Tongue diagnosis chinese medicine
2 min readA TCM practitioner can garner quite a bit of information about you simply by taking a look at your tongue.The tongue has many relationships to the meridians and the internal organs.The shape，color，and coating of the tongue are strong visual indicators of your condition.
Shape of Tongue
The shape of the tongue tends to address the status of fluids in the body. For example,a very large, puffy, or scalloped tonguesuggests that fluids are not being properly metabolized in the Spleen stomach body. In contrast,a very small, short tongue may indicate dryness,a deficiency of fluids, or deficiency in general.
Color of Tongue
Tongue color varies widely from person to person, but is a good indicator of what is going on in the body.A red tongue indicates that there is Heat present in the body, and the redder the tongue, the greater amount of Heat present.A tongue that is pale indicates a deficiency of Qi and Blood or the presence of Cold.A purple tongue tells that there is stagnation somewhere in the body.
Tongue color may also vary on different parts of the tongue. For example,a tongue that is red at the very tip indicates Heat in the Heart, as the tip of the tongue correlates with the Heart.
The area behind the tip corresponds to the Lung; the sides of the tongue are associated with theLiver/Gallbladder; the center of the tongue with the Spleen/Stomach or digestion; the back of the tongue is associated with the conditions of the Kidney, Bladder, Small Intestine and Large Intestine.
Tongue Coating
A coating on the tongue can also give information about your health. The thickness of a coating is an indicator of the severity of the condition being treated.A thin coating indicates that any pathogen present is mild or on the exterior.A thick coating that obscures the tongue tells that the condition is deeper and more serious.
The condition of the coating also manifests the condition of fluids in the body.A moist or wet coating indicates poor fluid metabolism, and a dry coating indicates depleted fluids.A coating that is peeled off, either completely or partially, indicates some kind of Heat or damage to the Stomach, possibly a depletion of Stomach Yin, or damage to Stomach Qi.
Tongue coatings also vary in color. In general,a thin white coating is normal, but can also appear in diseases associated with Cold conditions.A yellow or brown coat indicates Heat, and a gray or black coat indicates an extreme condition.
Tongue diagnosis can be a subtle art. To try it yourself, observe the variations of your tongue and compare it with that of friends or family members. After you have looked at a few tongues, you will see that they differ widely. With a little study, you can tell something about the health of a person.
