What is the reason for a sweet taste in the mouth

In life, some people often say that they have a sweet taste in their mouth. We have heard of bad breath and bitter mouth, but having a sweet taste in the mouth seems to sound rather strange. Some people also think that having a sweet taste in the mouth is good. So what causes the sweet taste in the mouth? Is it good or bad for people to have a sweet taste in their mouth? If this is harmful to the body or is not normal, then how can we prevent the sweet taste in the mouth?

1. Sweet taste

Sweet taste is also known as sweet mouth. There is a sweet taste in the mouth. Most of them are caused by damp-heat in the spleen and stomach. It can be seen in patients with diabetes who usually like to eat sweet, fatty and greasy food. "Suwen·Discussion on Strange Diseases" states: "The five flavors enter the mouth and are stored in the stomach. The spleen circulates their essence and qi. The body fluids are in the spleen, so the mouth tastes sweet. This is where the desire for fat and delicious food comes from. This person must eat sweet and delicious food frequently and eat a lot of fat, which will turn into thirst."

2. Reasons for a sweet taste in the mouth

Another case is a sweet mouth due to both Qi and Yin of the spleen and stomach. This is mostly caused by old age or long-term illness that damages the spleen and stomach, leading to damage to both Qi and Yin, endogenous false heat, and burning of the spleen fluid. It manifests as a sweet and dry mouth without drinking much water, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, and dry and soft stools.

A sweet taste in the mouth is usually caused by spleen and stomach dysfunction. Clinically, it is divided into sweet mouth due to spleen and stomach heat and sweet mouth due to both spleen and stomach qi and yin. The former is mostly caused by overeating of spicy and greasy foods, which breeds internal heat or exogenous evil heat accumulated in the spleen and stomach, and is manifested as sweet mouth and thirst, preference for drinking water, easy hunger after eating a lot, or ulcers on the lips and tongue, dry and hard stools, red tongue with dry coating, and rapid and strong pulse; the latter is mostly caused by long-term illness that damages the spleen and stomach, leading to damage to both qi and yin, internal generation of virtual heat, and burning of spleen fluid, and is manifested as sweet and dry mouth without drinking much water, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, and dry and soft stools. According to traditional Chinese medicine, there are two types of sweet taste in the mouth: sweet taste in the mouth caused by heat in the spleen and stomach and sweet taste in the mouth caused by deficiency of spleen and stomach qi. The former is mostly caused by overeating spicy and greasy foods, which breeds internal heat or external evil heat accumulates in the spleen and stomach. Symptoms include a sweet and thirsty mouth, a preference for drinking water, eating a lot and getting hungry easily, or sores on the lips and tongue, dry and hard stools, a red tongue with dry coating, and a rapid and strong pulse.

3. How to prevent sweet mouth

(1) Supplement vitamin A, E and vitamin B complex.

(2) Eat foods rich in zinc regularly, take zinc sulfate orally, or consume zinc-rich animal foods and shellfish.

(3) Chew gum and rinse your mouth with baking soda water.

(4) Change the types of food and cooking methods to stimulate appetite through color, aroma and taste.

(5) Chew food thoroughly to increase the chances of food coming into contact with taste buds and enhance their excitability.

(6) Do not eat too much at each meal, so that your taste buds are always in an excited state.

(7) Avoid irritating foods and foods that are too cold or too hot. These may damage the taste buds on the tongue, affect the taste nerves, and make the taste stronger and stronger.

(8) Since taste buds are renewed by the surrounding epithelial cells, it takes at least 10 days for the sense of taste to recover. However, it is important to detect and treat it early. If taste disorders are discovered and treated within one month of onset, 80% can return to normal. The cure rate for those discovered and treated within six months is 70%. The cure rate for more than half a year is less than 50%.