tongue will only work if you have stomach yin deficiency which is the result of years of stomach heat. Investing in a water filter is unlikely to help and the master cleanse may assist but generally these things can only be averted by adopting an individual diet and lifestyle plan provided by a qualified homeopath, naturopath or with traditional Chinese medicine and herbs. There was a post about excess yeast and this translates directly to the tcm theory of dampness. The bad breath indicates that it is in the stomach organ.

  6. I start taking vitamins in the form of brewers yeast. I noticed after about a week of use that my white tongue was gone and my tongue looked normal again. I thought I might have thrush but that is only if you have “patches.” I had an even film of white coating that got worse after a night of drinking so my educated guess is that my white tongue is caused by either dehydration or vitamin deficiency. More likely the latter as when I drink a lot of water, I notice no difference in my tongue.

  7. Is this diet safe for diabetics? I can see the syrup maybe what keeps your carbs up. But can a diabetic sustain on this diet for a week or so? Can this help me lose 40 pounds and restore my glycemic index to where I should be? I take pills will this interfere with my daily regiment?

  8. I have been on the mater cleanse for three days, today is considered the fourth day. I am not doing to good with it. I am really suffering from hunger pains. full of gas pains, and have had the worst headace since late last night . My headace at time is so bad that I cant stand the light. I am really trying to make it for the ten days. But, I don’t think I am going to make it. HELP, HELP, HELP. C.Austin DC

  9. Hi,

    I’d just like to mention fasting. Personally I find it the best remedy for my body.
    The more my body looses that tough fatty weight the healthier I become.
    My tongue clears up, my skin improves along with energy and a clearer mind, this is after 2 days of no eating.
    What I always realise when doing 1 or 2 day fasts is how dependent we are on food for emotional support. So fasting to me is like a great wakeup call and time to focus on what is happening within you and dealing with it.

    Keep well.

  10. Wow. Nobody thought of candida albicans overgrowth as a possible cause of a white tongue? Anyone who had this tongue issue prior to starting the MC has yeast overgrowth. Dr’s will give you an antibiotic which will make things worse long term. Look up candida overgrowth and diets that control this. Any sugar, including maple syrup, and any starch/carb translates into sugar which also will feed candida overgrowth. I am going to start the MC anyway, and go directly to the candida controlling diet afterwards.

  11. I’m starting a 5 day opiate detox. Will master cleanse help me feel better sooner? I take maybe 5 vicodin a day for two months for a legitimate injury related to my military service. I’m not a druggie, in fact I want to be free of pain medication and be healthy like I was prior to my accident. Thanks for the help!

  12. Thanks for your very informative website. I have to make this short since I need to get to the store to get my ingredient to make up the cleanse. YEAH!

  13. Would it be ok if I used ‘lax-a-day’? It’s an over the counter laxative that I bought from walmart. Or would it be best to just use the sea salt?? I’m starting the MC in a couple days. 🙂

  14. I just finished day 10 of the MC and it has been a journey of self-discovery! I didn’t lose the entire 20 pounds, but did lose enough to encourage me to continue on this journey of healthy living. Granted, while on this cleansing, there were foods that caused my pleasure senses to light up whenever I smelled them. But it taught me what was the culprit for my weight gain and what were my “foods of choice”. No more! I hope to continue doing the MC every couple of months and stick to the healthier food choices that are tasting soooo good right about now! Good luck to the rest of you and don’t give up, it will be worth it all.

  15. I am on my 7th day of the Master Cleanse. I planned on doing the 10 days, but am thinking about extending that now. First three days were the hardest. Day two I was in a daze the entire day. I started to pull out of it day three and was completely clear by day four. I have more energy than I usually do (without caffeine) and my mind is very clear. I have lost between 8 and 9 lbs so far. I plan on going on a strict diet after this. I also recommend that anyone doing this do about 30 minutes of muscle workouts a day so that the lack of protein doesn’t take away from your muscle. Unfortunately I had a side affect, I thought I was going to start my period towards the end of the 10 days but it ended up coming about 5 days earlier than usual (maybe due to the cleanse, but not sure). Today I feel like I have a sore throat and am worried that I might be catching a cold. I hope not, because I already got through the hardest part of the cleanse and was feeling great till today. I assume I would have to stop if I got a cold??? Not sure. Good luck to anyone trying this. I recommend it!

  16. PS: I work out with weights for 45 minutes every other day and walk for 45+ minutes as many days as I can with my work and school schedule. I feel motivated and energizzzed!!!

  17. I’ve been doing the master cleanse for 22 days as I write this. my worse side effect is hunger if I miss drinking it for too long. joints are more flexible to the point that i have started back jogging. drastically lost weight from 249 to 206 in my skivvies. no ill effects!!! am going to try for 40 days. would like to get back down to my Army discharge weight of 160. skin looks clear and as soft as my 18 month old grandsons and I look years younger than my real age. I can go on and on about how great I am feeling now. Even with the “side effects” stated in the above article, none of which I have suffered, the master cleanse is woth every effort that can be put into using it!!!
    Like they they use to say,”TRY IT!,YOU’LL LIKE IT!!!!

