How to Revive the Sense of Taste

According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, human beings can discern five different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, a response to glutamic acid. Loss of the sense of taste can have many underlying causes, some of which can be treated.

Instructions

• 1

  Drink plenty of fluids, get plenty of rest and do whatever else you would do when you have a common cold; a cold may in fact be causing your taste loss. According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, "When we chew, aromas are released that activate our sense of smell by way of a special channel that connects the roof of the throat to the nose. If this channel is blocked, such as when our noses are stuffed up by a cold or flu, odors cannot reach sensory cells in the nose that are stimulated by smells."

• 2

  Stop smoking and stop drinking alcohol and coffee. These are all substances that can make your sense of taste seem less potent.

• 3

  Take a multivitamin that contains your daily requirement of B12 and zinc. Deficiencies in these substances can affect your sense of taste.

• 4

  Visit your doctor. Diminished sense of taste can be caused by serious conditions such as nasal infection, nasal polyps, sinusitis, pharyngitis, strep throat, salivary gland infections, side effects of certain medications or Sjogren syndrome. Treating any of these issues directly will cause your sense of taste to revive itself.

• 5

  Visit your dentist. Gingivitis can be a cause of diminished taste.