(The Daily Mail covered many of these issues in an article; "Could this £13 gadget be the secret to staying young?" on 1st November 2018)

Last month The British Dental Journal  wrote about the ‘unassuming’ benefits of tongue scraping;

“According to research by Dr Nathan Bryan, a specialist in molecular and human genetics from Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, USA, regular tongue scraping will enable 'good oral bacteria' to produce more Nitric Oxide.

Nitric Oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in helping stem cells function efficiently. Stem Cells' role is to heal the ageing body, helping to regenerate damaged or old cells”

Amazingly up to 50% of our daily Nitric Oxide production is from this 'good oral bacteria' – so a simple tongue scrape can have a BIG part to play in ensuring our Stem Cells operate as effectively as possible.

(The precise chemical process as explained by Dr Nathan Bryan is; 'Good' Oral Bacteria are 'Nitrate Reducers' that generate Nitrite as a by-product of converting ingested Nitrate-rich food, known as 'Arginine', which then builds up in our saliva. Once swallowed these Nitrites mix with stomach acid to produce Nitric Oxide – which then enters our blood stream).

Dr Nathan Bryan explained how tongue scraping specifically helps the process;

"Tongue scraping to remove the 'bad' bacteria, food particles and debris allow for the 'good' bacteria to flourish and generate Nitric Oxide"

And for those of us over 40 years of age, this becomes even more crucial, since our Nitric Oxide levels drop as we age as much as half - from peak levels. This drop in Nitric Oxide will impact of our bodies ability to heal effectively - hence the concept of 'ageing'.

The Unified theory of ageing

Broadening the research, Dr Bryan believes Nitric Oxide actually plays a key role in three distinct processes that can be considered rate limiting steps in terms of the ageing process. 

(Source: Nutra Ingredients USA October 2018)

“It’s what we call the unified theory of ageing. Nitric Oxide controls telomerase, the enzyme that adds telomeres to the ends of DNA, Nitric Oxide controls mitochondria biogenesis. And Nitric Oxide is the cellular signal that tells stem cells to mobilise to repair damage” 

On top of this break-through discovery by Dr Nathan Bryan The British Dental Journal adds;

“Regular tongue scraping with the AMANO Tongue Cleanser can help 'good' oral bacteria to flourish in the mouth, while also helping to reduce dental caries and bad breath, enhancing taste, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease”

So there it is - a £13 investment in an AMANO Tongue Cleanser could be simply the best Resolution you make in 2019 – for a step change in the way you achieve good all round health and vitality.

AMANO has been manufacturing and selling quality tongue scrapers since 1992. The AMANO Tongue Cleanser is made of 18/10 Austenitic Steel, a high-grade chromium and nickel alloy. We are proud to be the best-selling tongue scraper brand in London's elite stores; Selfridges, Harrods and Planet Organic.

And as an added bonus, Professor Nathan Bryan uses an AMANO2017 and gave us this endorsement;

"I personally use the AMANO tongue scraper daily and highly recommend it"

How to use an AMANO Tongue Cleanser

If you are completely new to the tongue 'scraping' experience, we would suggest you hold the head of your AMANO under a warm running tap first - to provide an additional level of 'lubrication'.

This is how easy and quick it is to use an AMANO (we prefer holding a handle in each hand ... but each to their own)

Are you Intrigued?

Click Here to visit our SHOP 

And get 15% off our AMANO range (priced from £11) with this Code: SCRAPE15%OFF

Save £250 a year - that's a great payback - for 10 seconds of your time a day!

Scraping something metal over your tongue on a daily basis may sound like an inauspicious start to the day (or year).

But the thought of saving £250 per year may help concentrate your mind and it only requires 5 seconds of your time - twice a day.

That’s a pretty good rate of return we hope you agree.

So why not join the Renaissance in tongue scraping – and start using an AMANO tongue scraper?

Tongue scraping is not a new idea, the Romans and Victorians were keen ‘scrapers’ – and the routine is a major part of oral care routines in India and China. And even America’s 1^st President, George Washington, was a fan of having an exceedingly clean tongue…

President Washington's ornate tongue scraper (the thin strip above) ... and part of our AMANO designer range (below) ...

Fast forward to 2018 and the medical science has finally caught up with this ancient practice, recognising that the tongue is an excellent and significant trap for food and bacterial debris . This means the tongue will impact adversely on oral care and broader health issues – if it is neglected.

We can confidently say that, by using an AMANO, you will receive these tangible benefits:

Tongue scraping benefit ≠1

Cut out your regular mouthwash purchases – and save £120 per year

80% of bad breath comes from the tongue’s surface. But by using an AMANO to remove the oral debris that create smelly VSCs (volatile sulfur compounds) your breath will remain naturally fresh for longer. So no more need for those chemical swills of unknown long-term provenance.

Tongue scraping benefit ≠2

No more need for expensive teeth whitening toothpaste – so save £80 per year

Drinks such as tea, coffee and red wine contain colourants, which will stain your teeth. Just think about what they do to your cups. By effectively removing these elements hiding on your tongue before bed, they cannot play havoc on your teeth overnight. Ergo your teeth will remain whiter - naturally.

Tongue scraping benefit ≠3

No need for expensive fillings – save £50 to £100 per year

Your tongue is a major breeding ground for plaque forming Streptococci bacteria – which, if ignored, will go onto create that yellow film on your teeth and then painful and costly tooth decay! Regular tongue scraping will sort those pesky Streptococci out. Which means less stressful visits to your Dentist!

Tongue scraping benefit ≠4 (for Wine drinkers)

Less expensive wine will taste much better – lets diplomatically say £400?

A dirty mouth cannot taste the subtle flavours in good wine (or food). The simple act of scraping the tongue will revive flagging taste buds – so enhancing the wine (and food) experience. Simply put, that means a £8 bottle of wine can now taste more like a £12 one. So no need to always spend more on 'better wine experiences'. If you drink 2 bottles a week that could be £400 saved over the year – it's simple maths! If you are skeptical about this, can we add that we featured in Decanter Wine magazine recently on exactly this ‘benefit’. Thus AMANO is now the choice tongue scraper for Wine Professionals – including Fine Wine Directors, Wine Critics and Sommeliers.

Tongue scraping benefit ≠5

Live longer and better - this is not fake news!

New research links the humble act of tongue scraping with fighting the ageing process (it's all about stimulating 'good' oral bacteria to produce more nitric oxide and thus enhance stem cell effectiveness). Sceptical? Here are the details.

We won't put a £ value on this benefit

Medical research also shows that a good oral care regime, that includes the tongue, will reduce the risk of heart disease and even certain mouth cancers.

Add all of these benefits up and it's pretty clear; if you are into sound long-term investments AMANO has a great payback.

PS: You can check out all the research highlighted above here: https://amanotonguecleanser.com/pages/benefits

AMANO is now the best selling tongue scraper in Selfridges, Harrods and Planet Organic

Has the AMANO™ Tongue Cleanser achieved the exalted position of cult status?

Over the Summer sales of the AMANO™ Tongue Cleanser have rocketed in the London Stores most associated with the Global Elite,  Harrods - purveyor of fine goods to the British Aristocracy - and Selfridges - now considered the World's Best Department Store.

TATLER, the magazine for the British Upper Classes, helped start it all off with a glowing tribute written by Emma Freud (Great Grand-Daughter of Sigmund); 

"The AMANO Tongue Cleanser is leagues ahead of the rest of the field. At long last, I have managed to find SOMEONE who is taking tongue cleaning seriously" 

This was swiftly followed by a Customer from Long Island, New York, spending almost £400 on top end AMANOs from the online store and exclaiming; 

" I have several residences and my husband and I already have 2 AMANOs at each location. I do not take them when I travel because I am afraid they will get lost or the airline will confiscate them. They are my prize possessions and I guard them"

To cap this, an enlightened customer walked into Harrods and spent over £800 on an astonishing fifty four (54) AMANOs™ across the range of deluxe designs. 

And the proverbial icing on the cake was GQ  the Premier style magazine declaring the NeoClassic AMANO 2017 as one of the "Coolest Things in the World", in June of this year.

Of course genuine cult status requires serious technical superiority to underpin it (for an example just look at the Rolex brand) - and we got this with The British Dental Journal hailing our top of the range NeoClassic AMANO 2017 as; "The Roman Emperor of Tongue Scrapers" 

NeoClassic AMANO 2017

Mano Manoharan, Owner and Founder of AMANO™ added; 

" Our 25 year mission has been to encourage people to also give their tongues some TLC when it comes to oral care. We set out to create the 'Rolex' of tongue cleaners - in terms of design, efficiency and durability. And judging by recent events we are certainly on track!"

And to perhaps prove the point SLOAN! magazine - The luxury lifestyle magazine for Londoners - features our NeoClassic AMANO 2017 in its Christmas 2017 Gift Guide.

Priced from £10 to £92 the AMANO™ range can satisfy most tastes, tongues and wallets ...

With the next Bond film just announced our TiTANIUM 2018 could be the perfect accoutrement to go with his Rolex and Aston Martin (or will it be a Tesla?)

The TiTANIUM 2018 is made from 100% TiTANIUM - the 22nd Element in the periodic table and named after the Greek Gods, The Titans.

As befits its name, TiTANIUM is as strong as Steel - but less than half the weight (hence why aircraft frames are now made from Titanium). 

Our TiTANIUM 2018 thus offers a supremely smooth and effective performance - with a slightly lighter feel on the tongue - which some Customers might prefer.

Our other classic AMANO - the NeoClassic 2017 - is made from a Nickel and Chrome Steel alloy. Some people are allergic to Nickel and Chrome - so the 100% pure TiTANIUM 2018 may be a more suitable variant for them.

Having designed and made tongue scrapers for 25 years we are keenly aware that the key to 'effectiveness' is not just about how 'sharp' the scraper is.

On the contrary an overly 'sharp' scraper will actually put most people off the routine. Whereas a 'comfortable' scraper will mean the user is more relaxed about using a tongue scraper with conviction - and that means also towards the back of the tongue, where oral debris tends to lurk. This means tongue scraping has more of a chance of becoming a new and effective daily routine. 

Interestingly The Centre for Dentistry, University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, conducted a study of various tongue scraper designs in 2015 and concluded as follows along these lines;

"Comfort and effectiveness were positively correlated"

We pride ourselves on designing comfortable and effective quality tongue scrapers - of which our TiTANIUM 2018 is the latest in a proud illustrious line.

In keeping with its status as our top of the range AMANO, the TiTANIUM 2018 also comes in a slick metallic presentation case.

Making it the perfect accoutrement for Secret Agents and mere mortals ...

For more details and to buy please click here

Daily Mail's Good Health section featured the AMANO on 25^th November

The Daily Mail asked Dr Phil Stemmer, a West End Dental Practitioner, to review our £12 solution to bad breath (and wider oral care & health issues).

Dr Phil runs the ‘Fresh Breath Centre’, which specialises in bad breath treatments. 

Interestingly his website says that a first appointment with his ‘Fresh Breath Centre’ will cost £205. Presumably to cure the bad breath there will be a need for further visits and further fees…

Since the tongue is one third of the mouth’s surface area and responsible for 80% of the cases of bad breath – we acknowledge that there are bound to be a huge variety of solutions to this age-old problem.

We believe that at £12 the AMANO would represent excellent value for money – not least because it is built to last a long time (unlike chemical solutions that require repeat and frequently costly purchases).

Our design is based on a 2000-year Roman design - so we are not exactly re-inventing the wheel! (Maybe making it a little more stylish).

And since we launched in 1992 we have developed a very loyal customer base - some of whom are STILL using the very same AMANO's they bought way back in the 1990s. That's a pretty good endorsement (check out the Customer reviews).

We believe the AMANO USP is really about these 3 key equities:

• Being swift – less than 5 seconds is all it takes
• Being visibly effective – you will feel rewarded by seeing the offending debris being removed
• And crucially – having NO GAG affect – so you are able to go to the back of the tongue (where the debris lurks) and feel more relaxed about tongue cleaning as a daily routine.

A major factor in the continuing neglect of the tongue – is the real fear of GAGGING. The AMANO is precisely designed to overcome this.

Anyway back to the review. Not surprisingly perhaps, Dr Phil was sparing in his praise of the AMANO.

He did admit this however:

"It's the most attractive tongue cleaner I've seen"

Bizarrely part of his advice was to;

"Hold your tongue in one hand and scrape it with the other".

That's not (we would suggest) a technique the Romans, Hindus and Victorians would have recognised (or George Washington perhaps?)

Rather than respond directly – here are five (slightly bemused) responses I received to Dr Phil’s review:

Ms GS (Dental Professional + AMANO user)

“I think he is talking a load of nonsense.  My tongue doesn't curl in when I am preparing to use the AMANO and neither does any one else's.  And as for the metal causing pain - !!!!!! -  when has that ever happened??!!"

Ms FS (Dental Professional + AMANO user)

"The man is mad.....this is such an effective cleanser.....who is able to hold their tongue in one hand and clean with the other?  The only way I can hold a tongue (for cancer screening) is with a gauze! I go with the 'most attractive' as well."

Mr TJ (an AMANO user)

“No one holds the tongue with one hand whilst using the other for the tongue cleaner.”

Ms KD (Dental Professional + AMANO user)

“I don’t get why it says the device is flat… And the idea of holding your tongue is weird!”

