Don’t Let Your Taste Buds Suffer

Got a craving for pani-puri but can’t eat because of that painful sore in your mouth? Your taste buds are aroused, smelling that delicious dish, but you can’t savor it because your cheek is inflamed. This condition which strikes many is called stomatitis and is not at all a pleasant experience.

Stomatitis is the inflammation of the mouth, lips, gums, cheeks or the palate. This hinders a person’s ability to eat, talk or sleep.

Why would your mouth suddenly become so inflamed? If you maintain poor oral hygiene or deficient in certain nutrients or if you had a recent mouth burn, you are likely to be a victim of stomatitis.

Stomatitis can also be caused due to allergies, certain medications, infections, indigestion or lack of iron in your body. This is sometimes accompanied by bad breath.

Stomatitis can be easily identified by the painful condition caused by a sore, which usually causes swelling and bleeding; redness of the affected area, irritability and excessive salivation.

Try These Natural Remedies to Fight Stomatitis

Get a well balanced diet consisting of nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains.
Improving the digestive process marks a bid step towards curbing this problem. Take a tbsp of lemon juice before meals every day. This helps the stomach to function smoothly.
Gargle a mixture of alum and hot water.
Apply coriander powder on the affected area.
Rinse your mouth with a juice made of bitter gourd or aloe vera juice.
Boil turmeric in water and gargle with this mixture twice a day. This is a very effective method to remove stomatitis.
Chew basil leaves for quick relief.
Consume a lot of tomatoes. This is a quick way to rid your mouth of stomatitis.
You can also use a mouth wash which contains tea tree oil.
Apply banana juice to the affected part every day.
Put rock salt in hot water and rinse the mouth.
Soak raisins and eat them by chewing properly.
You can also use honey/ghee/ milk as mouthwash for gargling.

Always remember to stay away from hot, spicy and fermented foods. Avoid tea, coffee, tobacco or any other similar beverages. Have cold foods like ice cream or yogurt. Don’t forget to go easy on your mouth – use a soft tooth brush.

Looking at Stomatitis from an Ayurvedic Perspective

Also known as ‘mukha paaka’, stomatitis is divided into vataja, kaphaja and pittaja based on the pre-dominant dosha. Hence, the signs and symptoms seen in each dosha will be different based on the dosha.

Vata predominant people can see intolerance towards cold foods. In addition to this, they also experience cracking of the sides of the mouth, dryness and severe pain. Treatment plan includes nasya or kavala with any of vata pacifying oil. Decoction made of Panchavalkala can be used as mouth wash or for gargling.

People with pitta constitution may feel severe burning sensation and redness, with a bitter taste in the oral cavity. The ulcer looks ripe, soft and yellowish in color. The treatment plan here should be Virechana or mild purgation. It also involves the use of sweet and cold food and drinks such as sugar cane juice or grape juice. Inhalation of medicated fumes is also beneficial.

The kapha predominant people experience comparatively less pain as compared to the other two doshas. The ulcer looks slimy, pale white in color with an itching sensation and the affected person experiences sweet taste in the oral cavity. A decoction made of Panchakola can be taken to prevent it. Lakshmi vilasa rasa and Khadiradi vati are useful formulations in kapha predominant mouth ulcer.