Tongue diagnosis

Question 1

What are you looking at when inspecting the tongue?

Answer 1

When looking at the tongue for diagnosis: region, colour, coat, shape, moisture, cracking, sublingual veins, spirit and movement.

Question 2

What are the tongue regions?

Answer 2

Tongue regions: lower, middle and upper burner
Tip of the tongue = heart
Behind the tip of the tongue = Lung
Upper jiao = Heart and Lungs
Spleen and stomach in the centre, sides are Liver and GB = middle burner
Back is kidney and bladder = lower burner

Question 3

What is the spleen’s relationship with the tongue?

Answer 3

Spleen governs muscle therefore it supports the shape of the tongue, if the spleen is weak then the muscle of the tongue won’t be healthy

Question 4

What does the body colour indicate?

Answer 4

Indicates the condition of blood, nutritive qi and yin organs. It reflects conditions of heat / cold or yin / yang

Question 5

What does the body shape indicate?

Answer 5

Indicates the state of blood and nutritive qi. It reflects conditions of fullness or deficiency.

Question 6

What does coating indicate?

Answer 6

Coating indicates the state of yang in the organs. It reflects conditions of heat or cold and of fullness or deficiency.

Question 7

What does moisture indicate?

Answer 7

The state of the body fluids.

Question 8

What does a healthy tongue looks like?

Answer 8

Colour: pink neither pale nor red, Shape: round shape, full, symmetrical, smooth, Moisture; isn’t dry, wet, slight pale white coating.

Question 9

What does a thin tongue indicate?

Answer 9

Yin or blood deficiency

Question 10

What does a short / small tongue indicate?

Answer 10

Qi deficiency

Question 11

What does a long tongue indicate?

Answer 11

Heart heat

Question 12

What does a wide / flabby tongue indicate?

Answer 12

Spleen Qi deficiency with Damp.

Question 13

What does a scalloped or teeth marked tongue indicate?

Answer 13

Spleen Qi deficiency

Question 14

What does swelling indicate?

Answer 14

Damp and phlegm

Toxin accumulation

Question 15

What do cracks indicate?

Answer 15

Deficiency of yin (& possibly blood or qi)

Question 16

What do hollows indicate?

Answer 16

Reflect deficiency at the constitutional level.

Question 17

What does a yellow coating indicate?

Answer 17

Heat

Question 18

What does a brown coating indicate?

Answer 18

Heat accumulation

Severe pathology / terminal illness

Question 19

What does a white coating indicate?

Answer 19

Cold

Question 20

What does a black coating indicate?

Answer 20

Interior and severe pattern

Terminal illness / interior pattern

Question 21

What does a thick coating indicate?

Answer 21

Phlegm.

Question 22

What do the colours of the tongue indicate? Pink, Red, Purple, Pale, Blue and Red papillae?

Answer 22

Pink: Healthy
Red: Heat
Purple: Stagnation
Pale: Blood deficiency
Blue: Cold stagnation / blood stagnation
Red papillae: Heat (nutritive or blood level).