Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Diagnostics > Tongue Diagnosis- Lecture 5 > Flashcards

Tongue Diagnosis- Lecture 5 Flashcards

1
Q

Tongue Diagnosis

A

Useful tool providing visible and less subjective evidence which helps the practitioner in identifying a pattern. As with all diagnostic methods, other signs and symptoms must be taken into account

  • tongue is unaffected by short term events or recent changes
  • tongue body color reflects the true condition of the patient
  • can be seen and for the most part agreed on by most observers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Things to consider when observing the tongue

A
  • what, if anything, has the patient eaten recently
  • does the patient smoke
  • dont let the patient stick out their tongue for more thean 15-20 seconds
  • is the patient taking any medications
  • patients age, the season, and the time of day
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Body Color of the Tongue

A

is the single most important factor of tongue diagnosis since it is unaffected by short term factors

  • tongue body color reflects the condition of the yin organs, blood, and nutritive qi
  • the tongue body color can be used to differentiate between hot and cold, deficiencies of yin, yang qi, or blood and stagnation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Normal tongue color

A

pale red and fresh looking like a “fresh piece of meat” The color is red because there is sufficient blood supply to the tongue from the HT. It is pale because there are sufficient fluids coming from the stomach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Pale Tongue

A

Yang Deficiency: overly wet, accompanied by interior cold symptoms (SP or Kid Yang Deficiency)
Blood Deficiency: tongue will tend to be dry with blood deficiency signs (blurry vision, night blindness, dry lips, amenorrhea, insomnia, etc)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Pale Wet Tongue

A

fluid is clearly visible on the surface of the tongue, tongue may be dripping saliva

Spleen Yang Deficiency: Failure of Spleen to T&T causing fluid accumulation

Kidney Yang Deficiency: can be caused by chronic spleen qi or yang deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Swollen and Pale (stick coat) Tongue

A

Spleen Qi deficiency (dampness)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Pale Dry Tongue

A

usually due to blood deficiency (may also be due to yang deficiency)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Red Tongue

A

Excess of Deficiency Heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

red tongue with yellow coating

A

interior excess heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

red tongue with no coating

A

yin deficiency (deficiency heat)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

red tip of tongue

A

heart heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

red sides of tongue

A

liver hear, liver fire

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

red center of tongue

A

heat in the stomach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

red root of tongue

A

kidney yin deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

red and wet tongue

A

damp heat (uncommon)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

red and dry tongue

A

excess heat or yin deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

red with no coat tongue

A

yin deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

red and shiny (like a mirror) tongue

A

yin deficiency (severe exhausting of fluids)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

red points or spots on tongue

A

excess heat causing the papillae to rise

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

red and peeled (no coating at all)

A

stomach yin and kidney yin deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Dark red tongue

A

more sever and advanced stage of heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Purple tongue

A

blood stasis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

blueish purple tongue

A

stasis from severe internal cold or severe blood stasis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

reddish purple tongue (usually dry)

A

stasis from heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

underside of tongue:

Distended veins

A

qi stagnation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

underside of tongue:

distended and dark veins

A

blood stasis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Thin tongue

A

yin deficiency (blood or body fluid deficiency)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

pale and thing tongue

A

blood deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

red and thin tongue

A

yin deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Swollen pale tongue

A

yang qi deficiency (SP)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

swollen tongue, normal color

A

dampness in the spleen and stomach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

swollen, pale, and wet tongue

A

spleen and/or kidney yang deficiency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Stiff tongue

A

usually occurs from severe heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

stiff tongue, red or dark red

A

intense heat from high fever, with delirium (acute)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

stiff tongue, dry and red or dark red

A

excess heat injuring body fluids (chronic)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

stiff tongue, pale or normal color

A

internal wind

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

flaccid

A

all flaccid tongues are due to deficiency of body fluids (lack of nourishment)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Long Tongue

A

usually indicates heat, especially heart heat- tends to be red

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Short tongue

A

due to internal cold (deficiency) which stiffens the sinews and muscles not allowing extension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

pale and short tongue

A

deficiency of Qi or Yang leading to internal cold (KD or SP Yang Def) excess heat exhausting body fluids so the tongue can’t extend

