tongue diagnosis basics Flashcards
what does tongue spirit indicate?
- denotes seriousness of illness
- if the tongue has a vital color the prognosis is good
- if the color is dark/whithered, the prognosis is bad
what does tongue body color indicate?
- condition of yin organs, blood, and nutritive qi
- denotes condition for chronic illness (tongue color changes over time)
what does tongue body shape indicate?
differentiates excess & deficiency, organs, qi, and blood
what does tongue coat color indicate?
- hot / cold influences
- tongue coat is the manifestation of ST qi (KD is involved with formation)
what does tongue coat thickness indicate?
- intensity of externally contracted pathogenic factor, or weakness of body’s qi
- thick coat: stronger pathogen
- thin coat: weaker pathogen
what is a normal tongue color?
normal shape, pink color
what is a normal tongue coat?
thin, white coat
what does tongue coat moisture indicate?
reflects the condition of fluids
what does a red tongue indicate?
heat
what does a pale blueish tongue indicate?
cold
what does a bluish purple tongue indicate?
stasis
what does a yellow tongue coat indicate?
heat
what does a white tongue coat indicate?
cold
what does rootedness refer to?
- a rooted tongue coat looks like it grew out of the tongue
- an unrooted tongue coat looks like you could scrape it off
T or F: a quivering tongue is normal
false – could indicate an emotional or HT issue
T or F: a deviated tongue could indicate wind
true
is a normal tongue dry or moist?
moist
what do distended sublingual veins indicate?
qi deficiency & qi stagnation
what do dark purple sublingual veins indicate?
blood stasis
what does an Excess Cold tongue look like? (body, coat, moisture)
- pale or blue body
- thick white coat
- overly moist or slippery
what does an Excess Heat tongue look like? (body, coat, moisture)
- red or dark red body
- yellow coat
- dry
what does a Blood Stasis tongue look like? (body, sublingual)
- purple body w/ purple or red spots
- dark purple sublingual veins
what does a Damp (Cold or Heat) tongue look like?
slippery, greasy
what does a Yin Deficiency tongue look like?
- red body (due to heat)
- no coat; possibly peeled
- dry (bc no fluids)
- if severe Yin Deficiency: mirror-like
what does a Yang Deficiency tongue look like?
- pale body
- thin, white coat
- wet
what does a Qi Deficiency tongue look like?
- pale body, maybe flabby
- if SP qi xu: scallops or tooth marks on sides
- if LU qi xu: swelling in anterior
- if ST qi xu: thinning of coat or coat w/o root
- if HT qi xu: pale body w/ swollen tip
What does a Blood Deficiency tongue look like?
- pale body
- dry
- if severe Blood Deficiency: orange hue
what does a Deficiency Cold tongue look like? (body, coat, moisture)
- pale body
- thin white coat
- overly moist (bc fluids aren’t being transformed)
what does a Deficiency Heat tongue look like?
- red body
- no coat (bc Zheng Qi not strong enough)
- dry
what are the geographic zones of the tongue, as related to the organs?
- tip of tongue – HT
- just beyond tip – LU
- middle of tongue – ST/SP
- sides of tongue – LV/GB
- back of tongue – KD, SI, LI, UB, uterus
