How to Cure Tongue Burn After Smoking Up?

You pick up a hefty joint, light it up, and keep toking. 

But, then, your tongue starts feeling weird. 

Is it numb? Or a burning sensation? You can’t quite put it into words. 

The cannabis community has a name for it. 

And, it’s called the tongue burn. 

Oftentimes, when you smoke a little too much of a thick joint, your tongue starts burning slightly. You may lose some of your taste sensations or feel numb. 

But, don’t panic. It’s nothing but a burnt tongue due to excessively hot smoke.

In addition, it occurs more often than you’d think. 

The good news is that it’s not a serious condition and can be cured easily with some love and care. 

In this article, know all about tongue burn and how you can treat it.

What is a Tongue Burn?

Tongue burn refers to the burning sensation you feel on your tongue when you eat or drink something that’s too hot or smoke a bit too much. But in some cases, you may also experience the symptoms in other areas of your mouth too.

This condition is called tongue burn because it affects the tongue compared to other parts of the mouth because the tongue is more sensitive. For good reasons — the tongue is the gateway into your esophagus and its job is to prevent you from eating hot things that may damage you. 

One common symptom of a tongue burn is slight pain or irritation on your tongue (or other parts of the mouth), but it can also be accompanied by other symptoms like scaling, rashes, pimples, swelling, etc. 

While tongue burn is not a serious condition and many people experience it regularly — especially if they like sipping on hot coffee or smoking big joints. But in severe cases, tongue burn may even develop into burning mouth syndrome. 

What is the Burning Mouth Syndrome?

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is like tongue burn but more ongoing — it keeps recurring without an obvious cause. But inhaling hot smoke or drinking hot coffee isn’t the only cause of BMS. 

The common causes include allergic reactions to foods, fragrances, dyes, dental implants, or even reflux of the stomach acid caused by certain foods or medications. 

You probably don’t have burning mouth syndrome unless you feel the symptoms of burnt tongue regularly, even if you have not smoked up or consumed hot foods or drinks. 

How to Cure a Tongue Burn?

We have already covered the causes of getting a tongue burn, but how do you cure it?

As mentioned above, tongue burn is not a serious condition. It can easily be cured with some care in the comfort of your home, and you may be surprised at some of the remedies! Here are a few things you can try if you are experiencing a tongue burn after smoking up.

• Drink Cold Water

While warm water soothes your tongue, cold water reduces the overall temperature of your tongue and keeps your mouth hydrated.

An added advantage of drinking cold water is that it improves the saliva flow in your mouth, which prevents bacteria from further harming the burnt area.

• Eat Soft, Cold Foods

Similarly, you should consume cold foods that are easier to chew during this time to keep the temperatures down. Hot food can make the situation worse or cause irritation that can be somewhat painful to deal with.

Your best bet is to consume foods like fruits, yogurt, cold soup, and even ice. But unless the symptoms of a burning mouth have healed, avoid eating hot food at all costs. In addition, stay away from acidic and spicy food even if it’s cold — it can still irritate your tongue. 

• Drink Some Milk

Apart from being terrific for your bones, milk can also help you ease a tongue burn. When you drink milk, it creates a layer on your tongue, helping it to cool down quickly. It also works if you’ve consumed something spicy due to all the fat present in milk. If you’ve ever watched those competitions of crazy people eating hordes of hot peppers, you’ll know how effective it is. 

• Sip Some Honey

If you’re vegan or don’t like the taste of milk, you can even take a sip of honey. Not only does it cool down the tongue but it also has various antimicrobial properties while stimulating faster heating. No wonder honey has been used for thousands of years for treating various conditions. 

• Eat Mint Chewing Gum

Another way to instantly cool down your tongue is to chew on some mint gums. They contain a lot of menthols, which quickly brings the temperatures down and provides you relief from the irritation.

• Apply Some Lip Balm

Do you have chapstick or lip balm (or even simple petroleum jelly) lying around? Now is the time it may come in handy. Lip balm is one of the most underrated and effective ways to treat a tongue burn. 

Simply apply some of it on your lips and around the mouth. Try not to wash it off for a while and avoid drinking water. It moisturizes your mouth, keeps it hydrated, and cools down your tongue.

If you don’t mind spending a little more on your lip balm, you can even choose the ones that are geared specifically towards BMS symptoms. They work a lot better than regular lip balms.

• Don’t Brush Your Tongue

When brushing your teeth, avoid brushing your tongue. The harsh rubbing can irritate the damaged cells and make the tongue burn worse. 

• Gargle Saline

No, you don’t have to make a trip to your local hospital for saline. You can make it at home. Simply mix some salt in water and stir it until all the salt has dissolved. Next, take a big sip of it and gargle the solution like mouthwash. 

This is a home remedy that is often recommended by healthcare professionals — that’s how effective it is. 

• Apply Some Aloe Vera

If your tongue is feeling sore after a tongue burn, you can use aloe vera since it is very effective. Cut up a leaf of the plant and extract some raw gel, and apply it to the burnt part of your tongue. 

The gel will soothe the pain by cooling down the tongue, help heal the damaged cells, and reduce the soreness quickly. 

• OTC Gel or Painkillers

You can even choose over-the-counter medications to treat your tongue burn. They are effective — more so than home remedies. To do so, you can either choose OTC gels that you have to apply directly to the burnt region on the tongue or consume OTC painkillers.

The gel slightly numbs and cools the region where it is applied, while helping the tongue heal faster and reducing bacterial activity. On the other hand, OTC painkillers simply give you relief from pain while the condition treats itself in a couple of days. 

You can also choose Vitamin E capsules since they are beneficial for tissue regeneration. Ideally, you should stick to a dose of 1000 IU, which is best suited for curing the symptoms of a tongue burn. 

• Try Cannabis Oil

Wait, didn’t cannabis cause the tongue burn in the first place? Not really. Tongue burn occurred due to smoking too much, but not specifically due to cannabis. In fact, cannabis can be the solution!

According to researchers in Italy, who studied cannabis’ effect on burning mouth syndrome symptoms, the cannabis plant can be an effective treatment! Just don’t smoke it.

Here, you should choose Sativa oil and consume a small dose of the oil daily for a few weeks until the symptoms recede. 

When to Seek Medical Attention for Tongue Burn?

In most cases, the remedies mentioned above would be more than enough to treat a tongue burn, but what if the symptoms persist? If the condition is worse than you first thought, it would be advisable to seek medical attention. 

If the symptoms don’t improve after a few days and home remedies, you should reach out to your physician or dentist, especially if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• Increased pain or redness
• Slow healing
• Swelling in the tongue
• Blisters
• Swollen epiglottis
• Pus
• Fever
• Loss of taste 

The medical professional may also ask you to get a few tests done to know if the burn is worsened by another underlying medical condition or lifestyle habits. And they may prescribe medications or home remedies that will be more effective at treating the condition. 

Summary: How to Cure Tongue Burn After Smoking Up?

Tongue burn is nothing to worry about. It is caused if the smoke from your cannabis is too hot due to an improperly placed roach or smoking too much of it at one time (or if you drink or eat something smoking hot). 

In most cases, it only lasts for a few days and goes away on its own. But it can still be irritating or annoying to go through and hamper your experience of eating your favorite burger. 

So, if you have experienced a tongue burn, use the above-mentioned remedies and you should be sorted quickly. But if the symptoms don’t go away soon or you notice severe symptoms like blisters or scaling, you should visit a doctor immediately.

And in the meantime, you should stay away from smoking tobacco or cannabis. Smoking may make the symptoms persist, which is not something you want, do you?