Have you ever wondered why we are looking so closely at your tongue during your appointment with us?
In Chinese Medicine, we use the tongue to help guide us to your diagnosis. We look at the shape, the colour, the texture, the motility, and the coating. This is why it is so important you don’t clean your tongue right before seeing us; you might be erasing some diagnostic evidence!
If you are completely healthy your tongue will be light red in colour, it will have a thin, moist, and clear coating, it will be soft and flexible with a uniform shape and smooth sides. Anything less may indicate something is off in the body. Here are some examples we look out for and what they tell us about your condition:
| Tongue Quality | Indication | Common Accompanying Symptoms |
| Swollen tongue shape | Phlegm-damp | – Expectorating cough
– Arthritis – Foggy in the morning – Heavy feeling in the limbs – Pus |
| Scalloped tongue shape | Spleen qi deficiency and Dampness | – Bloating
– Fatigue – Foggy in the morning – Heavy feeling in the limbs – Excessive mucous – Loss of appetite – nausea |
| Thin tongue shape | Qi and blood deficiency or deficient type heat | – Fatigue
– Catches colds easily – Palpitations – Hair loss – Poor memory and/or concentration |
| Pale tongue body | Yang and/or blood deficiency | – Easily cold/gets chills
– Irregular menstruation – Cold hands and feet |
| Purple tongue body | Blood stagnation | – Body aches
– Dysmenorrhoea (period pain) – Varicose veins – Irregular menstruation – Heart palpitations |
| Redder tongue body | Heat (can be excess or deficient type) | – Cough (often dry)
– Hot flushes – Constipation – Increased thirst |
| Crimson tongue Body | Chronic conditions with extreme heat or ‘fire’ | – Extreme thirst
– Fever – Aversion to heat |
| Large midline crack | Stomach heat | – Constipation
– Diarrhoea – Bleeding gums – Nausea |
| Strawberry dots | Heat | – Cough (often dry)
– Hot flushes – Constipation – Increased thirst – Yellow mucous |
| Trembling tongue | Wind | – Common cold
– Green mucous – Seizures (extreme cases of internal wind) – Stroke (extreme cases of internal wind) |
| Stiff tongue | Pericardium heat | – Mental confusion
– Cold hands and feet but hot feeling in body – Fever |
| Limp tongue | Qi and blood deficiency | – Fatigue
– Catches colds easily – Palpitations – Cold hands and feet – Hair loss – Poor memory and/or concentration |
| Yellow tongue coating | Heat | – Cough (often dry)
– Hot flushes – Constipation – Increased thirst – Yellow mucous |
| White tongue coating | Cold | – Cough
– Chills – White mucous |
| Black tongue coating | Extremely deficient yin (dry) or yang (moist) | – Insomnia
– Extreme thirst – Chills – Fatigue – Lethargy |
| Thick tongue coating | Pathogen is deep in the body | – Chronic illness |
| Thin tongue coating | Syndrome is mild or pathogen is still in the superficial stage | – Acute illness |
| Scanty tongue coat/dry | Yin deficiency | – Thirsty
– Dry cough – Dry stools – Dry skin – Insomnia |
| Greasy tongue coating | Damp accumulation | – Expectorating cough
– Foggy in the morning – Heavy feeling in the limbs – Pus – Bloating |
Please remember that sometimes in Chinese Medicine the terminology we use can sound scarier when put through a Western medicine lens. For example, what I call blood stagnation may sound like I mean you have a clot but in reality, we use this term to describe someone who’s circulation could be improved or who is experiencing pain caused by injury.
Just because your tongue has one of the qualities above does not necessarily mean you will get all or even any of the symptoms listed. This table is designed to increase your knowledge, not to alarm you so please, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to us! We are always happy to answer your questions, try my email: eve@rebalancetcm.com or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Rebalancetcm
You can always reach us on 0412 789 772 – Give us a call to find out how we can assist you with your health journey.
Bibliography:
Dog Tongue Photo by Tamas Pap on Unsplash
