Even in my earliest memories about food, I can remember the terrible consequences that would follow when I ate any meal which combined tomatoes and citrus together. Most often it happened if I drank orange juice and ate something with ketchup on it–within minutes, my tongue felt as if it had raised, painful ridges on it, red ridges which itched and burned like crazy and would not be soothed with drinking anything. Ice relief lasted only as long as the ice lasted in my mouth, and then the aggravating itch and burn would be back. Sometimes I resorted to scraping my tongue with my teeth or fingernails, which didn’t really help but made me feel a little less powerless against this until it finally went away (it usually took about an hour).
My mother always called this condition “geographic tongue,” and I learned that members of both sides of my family had experienced this reaction to certain foods or combinations of foods. For my immediate family, we quickly learned to avoid the tomato/citrus combination for my sake, and I became more aware of what I was about to eat. But sometimes it snuck up on me, or I forgot about it until it was too late–like the time I ate a slice of cheese pizza slathered in tomato sauce along with a citrusy drink for school lunch. (Let’s just say getting through third block was VERY interesting…)
However, while doing a bit of casual Googling and Wikipedia-ing about this topic, I noticed that there is more to “geographic tongue” than a simple, silly-sounding temporary food reaction. In fact, this is a medical condition, one that explains far more about my own gustatory habits.
What Exactly IS Geographic Tongue? (Warning, Picture Ahead)
Geographic tongue, aka “benign migratory glossitis” or “erythema migrans,” is a harmless mouth condition that affects about 3 percent of adults around the world. (Yay, I feel special now, LOL.) It seems to be more common in middle-aged and older adults than children, and more common in women than men. Upon eating foods with high acid content or strong flavors (it varies among sufferers), the tongue burns, stings, and/or itches. And, if you look at a geographic tongue, you’ll see patches of red and white all over it in map-like formations which give the condition its name.
As an example: my own tongue.
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As you can see, my tongue looks pretty strange–it has always looked patchy like this, even in my childhood. (Bonus: not only do I have strange patterns all over it, but I also have deep fissures in my tongue, which often appear in people with geographic tongue–you can see a big one running right down the center of my tongue in this pic, and there are other smaller ones as well. These fissures tend to exacerbate geographic tongue, producing swelling when already irritating foods get down into the fissures.)
The reason all these weird patches show up is because my tongue is missing papillae (the things that contain taste buds) on the redder parts of my tongue, while the lighter parts have papillae in abundance. The areas of darker and lighter red can change places at random, so you can never tell exactly what my tongue is going to look like (LOL). This “missing papillae” phenomenon doesn’t sound like much, but apparently it’s really important when it comes to processing strong flavors or acidic foods. People still don’t really know why it happens. |
Is It Contagious/Dangerous?
If you’re one of the 3% of human beings who has this, do not fret: this is NOT a precancerous/cancerous condition, but rather a “minor annoyance” condition, at least as doctors classify it. (Ha, it doesn’t FEEL minor when it’s happening and you can’t do squat about it!) Also, it seems to have nothing to do with oral hygiene, though a lack of said hygiene can make geographic tongue worse in some cases. If you develop very painful sores or swelling on your tongue that keeps you from breathing correctly, however, get to a doctor ASAP.
Geographic tongue is not contagious; it appears to be purely hereditary, and the same people who have geographic tongue often have allergies, asthma, eczema, and/or are more susceptible to hay fever. There are also suspected links to anemia and psoriasis as well. (Yep, all this is in my family, too. [sarcasm] YAY. [/sarcasm]) Lastly, there may be a connection between geographic tongue and celiac disease, though more research needs to be done.
What Can Cause Geographic Tongue to Flare Up?
Foods/Drinks |
Oral Products |
Other Triggers |
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What Can Help Soothe/Keep Down Geographic Tongue?
- Vitamin B supplements
- Zinc supplements
- Toothpaste for sensitive teeth with no additives
- Ice (temporarily)
- Anesthetic mouth rinses
- Mint gum/lozenges (supposedly)
(If constantly painful, a doctor can treat geographic tongue with certain topical ointments, antifungal products, or even corticosteroid treatments.)
Living With Geographic Tongue
For me, the list of “trigger foods” surprises me; most if not all of those are on my “do-not-eat” list. I never have been able to enjoy cinnamon-flavored gum or candy, for instance, and I’ve always been very particular about the kind of orange juice I get–it’s got to be “Low Acid.” And though I love sweets, too much chocolate with nothing to drink with it leaves me with a burning, “coated”-feeling tongue and throat.
In light of this condition, my picky eating makes a little more sense, since I’ve been avoiding many foods possibly based on how they make my mouth feel rather than the taste. And it also sheds light on why my tongue often feels so irritated after I brush my teeth, too, since I use a lot of whitening agents and special mouth rinses.
I don’t know whether adding Vitamin B or zinc would help me, nor am I sure if my geographic tongue might be connected to stress, allergies, psoriasis, etc. But these sure help give clues as to what I can try!
For Further Reading/Reference
NIH.gov Article on Geographic Tongue
Foods that Cause Geographic Tongue
WebMD.com’s Guide to Geographic Tongue
Geographic Tongue: Top 10 Causes and Cures
Geographic Tongue: Wikipedia Article
Fissured Tongue: Wikipedia Article
I have had Geographic tongue for my entire life and I did not know that I even had it until 2 years ago (I am 12). I though that pineapple just had a lot of acid so it made everybodys tongue hurt and I had never tried eggplant before (thats the worse one for me) the way I found out is my mom was talking about how her tongue hurt when she ate different foods and I realized it is not normal to have your tongue constantly hurt (I ate a lot of pineapple and tomatos)
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My Mom and I both have the joy of experiencing this. The upside is that at a young age, she taught me to put baking soda on it when a flare up would happen. That seems to work for us most of the time.
I have this. I only figured it out when I was probably 10/11 (now 23) I remember saying to my brother I love baked beans (the Heinz kind in tomato sauce) but it’s a shame they hurt so much when you eat them. He looked at me as though I had two heads. My mother then explained that she has geographic tongue (as told by her dentist at the age of 40+), and hers presents with white map like markings across her tongue and soreness, but no fissures or cracks. Whereas I have never experienced the map like markings, but experience deep cracks which feel as though they cut right through my tongue, slight swelling and soreness and bumps and cracks along the side of my tongue. Sometimes I taste blood but have never seen it. Mine is 1000% caused by eating tomatoes, sometimes I could eat tomato purée or tomato soup with no reaction but not always. However I cannot eat a raw tomato without it happening (shame!!!). There is no chance of me eating them without a significant response. I have found over the years that most fruit, alcohol, salad leaves and peppercorns cause it, but not always and depending on how I eat them. There is nothing I have found that relieves the pain or discomfort other than just rinsing my mouth with water and waiting for it to subside. Maybe worth noting that nobody else in my family have this other than my mother and oldest brother (albeit mildly). My mother experiences hay fever and asthma, and my brother has asthma, hay fever and type one diabetes. I do not have any other conditions at all, no food allergies and no hereditary conditions (thankfully).
My 12yo son has had a geographical tongue every since he was a baby. He cannot eat raw grape tomatoes (other types of tomatoes are fine and cooked grape tomatoes are fine) and cooked spinach (raw is fine). He says his tongue hurts when he eats these foods and have to suck on a piece of ice to relieve the pain.
I have had this condition for a year now and I find that mouthwash containing no alcohol helps but I understand you shouldn’t use anti-bacterial mouthwash too often as it can cause other problems. Mentos sugar free gum provides instant relief too.
I have had geographic tongue for the past year and a half. I’ve just cut my saturated fat intake (cut out potato chips, fried food etc.) and it’s made a massive positive difference. All of my symptoms have just disappeared. I can drink orange juice, eat sour fruits and my tongue doesn’t react. May be worth a try for those looking for a solution.
I’m so happy I found this post all be it 8 years after OP. I’ve always struggled to find information relating to geographical tongue!
I have had it since I was around 13 (now 32) and mine is mainly triggered by hormones and stress. (Also pregnancy!!) During mynfirst pregnancy my tongue was nicknames “Jentonguia” I’m also the only one that gets it in my family (that i know of).
I recently searched for tomatoes burning tongue and it led me to this. It’s just nice to hear from other people with the same condition and learn more about it! I am also triggered by vine tomatoes I love them so much but they kill me! Sauces and everything else food related seem OK but I’ll certainly be looking out for other things on the list.
Thank you for this post!
I, too, have had this for many years and struggle with most of the foods on this list but I have always eaten these foods because love them so much and many are healthy. Recently, however, I started to wonder if eating these foods may be causing reactions that extend past my tongue? Am I giving myself sores internally? I cannot find any information about it but it seems plausible.
I have that problem too. When it happens hold milk, half and half, heavy cream the 2% milks or almond milk don’t work. If you hold it in your mouth it will neutralize the burn you can actually feel it soothing the pain. Hold it for abut 3+ minutes. Then just spit it out . Wait about 10 minutes and then rinse your mouth with cool water. Don’t brush because it needs a few more minutes to clear up but it won’t be hurting.
hey i solved it after years, did you ever tried to eat hot pepper once a day for at least 2 consecutive weeks ? well it worked for me . it looks like tabasco sauce and hot pepper has some ingredients that can kill the bacteria that causes geo tongue . i tried it myself and it worked for me , am still eating hot sauce and peppers once a day since then, it might take a while to start having effect and clean your shitty mouth especially if you are having this symptom for a long time … u just need to eat hot sauce alot … at least once a day … and by the way am really enjoying hot stuff these days … i feel like am addicted to hot sauce and spicy food … its the best … i like it and its good for health … don’t exaggerate though … only once or twice a day … dont just eat it without mixing it with other food . mix it so it doesn’t hurt your stomach … try it and thanks me ! if you need anyhelp my email is rawadkohost@gmail.com