Tongue Diagnosis TCM Flashcards
A pale tongue indicates…
deficiency type (cold syndrome caused by yang def or qi and blood def)
A red pale tongue indicates…
heat syndrome (interior excess or def)
A deep red tongue indicates…
extreme heat (external factors: invasion of the ying and blood levels by pathogenic heat or internal factors: yin def leading to fire)
A purple tongue indicates…
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
A swollen tongue that is delicate in quality, pale in color with teethmarks indicates…
spleen or kidney yang def, producing harmful water
A swollen tongue that is deep red in color, occupying the entire space of the mouth indicates…
excessive heat in heart or spleen
A blue purple, dark swollen tongue indicates…
toxicosis
A thin and pale tongue indicates…
qi and blood def
A thin and deep red and dry tongue indicates…
fire due to yin def
A deep red and cracked tongue indicates…
excess heat
A pale and cracked tongue indicates…
blood def
A normal and cracked tongue indicates…
This can be normal as long as the cracks are not deep and appear to remain there all the time
A red and thorny tongue indicates…
internal accumulation of pathogenic heat.
The more severe the pathogenic heat, the more enlarged and profuse the thorns will be.
A deviated tongue indicates…
Wind stroke, or early signs of possible wind stroke
A rigid tongue indicates…
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
A flaccid tongue indicates…
extreme qi and blood def or consumption of yin fluids
A pale flaccid tongue indicates…
qi and blood def
A deep red flaccid tongue indicates…
yin collapse
A thick tongue coat indicates…
deeper progression, retention of damp/food
A thin tongue coat indicates…
superficial problem, def of antipathogenic qi (zheng qi)
A dry tongue coat indicates…
consumption of body fluids, excess heat or yin def heat
A excessively moist tongue coat with saliva dribbles indicates…
harmful water and damp
A sticky/greasy tongue coat indicates…
retention of damp, phlegm or food
A granular, coarse, pasty tongue coat indicates…
excessive yang heat bringing turbid qi upward, also retention of food or phlegm
A partially peeled/geographic tongue coat indicates…
consumption of stomach qi and yin
An entirely peeled (mirror like) tongue coat indicates…
exhaustion of stomach yin, severed damage of stomach qi
A thick white tongue coat indicates…
interior cold
A thin white tongue coat indicates…
exterior cold or normal
A yellow tongue coat indicates…
heat. The deeper yellow, the more severe the heat
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.
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
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
The tongue shape is indicative of…
Yin organs, qi and blood
8 principals: def/excess
The tongue coat color is indicative of…
Heat/cold condition
8 principals: cold/heat
The tongue coat moisture is indicative of…
the condition of body fluids
8 principals: cold/heat, yin/yang
The tongue coat thickness is indicative of…
strength of pathogenic factors or weakness of body’s qi
8 principals: def/excess
The tongue coat distribution is indicative of…
location and progression of pathogenic factor
8 principals: interior/exterior
The tongue coat root is indicative of…
strength of body’s qi, especially stomach and kidney qi
8 principal: def/excess
The affect of antibiotics on tongue diagnosis is…
makes the stomach peeled in patches (injures the stomach yin)
The affect of corticosteroids (prednisone) on tongue diagnosis is…
red and swollen (after about one month of administration)
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
The affect of diuretics on tongue diagnosis is…
peeled tongue (reflecting yin def)
The affect of anti-inflammatory drugs on tongue diagnosis is…
red points, make the tongue body thinner, peeled (after prolonged use)
The affect of anti-neoplastic/chemotherapy drugs on tongue diagnosis is…
very thick brown or even black and dry coating
A pale, slightly dry tongue indicates…
blood def
A pale and wet tongue indicates…
yang def in adults
A pale and bright/shiny tongue indicates…
qi and blood def, especially of the spleen/stomach
A red tongue body with a coating indicates…
heat in the nutritive or blood levels
A red tongue body without a coating indicates…
yin def with heat
A red tongue body that is wet indicates…
heat with damp retention
A red and dry tongue body indicates…
deficient heat and body fluid exaustion
The tongue moisture comes from the…
stomach
The tongue blood comes from the…
heart
A red and shiny tongue body indicates…
stomach/kidney yin def
A red tongue body with red points or spots indicate…
heat with blood stasis
A red tongue body with prickles indicates…
heat in the ying/nutritive level or upper jao or lower jao
A red tongue with purple spots in the center indicate…
blood stasis and heat in stomach
A red tongue body that is peeled indicates…
heat from stomach/kidney yin def
A red tongue body that is purple indicates…
