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
cracked or fissured tongue
generally caused by yin deficiency causing blood deficiency
dry crimson scant coat cracks
heat damaging yin fluids: blood/body fluids
red scant coat or cracks
yin deficiency
pale red smooth with cracks
blood deficiency-usually elderly folks
pale-white w/ cracks
dryness due to blood deficiency
pale white, wet, slippery white coat, TOOTH MARKS
retention of dampness
pale red, smooth, TOOTh Marks
spleen qi deficiency
loss of flexibility, difficulty in stretching, retracting, or even rigidity, with inability to move, slurred speech
stiff tongue
dark-red or crimson stiff and dry tongue
invasion of the PC by exuberant pathogenic heat
pale-red or green blue, puffy, stiff tongue with thick, greasy coating, unconsciousness, deviated mouth and eye, hemiplegia
wind phlegm obstructing collaterals in the tongue
flaccid tongue-soft with out strength, inability to move easily
deficiency patterns(yin, qi, body fluids)
involuntary trembling, rapid movement when extended
liver wind
crimson, purple and quivering tongue
exuberant heat
pale or white, slightly trembling tongue
qi and blood deficiency
red, quivering, with little or no coating
yin deficiency
tongue deviated to one side when extended
wind patterns
deviated pale red tongue, facial paralysis, inability to raise eyebrows
external wind obstructing collaterals(more acute situations)
purplish-red and deviated tongue, dizziness, numbness, spasms
internal wind (more chronic situations)
white tongue coating
exterior patterns/cold patterns
yellow tongue coating
heat or interior patterns
gray coating
interior
heat
cold
black coating
interior
extreme heat
extreme cold
thin tongue coating
normal or
disease in exterior
mild disease
evil qi on surface
thick tongue coating
disease is interior
more severe disease
evil qi deeper in body
thickness of tongue coating shows
depth and severity of disease
moisture of the tongue coating shows
existence or collapse of body fluids
moist tongue coating
normal
slippery tongue coating: excessive fluids on tongue, tendency to flow downward when tongue is protruded
yang deficiency with retention of phlegm fluid and water-damp
dry tongue coating
body fluids damaged by heat
yin deficiency
yang qi deficiency failing to steam body fluids
pathogenic dryness attacking the lung
greasy tongue coating: relatively small fine particles sticking together making a shiny surface, cannot be scraped away easily
turbid dampness
phlegm fluids
food retention
damp-heat
curd like tongue coating: relatively large loose thick granules( like bean curd) can easily be scraped away
phlegm dampness without weakened yang-qi and/or heat
food retention causing damp heat
phlegm dampness with heat
sublingual veins; purple black distended
blood stasis
sublingual veins: dark purple and thin
yin deficiency
sublingual veins very pale and not visible
qi and blood deficiency
sublingual veins filmy and creamy
dampness
