inspection of tongue Flashcards
4 methods and precautions for tongue diagnosis
- adequate natural light
- posture of tongue: protrude, relaxed, flatly, open mouth
- diagnostic sequence order
- duration: no more then 15-20 seconds
correspondences
tip/center/root/sides
tip: heart/Lu
sides: GB left/ Liv right
middle: ST/SP
root: kid
Normal tongue appearance
Pale red, thin white coat, moist
Where does tongue coat come from
Stomach: receives food: rotting and ripening process- a little dampness is produced, comes up and out in tongue coat–NORMAL
tongue coat color
White: normal or cold
yellow: on the heat side
Pale or white tongue
lighter in color then normal pale red/may not have any red hue
deficient cold pattern-yang pattern
cold pattern
deficiency or exhaustion of qi
Red tongue
bright red, more red then normal red
heat pattern
deficient heat: bright red/ cracks fissures/little or no coating because not enough fluids
excessive heat: bright red, thick yellow gray or black and dry coating
**difference in coating
crimson/ scarlet red tongue
deeper red color then red tongue
heat pattern
deficient heat: crimson tongue/ possible fissures/ little or no coating
excessive heat: crimson, possible red spots and yellow dry coating
blood stasis with heat: crimson tongue w/ purple dots
blue green purple tongue
blood stasis in general from a variety of causes
crimson purple tongue with possible cracks and dry
Interior heat excess :heat makes abundance of blood in vessels w/ stasis and damage to body fluids
Pale -purple slippery and wet tongue
Interior cold excess
blue green purple dim, “stasis macules”
blood stagnation
bright red, cracks, fissures, little or no coating
deficient heat
bright red , thick yellow coating, dry
excessive heat
crimson tongue, possible fissures little or no coating
deficient heat
crimson tongue, possible red spots, yellow dry coating
excess heat
crimson tongue, purple dots
blood stasis with heat
Puffy tongue: bigger then normal,possibly filling mouth with possible teeth marks
retention of dampness, phlegm, or phlegm fluid
-often qi or yang qi deficiency
small tongue with pale-red
deficiency of both qi and blood
small tongue: emaciated, dry, crimson with little or no coating
yin deficiency with empty fire
prickled tongue with prominent spots(red/purple/blk) commonly seen on the tip and sides
toxic heat entering the blood level-larger and greater the number of prickles, the stronger the heat
severe heat causing blood stasis
stasis macules patches or spots on tongue: bluish purple, purplish-black patches
blood stasis (location on tongue relative to the part of body