  18. Thera-breath is a great mouthwash that you can buy in Wal Mart. It is alcohol free. Using this with a tongue scraper should remove bad breath for most everyone, because it gets rid of the sulfur in your tongue.

    A little science goes a long way.

  19. I am on day 4 of the cleanse and I have only done the lax tea morning and night until last night I did the SWF….with no results. I mixed tsp of sea salt with 32 oz of water and nothing. I had been having bowel movements everyday until I did the SWF and now I am not going and no signs of going yet. I have 3 times more colon than the normal person and was wondering if this could be the problem or do I just need to stick to the lax tea? I don’t want to get my system messed up and become constipated and I definitely do not want to retain all that salt water and my kidneys have to flush it out. Any suggestions?

  20. Hi, So I am on the end of day 3 on the master cleanse and I have noticed that my tongue is coated with a little white film, and I have a weird taste in my mouth. I have never had problems with this before so I’m wondering if it could be some toxins leaving my body. I started the master cleanse after feeling sick on and off for about a week and now I feel somewhat sick, aches, pains. But, I’m not hungry so thats good! Any ideas on what it could be?

  21. I want to do the body cleanse to improve my health. I am concerned about weight loss in the process & want to know what you recommend. I’m 5’6″ & weigh 117 and prefer not to lose weight.
    Thx – Diane

  22. White,green,yellow tongue? I always brush with a Sonicare and always brush my tongue. It will take care of 90% of your tongues discoloration-at least it did mine.

  23. This is the third time I’m doing the cleanse, day 9. I follow the directions to the T, in the end I always have a great experience. Yet, I always read that you should do the cleanse until your tongue returns to a pink color. I usually do the cleanse 10 days, but once I did it 14 days and even then my tongue did not become pink again, always had the white coating while on the cleanse. Why does my tongue not get totally pink, while on the cleanse following it perfectly?

  24. I’m not sure if I am doing this right I’m not noticing any differences. just hunger. I’m on day 2 hoing into day 3 I’m not having any movements just urniating all the time.

  25. Hello everyone, been reading some of the comments and I just want to say that if you will just but the book The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs and or the book Lose weight, Have more energy and be Happier in 10 days by Peter Glickman you will get all the right answers you are looking for. There is a lot of misinformation out there so my advice is the go by the original one.

  26. Before I started the cleanse my tongue was pink so I guess I am really cleansing since it is really white with a heavy coating but no bad breath!?

  27. Great tips! I’ve had encounters with patients who are concerned with the white coating on their tongue. Cleaning it is very important and it really is a good thing if we visit our dentists for guidance and help on any dental problems.

  28. I’m on daily thyroid medication -My thyroid has totally shut down. Can I continue taking it ? My heart can stop over time if I don’t take it.

  29. I take calcium tablets and biotin capsules everyday. If I start the cleanse, am I still allowed to take the vitamins?

  30. To not raylen
    Actually it’s NOT recommended to start the cleanse during times of high temperatures. Spring and Fall are suppose to be the best times. And you’re also wrong about the molassess, it’s okay to subsituture. I suggest that you actually READ the book and stop offering advice when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

  31. you people need to stop switching up the ingredients in the master cleanse, well, at least those of you who’ve never done it before.

    just use:

    ORGANIC LEMONS
    GRADE B MAPLE SYRUP
    ORGANIC CAYENNE PEPPER

    do not substitute with molasses, for god’s sake. there’s a reason the cleanse works, it’s because those ingredients have time and again proven to help detox the body and give it energy to last a person for 10 days.

    you’re not supposed to eat. and you won’t be hungry. you’ll just crave foods out of habit and because they’re right there in front of you.

    and for the lady in 90 degree weather. it’s a LEMONADE cleanse. what else should you drink when it’s hot??? well, besides water of course.

  32. So if you happen to fall week and need to nibble on something, IS watermelon okay? It is basically water right?
    I’m really getting close to quitting, but I don’t want to.

  33. Yeah I have completed the Master cleanse it is day 11 Orange Juice day. I lost 20.5 and I am so excited, I did the original cleanse but I also use smooth move and Psyllium husk capsules from the secondary ingredients. I must admit I kept a watermelon on my counter just in case I had a breakdown but did not have to use it. I used the cleanse as a personal challenge to myself to jump start my weight loss and cleanse my body. I kept repeating I control my body my body does not control me and the cleanse is so good for my body. I continued to go to the gym just the treadmill or elipical cycle and the sauna. I am so surprised at all the energy I have. This is the best thing I have done for myself in a very long time. I plan to continue loosing weight and I hope that my stomach capacity has shrunken dramatically. If any one has suggestions on eating plans please respond

    thanks for your guide it was very informative and so very helpful.