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

red and short tongue

A

extreme internal heat which stirs liver wind causing contraction and paralysis (if from internal liver wind the tongue may also be deviated to one side)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

deep red, dry and short tongue

A

extreme heat injuring body fluids (if also no coat: yin deficiency)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

swollen and short tongue

A

retention of damp-phlegm in the sinews and muscles preventing extension (usually spleen and/or lung deficiency failing to T&T Fluids)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

Cracked tongue

A

fissure on the surface of the tongue is usually caused by dryness (deficiency of body fluids, yin or blood) they can also be a sign of a disorder of fluid transportation

46
Q

horizontal cracks in tongue

A

yin deficiency

47
Q

pale with cracks tongue

A

blood deficiency

48
Q

pale, swollen with cracks tongue

A

spleen deficiency

49
Q

red, short horizontal cracks tongue

A

yin deficiency

50
Q

pale, peeled shiny tongue

A

exhaustion of stomach qi

51
Q

red peeled and shiny tongue

A

stomach yin deficiency

52
Q

horizontal crack tongue

A

yin deficiency (commonly seen on red tongues with no coat)

53
Q

irregular cracks tongue

A

stomach yin def

54
Q

transverse cracks on sides (central third middle jiao)

A

spleen qi or yin def

55
Q

vertical crack down the center: shallow, midline, central third of the tongue (middle jiao)

A

stomach def

56
Q

vertical crack down the center: long vertical crack reaching to the tip of the tongue or just short of the tip

A

heart issue

57
Q

vertical crack down the center: deep central crack with small cracks branching out

A

kidney yin def

58
Q

deviated tongue

A

internal or external wind

59
Q

deviated tongue due to internal wind (stoke)

A

liver yang excess or liver blood deficiency. The patient will also have tremors, spasms, dizziness, numbness and deviation of the tongue

Severe Heart Qi or HT Blood may also cause deviation of the tongue. There will not be enough blood and qi reaching the tongue making the muscles of the tongue to become weak and causing the deviation.

60
Q

deviated tongue due to external wind

A

can invade the channels of the face causing facial paralysis and sometimes deviation of the tongue when its extended

61
Q

periodic numbness of the tongue

A

heart blood deficiency

62
Q

numbness of the tongue with dizziness and blurred vision

A

liver wind

63
Q

loose tongue

A

hangs out when extended and is difficult to retract, may drip with saliva

64
Q

loose, stiff, dry

A

excess heat in the liver or heart

65
Q

loose, dark red and swollen

A

phlegm fire disturbing the heart

66
Q

loose and numb

A

heart qi deficiency

67
Q

quivering tongue

A

indicates deficiency of qi blood or yin, yang def or interior wind (more often then not its due to Qi def)

68
Q

quivering and pale or pale red tongue

A

qi and/or blood def

69
Q

quivering red and dry tongue

A

extreme heat giving rise to internal wind

70
Q

tooth marked (scalloped) tongue normal or pale color

A

spleen qi def

71
Q

swollen, painful, red ulcers with red rims

A

heart fire

72
Q

if the rims are white

A

heart heat with kidney yin def

73
Q

Tongue coating

A

thickness, consistency and color of the coating provide a fairly accurate indication of the state of the stomach and spleen. the kidneys also play a role in the formation of the tongue coating due to their function of dealing with body fluids. The kidneys evaporate fluids and send them up where they eventually reach the tongue and contribute to the coating

74
Q

normal tongue coating

A

thin, white and slightly moist

75
Q

a thick tongue coating

A

indicates improper stomach function or excessive turbidity in the stomach

76
Q

thin or absent tongue coating

A

the stomachs digestive function is severely impaired

77
Q

the stomach doesn’t like dryness

A

when it becomes dry the body fluids of the whole body are affected. This will show in the tongue coating as dry coat or no coating

If the stomach (and spleen) don’t digest food and fluids properly they may accumulate resulting in a wetter tongue coating.