heat and blood stasis
A red tongue body that is purple and distended indicates…
extreme heat with blood stasis, toxin from alcohol injuring the heart
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
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
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
A blue tongue body indicates…
severe internal cold with blood stasis
A blue tongue body without coating indicates…
severe internal cold with stasis and exhaustion of blood
A blue color on the tongue body at the middle surface indicates…
spleen yang def with phlegm retention in the chet
A blue tongue during pregnancy indicates…
danger of imminent miscarriage
A blue tongue with distended veins on the underside of tongue indicates…
deficiency, qi stagnation or blood stasis (if it’s dark)
A thin tongue that is shrunken and red indicates…
yin def
A thin tongue that is shrunken and pale indicates…
blood def
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
If the edges of the tongue are swollen (to the point that the tip becomes flattened), this indicates…
spleen qi/yang def
If the sides of the tongue are swollen this indicates…
ascendant liver yang or liver fire
If the tip of the tongue is swollen this indicates…
heart fire blazing (with a red color) or heart qi deficiency (normal color)
If there is swelling between the tip and center of the tongue, this indicates…
lung qi def with phlegm retention
If there is swelling along a central crack, this indicates…
heart fire (red color) or heart qi def (normal color)
If there is swelling in half the tongue, this indicates…
weakness in the channels
If there is localized swelling on one side this indicates…
def or qi stagnation in the chest
If half of the tongue’s surface is swollen this indicate…
lung qi def
If the tongue is hammer shaped this indicates…
stomach, spleen and/or kidney def
A stiff tongue is indicative of…
blazing heart fire
A dark red and stiff tongue is indicative of…
exterior heat invading the pericardium
A red and stiff tongue is indicative of…
heat injuring the body fluids
A stiff tongue that is normal in color is indicative of…
internal wind
A flaccid tongue with a pale body is indicative of…
exhausted qi and blood
A flaccid and red colored tongue body with
extreme heat injuring body fluids
A flaccid, limp and deep red tongue is indicative of…
kidney yin def with heat
A long tongue indicates…
blazing heart fire or heart phlegm fire
A short tongue with a pale body indicates…
spleen yang def, internal cold
A short tongue with a red body indicates…
heat stirring liver wind
A short tongue with a red body and coating indicates…
body fluids insufficiency due to excess heat
A short tongue with a red body without a coating indicates…
deficiency heat
A short tongue with a pale body and slipper coat indicates…
spleen yang def with damp and phlegm
Horizontal cracks on the tongue indicate…
yin def
Cracks that appear like ice floes indicate…
yin def from old age
Irregular cracks on the tongue indicate…
stomach yin def
Transverse cracks along the side of the tongue indicate…
spleen qi/yin def
Vertical cracks in the center of the tongue indicate…
spleen qi def
Long vertical cracks that reach the tip of the tongue indicate…
heart, emotional disorders
Transverse cracks behind the tongue tip indicate…
prior lung disease or present lung yin def
A deep central crack with small branching cracks indicate…
kidney yin def with heat
A loose tongue with a red body indicates…
interior excess heat
A loose tongue with a red body and slippery coating indicates…
phlegm-fire clouding heart
A loose tongue with a pale body indicates…
heart qi deficiency
A deviated tongue with normal color indicates…
exterior wind invading the channels
A deviated tongue with a red color indicates…
interior liver wind
A deviated tongue with a pale body indicates…
heart qi deficiency
A numb tongue with a pale body indicates…
heart blood deficiency
A numb tongue with a red color indicates…
liver wind
A numb tongue with a slipper coat indicates…
wind phlegm
A moving tongue with a red body indicates…
heart fire and internal wind
A moving tongue with a dry red body indicates…
spleen heat with body fluid exhaustion
A quivering tongue with a pale body indicates…
spleen qi deficiency
A quivering tongue with a red body indicates…
extreme heat generating internal wind
A quivering tongue with a pale body indicates
heart and spleen collapse
A quivering tongue with a pale and thin body indicates…
yang collapse
A tongue where the tip is rolled up indicates…
excess heat
A tongue where the tip is rolled under indicate…
deficiency heat
An ulcerated tongue with a red body indicates…
heart fire blazing, spleen and kidney heat
An ulcerated tongue with a red body and peeled coat indicates…
heart heat from kidney yin deficiency
A tooth marked tongue indicates…
spleen qi deficiency
A sore covered tongue with a red body indicates…
heat toxin in heart
A sore covered tongue with a red body and peeled coat indicates…
deficiency heat
