wk4 - tongue body color & moisture Flashcards
what are some abnormal tongue body colors?
- pale
- purple
- bluish
- crimson / scarlet
- greyish
- orange
what pathology is associated with a pale tongue body?
generally deficiency:
- blood xu
- qi xu (or severe qi xu)
- yang xu (or severe yang xu)
what does a blood deficiency tongue look like?
blood deficiency = pale, thin & dry
what does a qi or yang deficiency tongue look like?
qi or yang deficiency = pale, thin & normal moisture (if pure vacuity)
severe qi or severe yang deficiency = pale, thick, wet & swollen (if fluid transformation issue is more serious)
how can you tell if a pure qi or yang vacuity turns into a more serious fluid transformation issue?
instead of being pale, thin, and normal moisture, tongue becomes pale, THICK, SWOLLEN & WET because fluids are not being transformed
T or F: unless otherwise indicated, when we say “qi deficiency” we mean “SP qi deficiency”.
true
T or F: unless otherwise indicated, when we say “yang deficiency” we mean “KD yang deficiency”.
true
what is the difference between a dry red tongue and a wet red tongue?
dry red = heat
wet red = damp heat
what pathology is associated with a crimson / scarlet tongue body?
heat – could be excess or vacuity heat (color alone won’t tell us)
what does a bright red tip or red dots at tip indicate?
localized heat
how do we determine where heat is located?
by looking at location of redness
what do red dots in lower jiao area indicate?
probably a LI, UB or SI problem (if KD vacuity is giving rise to heat, probably won’t see only red dots in lower jiao)
what do red dots dispersed throughout tongue indicate?
systemic heat
what pathology is associated with a purple tongue body?
stasis, particularly blood stasis
what pathology is associated with a blue tongue body?
cold – could be excess or vacuity cold (color alone won’t tell us)