78
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis

A

the practitioner needs to observe the distribution of the coating in different areas of the tongue corresponding to the different organs. The tongue coating can provide information about the strength and depth of carious pathogens and can help differentiate between the 8 principle identification patterns

79
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Interior

A

reflected in the center portion of the tongue

80
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Exterior

A

reflected in either the front third or the edges of the tongue

81
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Deficiency

A

no coating, less coating or coating without a root

82
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Excess

A

thicker coating

83
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Heat

A

coating will be yellow

84
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: White

A

coating will be white

85
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Yin

A

no coating (peeled)

86
Q

Tongue Coating and 8 Principle Diagnosis: Yang

A

the color of the actual tongue (tongue proper) is more important in diagnosing a yang deficiency

87
Q

Tongue Coating with root

A

a normal tongue coating has root
- this means it is closely attached to the tongue and appears to grow out of the tongue like grass growing from the soil. The coating is hard and firmly adheres to the tognue

88
Q

Tongue coating without root

A

looks patchy
- it appears to be resting on the surface of the tongue rather than growing out of it. it can be easily wiped or scraped off. A tongue loses root when the stomach, spleen and kidney are not functioning properly. The coating of the tongue is no longer being replenished so the old coating loses its root and remains sitting on top of the tongue. Eventually it will come entirely and the tongues surface will be peeled (no coat) This is a sign that the condition is getting worse. A tongue coating without root usually indicates a def of stomach qi, stomach yin or kidney yin

89
Q

No tongue coating

A

yin def

90
Q

thick coating

A

excess condition

the thicker the coating the stronger the pathogenic factor

91
Q

thin coating

A

can be normal, early stage of a pathogenic invasion, or deficiency condition

92
Q

normal tongue coating

A

is slightly moist indicating a good supply and movement of fluids

93
Q

dry and yellow coat

A

excess heat

94
Q

dry thin and yellow coat

A

wind heat

95
Q

dry and peeled

A

yin def

96
Q

dry no root

A

stomach yin def

97
Q

Yang def can also cause a dry tongue coating

A

yang def may lead to dampness which will obstruct the flow of qi. This prevents the fluids from being sent upwards to the tongue resulting in dryness. The patient will have a dry mouth but will have no thirst or will desire warm drinks

98
Q

wet and white coating

A

yang def with retention of dampness

99
Q

white and thin coating

A

exterior wind cold

100
Q

excessively wet

A

extreme yang def with dampness and possibly phlegm

101
Q

moldy coating

A

thick and patchy (looks like cottage cheese)

102
Q

heat affects dirty (turbid) fluids of the stomach causing them to rise in the tongue

A

..

103
Q

moldy, yellow, and rootless coating

A

stomach yin def

104
Q

greasy coating

A

sticky thick fluid, thicker in the center-indicates that the qi can’t transform fluids properly leading to an accumulation of dampness or phlegm

105
Q

Tongue Coating Colors

A

is an important way to differentiate hot from cold patterns. It can also be used to indicate the transformation of an exterior disease to the interior

106
Q

white thin and slightly moist coating

A

normal tongue coating color

107
Q

In general white coating can have three primary clinical meanings:
Cold
Exterior Pathogenic Invasion
Lung and/or Large Intestine Disease

A

Cold- excess cold or yang def
Exterior Pathogenic Invasion- early stage and the pathogen has not yet invaded the interior
LU and/or LI disease- other signs and symptoms must be known

108
Q

Yellow Coating:

A
  • Heat- excess heat or yin def
  • Interior- disease has moved from exterior to interior (in some exterior pathogenic invasions, wind heat, summer heat and dryness the coat may be yellow even if the pathogen is still on the exterior)
  • Stomach and/or spleen disease
109
Q

Gray Coating

A

interior condition that can be hot or cold (develops from a yellow or white coat over a long period of time)
Gray and dry: heat
Gray and wet: cold

110
Q

Black Coating

A

interior condition that can be hot or cold (develops from yellow or gray over a long period of time)
black and dry: heat
black and wet: cold

Diagnostics (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions