Tongue Diagnosis TCM Flashcards
1
Q
A pale tongue indicates…
A
deficiency type (cold syndrome caused by yang def or qi and blood def)
2
Q
A red pale tongue indicates…
A
heat syndrome (interior excess or def)
3
Q
A deep red tongue indicates…
A
extreme heat (external factors: invasion of the ying and blood levels by pathogenic heat or internal factors: yin def leading to fire)
4
Q
A purple tongue indicates…
A
Blue purple: blood stasis due to cold/heat
Deep blue purple, dry and lusterless: blood stasis from heat
Pale purple, moist: blood stasis due to cold
Purple spots on tongue surface: blood stasis
5
Q
A swollen tongue that is delicate in quality, pale in color with teethmarks indicates…
A
spleen or kidney yang def, producing harmful water
6
Q
A swollen tongue that is deep red in color, occupying the entire space of the mouth indicates…
A
excessive heat in heart or spleen
7
Q
A blue purple, dark swollen tongue indicates…
A
toxicosis
8
Q
A thin and pale tongue indicates…
A
qi and blood def
9
Q
A thin and deep red and dry tongue indicates…
A
fire due to yin def
10
Q
A deep red and cracked tongue indicates…
A
excess heat
11
Q
A pale and cracked tongue indicates…
A
blood def
12
Q
A normal and cracked tongue indicates…
A
This can be normal as long as the cracks are not deep and appear to remain there all the time
13
Q
A red and thorny tongue indicates…
A
internal accumulation of pathogenic heat.
The more severe the pathogenic heat, the more enlarged and profuse the thorns will be.
14
Q
A deviated tongue indicates…
A
Wind stroke, or early signs of possible wind stroke
15
Q
A rigid tongue indicates…
A
external factors: invasion of the pericardium by heat
retention of turbid phlegm in the interior
excessive pathogenic heat consuming body fluids
internal factors: wind stroke or early signs of wind stroke
16
Q
A flaccid tongue indicates…
A
extreme qi and blood def or consumption of yin fluids
17
Q
A pale flaccid tongue indicates…
A
qi and blood def
18
Q
A deep red flaccid tongue indicates…
A
yin collapse
19
Q
A thick tongue coat indicates…
A
deeper progression, retention of damp/food
20
Q
A thin tongue coat indicates…
A
superficial problem, def of antipathogenic qi (zheng qi)
21
Q
A dry tongue coat indicates…
A
consumption of body fluids, excess heat or yin def heat
22
Q
A excessively moist tongue coat with saliva dribbles indicates…
A
harmful water and damp
23
Q
A sticky/greasy tongue coat indicates…
A
retention of damp, phlegm or food
24
Q
A granular, coarse, pasty tongue coat indicates…
A
excessive yang heat bringing turbid qi upward, also retention of food or phlegm
25
A partially peeled/geographic tongue coat indicates...
consumption of stomach qi and yin
26
An entirely peeled (mirror like) tongue coat indicates...
exhaustion of stomach yin, severed damage of stomach qi
27
A thick white tongue coat indicates...
interior cold
28
A thin white tongue coat indicates...
exterior cold or normal
29
A yellow tongue coat indicates...
heat. The deeper yellow, the more severe the heat
30
A grey tongue coat indicates...
interior heat, cold or damp.
Yellowish and dry is interior excess heat
Whitish and moist is retention of cold or damp
This can eventually develop into black.
31
A black tongue coat indicates...
Extreme interior condition, either extreme heat or cold.
Usually a progression of yellow/grey.
Yellowish, dry w/ thorns: extreme heat
Pale and slippery: excessive cold due to yang def
32
The tongue body color is indicative of...
The condition of the yin organs, bloods and yin qi stagnation of qi and blood
8 principals: cold/heat, yin/yang
33
The tongue shape is indicative of...
Yin organs, qi and blood
| 8 principals: def/excess
34
The tongue coat color is indicative of...
Heat/cold condition
| 8 principals: cold/heat
35
The tongue coat moisture is indicative of...
the condition of body fluids
| 8 principals: cold/heat, yin/yang
36
The tongue coat thickness is indicative of...
strength of pathogenic factors or weakness of body's qi
| 8 principals: def/excess
37
The tongue coat distribution is indicative of...
location and progression of pathogenic factor
| 8 principals: interior/exterior
38
The tongue coat root is indicative of...
strength of body's qi, especially stomach and kidney qi
| 8 principal: def/excess
39
The affect of antibiotics on tongue diagnosis is...
makes the stomach peeled in patches (injures the stomach yin)
40
The affect of corticosteroids (prednisone) on tongue diagnosis is...
red and swollen (after about one month of administration)
41
The affect of bronchodilators (alburterol) on tongue diagnosis is...
The tip becomes red (after prolonged/continued use).
| Bronchodilators have an affect on the heart and can cause palpitations/arrhythmias
42
The affect of diuretics on tongue diagnosis is...
peeled tongue (reflecting yin def)
43
The affect of anti-inflammatory drugs on tongue diagnosis is...
red points, make the tongue body thinner, peeled (after prolonged use)
44
The affect of anti-neoplastic/chemotherapy drugs on tongue diagnosis is...
very thick brown or even black and dry coating
45
A pale, slightly dry tongue indicates...
blood def
46
A pale and wet tongue indicates...
yang def in adults
47
A pale and bright/shiny tongue indicates...
qi and blood def, especially of the spleen/stomach
48
A red tongue body with a coating indicates...
heat in the nutritive or blood levels
49
A red tongue body without a coating indicates...
yin def with heat
50
A red tongue body that is wet indicates...
heat with damp retention
51
A red and dry tongue body indicates...
deficient heat and body fluid exaustion
52
The tongue moisture comes from the...
stomach
53
The tongue blood comes from the...
heart
54
A red and shiny tongue body indicates...
stomach/kidney yin def
55
A red tongue body with red points or spots indicate...
heat with blood stasis
56
A red tongue body with prickles indicates...
heat in the ying/nutritive level or upper jao or lower jao
57
A red tongue with purple spots in the center indicate...
blood stasis and heat in stomach
58
A red tongue body that is peeled indicates...
heat from stomach/kidney yin def
59
A red tongue body that is purple indicates...
heat and blood stasis
60
A red tongue body that is purple and distended indicates...
extreme heat with blood stasis, toxin from alcohol injuring the heart
61
A deep red/scarlet tongue indicates...
lung or heart yin def
| If it is dark red with a dry center: stomach fire blazing stomach yin def with heat
62
A reddish purple tongue body indicates...
blood stasis from internal heat.
| If tongue is also distended this indicates extreme heat with blood stasis, toxin from alcohol injuring the heart
63
A bluish purple tongue body indicates...
blood stasis from internal cold
| if it's bluish and moist this indicates blood stasis from internal liver/kidney cold, stiffening of tendons/bones
64
A blue tongue body indicates...
severe internal cold with blood stasis
65
A blue tongue body without coating indicates...
severe internal cold with stasis and exhaustion of blood
66
A blue color on the tongue body at the middle surface indicates...
spleen yang def with phlegm retention in the chet
67
A blue tongue during pregnancy indicates...
danger of imminent miscarriage
68
A blue tongue with distended veins on the underside of tongue indicates...
deficiency, qi stagnation or blood stasis (if it's dark)
69
A thin tongue that is shrunken and red indicates...
yin def
70
A thin tongue that is shrunken and pale indicates...
blood def
71
A tongue where the whole tongue is swollen indicates...
spleen/kidney yang def with damp, spleen stomach damp heat, heart stomach heat, alcohol toxin, toxicity
72
If the edges of the tongue are swollen (to the point that the tip becomes flattened), this indicates...
spleen qi/yang def
73
If the sides of the tongue are swollen this indicates...
