If you have a coated tongue, you may be suffering from any number of conditions including thrush, autoimmune problems, digestive upset, strep infection of the throat, or an unhealthy lifestyle and diet. There are non-invasive, natural herbal treatments to help remove the coating on your tongue and keep your mouth healthy and clean.

Brush you tongue when you brush your teeth. Much of the time, any coating or discoloration will come off the tongue by performing this simple step.

Use a tongue scraper, available in pharmacies and grocery stores, to remove the coating on the tongue that may be a little more difficult to loosen. Do this twice a day after brushing the teeth.

Eat fresh garlic if you have thrush, an infection from candida yeast that thrives in the mouth. Thrush causes a white, curd-like deposit on the tongue, says YeastInfectionAdvisor.com. Garlic, which is known for its antifungal and antimicrobial action, according to TheNutritionReporter.com, has been found to be effective in destroying candida in the body. Don’t scrape the thrush, however, as doing so can be painful and cause bleeding.

Use Neem, an herb from India/ Also known by its botanical name, Adirachta indica, Neem is an effective treatment for a coated tongue, says Depak Chopra, well-known Ayurvedic health care teacher. Neem is a blood purifier and can be found in Indian or Middle Eastern stores or online. Make a drink with 1 tablespoon of neem leaves mixed with 1 cup of boiling water. Cook the mixture down to about half and allow to cool. Use the mixture as a gargle. Neem is bitter tasting, so pinch your nose. Do not sweeten for use on the tongue.

Rinse your mouth with aloe vera juice, available in health food stores, suggests Chopra. Swirl a tablespoonful of aloe vera juice in your mouth and then gargle. Spit it out and drink another tablespoonful. Aloe vera is very soothing to the digestive tract membranes. Repeat this daily for 2 weeks to clean your mouth of toxins that may be causing the coated tongue.

Brush or scrape your tongue with hydrogen peroxide. Make a mixture of one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts water. Dip a toothbrush into the mixture and brush your tongue. Scrape the remainder of the coating from your tongue and spit it out. Repeat morning and night after brushing your teeth as long as necessary.

Adjust your lifestyle. Stop using tobacco products that discolor the tongue and leave a coating. Eliminate dairy products which create mucus and also coat the tongue.