A tongue scraper is a long, thin, flat piece of metal (or plastic) shaped like a “U” to remove bacteria, food debris, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. “You basically reach back as far as you can on the tongue, stick your tongue out, and drag this forward a few times along your tongue,” Burhenne explains.ย It’s a ritual practiced for centuries in Ayurveda, known as Jihwa Prakshalana.