ascendant liver yang or liver fire
74
If the tip of the tongue is swollen this indicates...
heart fire blazing (with a red color) or heart qi deficiency (normal color)
75
If there is swelling between the tip and center of the tongue, this indicates...
lung qi def with phlegm retention
76
If there is swelling along a central crack, this indicates...
heart fire (red color) or heart qi def (normal color)
77
If there is swelling in half the tongue, this indicates...
weakness in the channels
78
If there is localized swelling on one side this indicates...
def or qi stagnation in the chest
79
If half of the tongue's surface is swollen this indicate...
lung qi def
80
If the tongue is hammer shaped this indicates...
stomach, spleen and/or kidney def
81
A stiff tongue is indicative of...
blazing heart fire
82
A dark red and stiff tongue is indicative of...
exterior heat invading the pericardium
83
A red and stiff tongue is indicative of...
heat injuring the body fluids
84
A stiff tongue that is normal in color is indicative of...
internal wind
85
A flaccid tongue with a pale body is indicative of...
exhausted qi and blood
86
A flaccid and red colored tongue body with
extreme heat injuring body fluids
87
A flaccid, limp and deep red tongue is indicative of...
kidney yin def with heat
88
A long tongue indicates...
blazing heart fire or heart phlegm fire
89
A short tongue with a pale body indicates...
spleen yang def, internal cold
90
A short tongue with a red body indicates...
heat stirring liver wind
91
A short tongue with a red body and coating indicates...
body fluids insufficiency due to excess heat
92
A short tongue with a red body without a coating indicates...
deficiency heat
93
A short tongue with a pale body and slipper coat indicates...
spleen yang def with damp and phlegm
94
Horizontal cracks on the tongue indicate...
yin def
95
Cracks that appear like ice floes indicate...
yin def from old age
96
Irregular cracks on the tongue indicate...
stomach yin def
97
Transverse cracks along the side of the tongue indicate...
spleen qi/yin def
98
Vertical cracks in the center of the tongue indicate...
spleen qi def
99
Long vertical cracks that reach the tip of the tongue indicate...
heart, emotional disorders
100
Transverse cracks behind the tongue tip indicate...
prior lung disease or present lung yin def
101
A deep central crack with small branching cracks indicate...
kidney yin def with heat
102
A loose tongue with a red body indicates...
interior excess heat
103
A loose tongue with a red body and slippery coating indicates...
phlegm-fire clouding heart
104
A loose tongue with a pale body indicates...
heart qi deficiency
105
A deviated tongue with normal color indicates...
exterior wind invading the channels
106
A deviated tongue with a red color indicates...
interior liver wind
107
A deviated tongue with a pale body indicates...
heart qi deficiency
108
A numb tongue with a pale body indicates...
heart blood deficiency
109
A numb tongue with a red color indicates...
liver wind
110
A numb tongue with a slipper coat indicates...
wind phlegm
111
A moving tongue with a red body indicates...
heart fire and internal wind
112
A moving tongue with a dry red body indicates...
spleen heat with body fluid exhaustion
113
A quivering tongue with a pale body indicates...
spleen qi deficiency
114
A quivering tongue with a red body indicates...
extreme heat generating internal wind
115
A quivering tongue with a pale body indicates
heart and spleen collapse
116
A quivering tongue with a pale and thin body indicates...
yang collapse
117
A tongue where the tip is rolled up indicates...
excess heat
118
A tongue where the tip is rolled under indicate...
deficiency heat
119
An ulcerated tongue with a red body indicates...
heart fire blazing, spleen and kidney heat
120
An ulcerated tongue with a red body and peeled coat indicates...
heart heat from kidney yin deficiency
121
A tooth marked tongue indicates...
spleen qi deficiency
122
A sore covered tongue with a red body indicates...
heat toxin in heart
123
A sore covered tongue with a red body and peeled coat indicates...
deficiency heat
