Before understanding the remedy for mouth ulcer, let’s understand what’s the meaning of an ulcer in simple language..
Just imagine a wound on our body, there is a break in the skin lining. Same way, when there is a wound inside our body, in our digestive system, it’s called as an ulcer. (Mouth is a part of our digestive system). Similarly, there can be an ulcer in stomach, small intestine, large intestine; etc.
Like we treat the wound outside our body, we need to do similar treatment for wound inside the body. The only problem is that when a wound is outside, it comes in contact with air, it dries and heals faster. But when it’s inside, it’s all the time moist and wet. Hence, it takes time to heal.
Today we will understand, some home remedies for mouth ulcer.
First important point is that the ulcer has to be prevented from friction. Like whenever there is a wound outside the body, we take utmost care to avoid friction as I is very painful and also it would again beak the skin and further delays healing.
Similarly, inside our body also we need to prevent friction. But that’s difficult as whenever we eat food, the chewing of food in the mouth creates a lot of friction, creates pain and delays healing.
So the idea is to coat the ulcer every time before having any food. Coating can be done with any of the following items available at home:
⁃ Cow ghee or homemade ghee
⁃ Homemade butter
⁃ Sesame oil or Teel oil
⁃ Any cooking oil available at home
⁃ Coconut oil
Not just the ulcer but the entire mouth has to be coated with the above so that the existing ulcer can be healed and we can prevent further ulcers from happening. This can be done by taking liberal amount of oil and nicely applying the finger inside the entire mouth. This has to be done 10-15 mins before having any meal.
Along with this, Ayurvedic procedure called “gandusha (oil pulling)” has to be practised every day after brushing the teeth’s. For this, any oil from the above options has to be filled in the mouth and has to be held inside the mouth for as long as possible, till the time the mouth muscles are tired & you are unable to hold it. (Initially it may be for few secs but gradually duration can be increased). Using lukewarm oil will increase the rate of absorption (avoid hot oil which can worsen the ulcer and might be unbearable otherwise as well). Once done, remove the oil & gargle with warm water.
The above two procedures are for healing as well as for prevention. Hence, for those who have regular ulcer problems, these should be continued and regularly practised.
Third is “Trifala Kwath gargle”. This must be practised only when there is an active ulcer, for faster healing. Recipe to prepare the Kwath:
⁃ 2 tablespoons of Trifala powder
⁃ 2 glasses of water
⁃ Boil the mixture until one glass of water remains
⁃ Filter with fine cotton cloth
Once it is at room temperature, gargle with it. This can be done twice in a day.
Fourth, along with the above remedies, during an active mouth ulcer, avoiding friction due to food is must. This can be done by selecting soft food options like Dal rice, Khichdi.. instead of having direct roti, one can soak it in dal and then consume it.. instead of raw salad, have Vegetable soups or juices.. instead of having green & leafy veggies which are rich in fibres, have fruit veggies like dudhi, pumpkin, brinjal, torai , galka , cauliflower; etc.. have soft fruits.. also avoid hard dry snacks like pani puri, roaster chana, dey mukhwas; etc.
Temperature of the food is also very important like sometimes we eat very hot tea or coffee or we have very hot dal. This can further aggravate the ulcer and delay healing & also can be a cause for new ulcers. Similarly, one should food which is very spicy, sour or extremely salty in nature as these three tastes increase body heat which can again cause new ulcers.
Lastly, Ayurveda believes that the main cause for any disease in the digestive system, rather entire body, is constipation. It can be one the main cause of mouth ulcer. So one has to work on his digestive system and has to make sure that bowels are clear everyday (for home remedies for constipation, please refer to the following link:https://www.drmansipujara.com/diet/home-remedies-for-constipation/embed/#?secret=L1p5wZ1Ym3
Last but not the least, one should take sufficient amount of water throughout the day to avoid dryness of the mouth, which can also cause ulcers.
Along with all these remedies, Nutrition plays a very important role in prevention of mouth ulcers. One needs to make sure that it has all the vitamins coming from the diet which are needed for maintaining a healthy lining inside of the mouth. My next article will cover details about the Nutrition aspects.
Stay fit & Healthy !! 