Mr TR (an AMANO user)

“You have the weight of culture, history and practice on your side. Clearly the writer of the review has never visited South Asia where tongue cleansing is a daily routine for millions of people - all of whom use two hands to hold the implement. Contrary to what the reviewer asserts, the tongue does not need to be held while it is being cleansed. Also the shape of the implement is specifically designed to ensure pressure is applied evenly across the surface of the tongue while it is being cleaned. Perhaps you should offer to send someone there to model how it is supposed to be done.”

Good advice TR – we are drawing lots in the office to see who goes to see Dr Phil …

Ben Shepard said on ITV's This Morning:

Check out the full review on ITV here

(with website URL typo !)

(This article appeared in 50Connect - the publication for the over 50s)

We all know that America’s 1^st President, George Washington, created a lasting political legacy for the USA and indeed the world.

It would be slightly ironic therefore if his personal grooming preferences became the inspiration for a revolution, in the way we look afresh, at an oral hygiene routine that has been largely forgotten - in the western world.

This may come as a shock to you but Founding Father George Washington was a practitioner in the rich and noble art of tongue cleansing.

Indeed his elegant toilet set can still be viewed at Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA. Or on this website, in the ‘History of Tongue Cleansing’ section: www.amanotonguecleanser.com

You’ll see America’s President owned both a toothbrush and a tongue scraper (here at AMANO we prefer to to say ‘tongue cleanser’).

The medical reasons for tongue cleansing, particularly for those of us over 50, are now pretty compelling.

The tongue is one third of our mouths surface area and it is an excellent trap for food and bacterial debris – that has been shown to cause bad breath and dental decay.

As we age however our saliva count drops – thus increasing these oral care issues. Plus poor oral care has been linked to increased risk of heart disease.

Additionally our taste buds decline in sensitivity making food appear dull. Tongue cleaning can reverse this process and enable the subtle flavours in food and wine to be enhanced.

When I first saw the image of Washington’s toilet set I wanted to know just why did he choose to use a scraper on his tongue rather than just a brush (as some might suggest).

The answer could be relevant for todays oral care conscious consumer faced with a similar conundrum.

I think we all instinctively consider any NEW healthcare activity or routine in the following way.

For it to be adopted as part of a regular routine, it needs to qualify as; ‘A REWARDING EXPERIENCE’.

And for this to happen it needs to satisfy a delicate equation featuring these 4 components;

TIME TO COMPLETE:

LEVEL OF PLEASANTNESS: (or lack of unpleasantness)

PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS:

COST:

On this basis tongue cleansing using a traditional ‘scraper’ implement, such as the AMANO Tongue Cleanser, wins hands down – over a toothbrush, or indeed a stylized tongue ‘brush’.

WHY?

Well it takes less than 5 seconds to do:

You will not experience a gag effect: (because the weight and 2-handle design is able to resist the tongues ‘reflex’ action)

You will see the visible results

And it’s a one off ‘investment’ that will last for years

Since George spent much of his life ‘in the field’, constantly on the move (from us Brits) this equation worked well for him it seems.

So, if you are able to deal with seeing the food, drink and bacterial debris being swiftly and elegantly removed by the AMANO – this is a routine that can become part of your daily oral care regime.

Contrast this with tongue brushes – they do seem to take an awfully long time. Chances are you will gag, particularly when you try and reach the back of the tongue. Plus you certainly don’t get the same sense of ‘achievement’ from seeing the gunge come off your tongue. And then you also have the cost of replacing these plastic consumer items every 3 months or so…

We have AMANOs ‘in the field’ for 20 years and more. That makes it a great and long lasting ‘investment’. We are really hoping George’s shining example will motivate others to follow him and adopt the practice of tongue cleansing…

As we all recall, George Washington believed in; “Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

Given his tongue cleansing penchant, this line could have just as well been written; ““Life Liberty and the pursuit of a clean tongue”

Now that would have been a truly memorable epitaph.

The AMANO Tongue Cleanser was featured in this months British Dental Journal.

"The mighty British Dental Journal featured AMANO and the elegant art of tongue cleansing on 13th June 2014.

We liked the way the BDJ showcased the AMANO's design credentials; "The Italian-crafted AMANO Tongue Cleanser is based on a 2,000 year-old Roman design... and has a nickel and chrome head. (It) comes in a variety of striking, artistic designs, such as Amazing Grace, Ophelia Rising, and Savile Row." 

Plus the taste bud reviving qualities; "The AMANO Tongue Cleanser not only reduces the source of bad breath and caries, but also unclogs the taste buds so that food will taste better".