  34. Hello, I want to start the master cleanse but am allergic to citrus fruits, like lemons, oranges, limes ect. What can I substitute the lemon for? Please get back to me since I want to start the cleanse on monday. Thank you…Tricia

  35. Hi Laurna, I believe the answer to your dilemma is simple. I had the symptoms you have described, and found out my body was highly acidic. The good news is it’s easy to test! Get a roll of pH strips (Hydrion from 5.5 to 8.0 is what I use) and test your acid / alkaline level by peeing on the strip. Make sure you use ending of your stream, the part that comes out of your bladder last.

    If your ph is lower than 7.4 (Balanced Ph for human beings) you may have too much acid in your system. You may want to check out “the Ph Miracle”, or other books on the subject. If you’re closer to 5.5 (each step is 10X the amount of acid) stop what you’re doing, and go buy the book now!

    Hope this helps!

  36. hi,tomarrow is the big day for me 07/19/08 i will start the
    master cleanse, thanks for all this good information.
    this will be my 3rd time doing the cleanse. but i never had
    this much good information. i have taken 12 days off
    work so i wil enjoy reading all this information as i
    start. thanks again. barbara

  37. White coating on tongue..hm..i don’t even remember not having this all the time…I’ve struggled with this for a few years and got no results….UNTIL NOW..tongue scrapers seem to work but in the morning the white coating gets worse. so ive surfed the internet and got to read about “oil pulling”.
    i do it for a week now, first thing when i wake up..for about 10-15 minutes..then i softly clean my tongue with my toothbrush..this way my tongue is pink all the day..and i have no bad breath..
    The bad thing is that in the morning..you still get that white coating..but after the oil pulling procedure everything’s okay. I am still considering to go to a doctor becuase there has to be some internal factor causing this “thing we all hate”. But until then i will continue doing this because it keeps me fresh. I also want to let you guys know..although it may seem different, my problem with white coating is not small at all..i had a very serious covering…and a terrible taste in my mouth after about 30 minutes since i’ve brushed my teeth. Now i don’t get that taste anymore and got no complaints about having bad breath.
    I’ve prayed for a solution regarding this..so i feel more than happy to share it with anyone who relates with it.
    God bless!

  38. I have done the master cleanser before about 8 years ago. During that time it was during the month of November here in the South. I finished a total of 15 days and losing a total of 35lbs. I recentlt have taken steriods for medical conditions and was informed that I would need to detox my body.I was wondering was it wise to do it in such extreme temps of 90 and up degrees. I was considering doing it closer to the fall but I want to start cleaning my body asap. PLEASE HELP!!!

  39. hi, I have a question, can I use this Master Cleanse again as I didn’t complite it. I did it for 8 days only, but now, a month later, I would like to do it for the whole 10 days. Isn’t it too soon? Thanks much.

  40. can i use organic molassas instead of maple syrup? when comparing the labels, the nutrition and caloric count is the same.

  41. I finished 12th days of the master cleanser just last week. I lost 10pounds but i haven’t seen any improvement in my health, how long will it take before i see changes?

  42. I’ve done a lot of fasting in the past along with using the colema boards. I’ve completed 7 and 10 day fasts and felt terrific! I tried doing the Master cleanse twice and found both times that I felt incredibly lethargic. I have a tendency to be hypoglecymic and wondered if this fast was not a good one for me because of the sugar in the maple syrup? The last time I tried the Master cleanse I even added spirulina and still had the same effect. Please advise. Thank u.

  43. I recommend going to http://www.tungbrush.com
    The TungBrush and TungGel have been the most effective tools I have seen yet in tongue cleansing. Definitely state of the art. I have seen it in stores like Rite Aid and WalMart. I would be curious to see what you think of it. I can’t go a day without it!

  44. I sometimes have food odors coming through my pores after eating. Sometimes if I don’t eat or eat spicy foods, I have that old folks smell. I only eat turkey breast,hicken breast (Baked), drink lots of water/juices. Yet,still these smells comre thru my pores if I don’t freshen up after eatting them.Is there something wrong with me? Is my health at risk? I drink a gallon of water a day. I try to eat at least 4-5 searvings of fruits/veggies daily. But still these smells. I never drank,smoked,or abused drugs. I have had doctors tell me I have no health issues,just a sensitive system. What do you think is wrong? I just turned 36,do I need a colonics, or do I just need to detox my whole body? Please help me. This trait does not go with my looks! Please help!!!

  45. Hi, I just found out I had food allergies, you know, the ones on the side of the box that says,” made on machines with gluten ,milk and nuts” and I lost 30 punds and my bad breath went away, One in every 133 ARE “CELIACS” AS THEY CALL THEM, and I bet a lot of people don’t know that your food sensitiviteis increase with age.

  46. I am going to start a master detox in 3 days. Who has some advice for me. I need to lose 40 pounds. I don’t expect a detox to take care of my problem, but this is is a good place to start.

  47. before buying in colon cleanse
    i would like to know whath i need to do
    are we talking about a juice diet i do not have juicer and donot want to by one
    is this diet for me
    if the books cost 30 and a juicer 200 i m not
    interested
    please tell me more
    thx
    bxx

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