Tongue Diagnosis

Question 1

Luster/Flourishing

Answer 1

the tongue is moist, red and lustrous, suggesting uninjured to the body resistance and a mild condition.

Question 2

Lusterlessness/Withering

Answer 2

tongue is wizened, suggesting injury to the body resistance and a severe condition.

Question 3

Pale tongue

Answer 3

Deficiency and cold caused by insufficient yang-qi and blood

Question 4

Red tongue

Answer 4

A heat syndrome caused by an excess of qi and blood, usually seen in the syndrome of interior heat, or endogenous heat due to yin deficiency

Question 5

Crimson

Answer 5

A deep red tongue is a sign of severe endogenous heat, usually found at the advanced stage of febrile diseases, or in protracted and critical cases, suggesting hyperactivity of fire due to deficiency of yin.

Question 6

Purple/Dusky

Answer 6

Either cold or heat syndromes

Question 7

purple tongue with deep red coloration

Answer 7

indicates inadequate fluid; it suggests that exuberant heat has led to consumption of yin and fluid, and stagnation of qi and blood.

Question 8

pale purple or moist blue-purple tongue

Answer 8

blockage of vessels due to preponderant endogenous cold.

Question 9

Purple spots

Answer 9

suggest stagnation of blood

Question 10

flabby tongue-pale in color

Answer 10

indicating insufficiency of spleen-yang and failure in the transformation of body fluids and a retention of phlegm and dampness due to excessive heat in the heart and spleen

Question 11

swollen, crimson

Answer 11

exuberant heat in the heart and spleen

Question 12

swollen, dark blue purple

Answer 12

indicates poisoning.

Question 13

thin tongue

Answer 13

It is small and shrunken, indicating consumption of yin and blood

Question 14

thin and pale

Answer 14

deficiency of qi and blood

Question 15

thin, deep red and dry tongue

Answer 15

hyperactivity of fire due to deficiency of yin and consumption of fluid.

Question 16

cracked tongue

Answer 16

It has fissures of different depth on its surface, indicating consumption of yin and fluid

Question 17

cracked, deep red tongue

Answer 17

injury to body fluids due to exuberance of heat

Question 18

pale cracked

Answer 18

tongue found in a healthy person does not have any clinical significance

Question 19

teeth imprints

Answer 19

teeth imprints along its outer edge as a result of the pressure of teeth. Often called Scalloped tongue. Spleen deficiency, often associated with flabby or swollen tongue..

Question 20

thorny

Answer 20

Swollen papillae

Question 21

thorny dry tongue

Answer 21

exuberance of heat and the more exuberant the heat is the more “ thorns” may appear on the tongue.

Question 22

Rigid/Stiff

Answer 22

stiff tongue body, unable to move freely, impeding speech. caused by invasion of the pericardium by heat, accumulation of phlegm disorder of body fluids in cases of high fever and excess of heat

Question 23

Flaccid

Answer 23

a weak tongue, unable to protrude and curl or move freely. severe consumption of qi and blood and yin fluid, resulting in failure of the tongue muscles and vessels to be nourished

Question 24

Trembling/Quivering

Answer 24

trembling continuously and involuntarily. In long term illness qi, blood or yang xu Or wind stirred up from external heat or internal heat.

Question 25

Wagging tongue

Answer 25

tendency to stick out the tongue or to play with it . heart attacked by pestilential heat or depletion of qi. sign of the wind syndrome or poor mental development in children.

Question 26

Deviated tongue

Answer 26

Tongue turning to one side. Sign of wind-stroke

Question 27

Short

Answer 27

shortened, contracted tongue, indicates a critical disease

Question 28

Pale and short

Answer 28

Severe internal cold and yang xu

Question 29

Red and short w.o coat

Answer 29

Yin Xu

Question 30

Thin, White coat

Answer 30

normal coat

Question 31

white coat

Answer 31

Exogenous factors and cold

Question 32

Yellow coat

Answer 32

indicates heat and interior syndromes

Question 33

Gray coat

Answer 33

(is light black): interior heat or cold dampness

Question 34

Black coat

Answer 34

extreme heat or abundant cold.

Question 35

Thin Coating

Answer 35

thin layer of fur through which the tongue proper is faintly visible

Question 36

thick coating

Answer 36

thick layer of fur through which the tongue proper is invisible

Question 37

moist coating

Answer 37

plenty of body fluids which are evenly distributed

Question 38

dry coating

Answer 38

Yang Xu leading to body fluids not reaching the tongue, or an injury due to heat.

Question 39

Greasy Coating

Answer 39

Dampness

Question 40

Sticky Coating

Answer 40

Like cottage cheese- phlegm dampness, pathogenic dampness and warmth

Question 41

Sudden peeling ‘mirror like’

Answer 41

Stomach yin xu

Question 42

Peeled with sticky

Answer 42

phlegm and damage to the zheng qi (complicated case)

Question 43

Firm or Rooted Coating

Answer 43

excess syndrome, a heat syndrome and strong stomach-qi

Question 44

Loose or Unrooted Coating

Answer 44

deficiency syndrome, cold syndrome and weakened stomach-qi