Tongue diagnosis Flashcards
What are you looking at when inspecting the tongue?
When looking at the tongue for diagnosis: region, colour, coat, shape, moisture, cracking, sublingual veins, spirit and movement.
What are the tongue regions?
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
What is the spleen’s relationship with the tongue?
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
What does the body colour indicate?
Indicates the condition of blood, nutritive qi and yin organs. It reflects conditions of heat / cold or yin / yang
What does the body shape indicate?
Indicates the state of blood and nutritive qi. It reflects conditions of fullness or deficiency.
What does coating indicate?
Coating indicates the state of yang in the organs. It reflects conditions of heat or cold and of fullness or deficiency.
What does moisture indicate?
The state of the body fluids.
What does a healthy tongue looks like?
Colour: pink neither pale nor red, Shape: round shape, full, symmetrical, smooth, Moisture; isn’t dry, wet, slight pale white coating.
What does a thin tongue indicate?
Yin or blood deficiency
What does a short / small tongue indicate?
Qi deficiency
What does a long tongue indicate?
Heart heat
What does a wide / flabby tongue indicate?
Spleen Qi deficiency with Damp.
What does a scalloped or teeth marked tongue indicate?
Spleen Qi deficiency
What does swelling indicate?
Damp and phlegm
Toxin accumulation
What do cracks indicate?
Deficiency of yin (& possibly blood or qi)
What do hollows indicate?
Reflect deficiency at the constitutional level.
What does a yellow coating indicate?
Heat
What does a brown coating indicate?
Heat accumulation
Severe pathology / terminal illness
What does a white coating indicate?
Cold
What does a black coating indicate?
Interior and severe pattern
Terminal illness / interior pattern
What does a thick coating indicate?
Phlegm.
What do the colours of the tongue indicate? Pink, Red, Purple, Pale, Blue and Red papillae?
Pink: Healthy Red: Heat Purple: Stagnation Pale: Blood deficiency Blue: Cold stagnation / blood stagnation Red papillae: Heat (nutritive or blood level).
