al, what does white color mean? every so often the white recedes from tip to the back on my tongue and my tongue is nice and red, but then the white will come back eventually. i don't know what causes this to happen, it seems random.
Ay. says that the white is 'Ama' or food that went through your system without being digested. Regardless of the colour it is Ama.
Essentially digestion is like a manufacturing process like car making. If the first guy on the assembly line puts the frame on crooked, then everything from there on down the line will have to be adjusted to fit and you end up with a lemon. It works, but not perfectly.
The resultant undigested food may get stuck to the side of the intestinal tract. (especially like white flour is gluelike in nature) Then if it is small enough or it's properties are such that it is able to make it through the osmotic barrier into the bloodstream, then it simply floats along like plastic flotsam on the ocean till it goes down the (ever deceasing in diameter) blood vessels till it gets to a spot where it gets jammed or sticks for whatever reason .
Then over time, more of this flotsam builds up and gradually cuts off the flow of blood to that organ or muscle or whatever. Then the organ or muscle or whatever becomes blood starved, which means it gets weaker and eventually it completely shuts down.
That's one reason why when you have a massage or massage yourself or exercise you feel good. You have warmed up the blood vessel so it expands and the increased blood flow pushes the Ama on it's way back to the GI Tract to be expelled. Now fresh blood can get in and flush it out and present nutrients to the muscle/organ etc.
Bad breath is also a form of ama
It is not unusual to have a slight white colour, but a thick, frothy white is a bad sign. It you have this, then you are at war and it is time to haul out the cannons. 1 to 2 tsp of castor oil in the evening before bed. (Chase it with something like juice to help the disgusting stuff go down LOL) Take this till it is gone. This is a gentle process as long as when you awaken you head straight to the toilet.
I doubt this is your situation Ionna if you are on a raw diet, but if it is might I suggest eating more veges as they will tend to be a cleanser. (rather than the 'castor blaster')
The position on your tongue indicates where on your body the ama is. There is an excellent chart of this showing which part of the tongue relates to which part of the body in Doctor Vasant's classic book on Ayurveda (see below) but here is something online that shows in another book. Go to this link
http://books.google.ca/books?id=yp8uJlC3ckUC&pg=PR6&lpg=PR6&dq=tongue+ama+chart&source=bl&ots=TOSnWCqAcS&sig=oPwleHMcdHYd--rcEQl48ZH73yY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=k8vVT_GlFIXYrQee1Lz8Dw&ved=0CFQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=tongue%20ama%20chart&f=false and then go to page 180 and there is the chart.
Really Ioanna the important part is whether there is a colour other than healthy pink there, not the location. You might possible be able to encourage it to leave a certain area, but I would see it as a sign to do a general cleaning. I use triphala. It's more or less a habit to me now. I know that when I consume cooked food it ends up as Ama somewhere, so sometimes I take a few Triphala tablets. Best quality triphala here (although you can get the cheap stuff at an Indian corner store).
http://www.indiaabundance.com/shopping/sp49_pr2454/Maharishi_Triphala_Tablets.htmlYour eyes, pulse, urine, faeces can also tell a similar story if you know how to interpret them. It is described in Dr Vasant Lad's excellent book: Ayurveda The Science Of Self Healing
http://ayurveda.com/shop/books.html?p=4
