Anybody who utilizes East Asian Medicine is probably familiar with the concept of tongue diagnosis. It’s something that has been utilized for centuries to determine the inner workings of your body. Our tongues aren’t just used to taste our food. They are an important gauge of overall health. There are many warning signs your tongue may be sending regarding your health, so let’s explore this more deeply.
The tongue connects to many parts of the body and is closely related to the heart in East Asian Medicine (EAM). The tongue is known as the sprout of the heart. The tongue has five element zones that correspond to various organs of the body. This means that its appearance changes in relation to physiological changes in the body. The five meridians / channels or zones that connect with the tongue are:
1. The spleen / stomach channel – spreads over the tongue’s middle area, it is the internal zone of the primary channel relating to digestive strength.
2. The heart channel – any imbalances in this channel would show at the tip of the tongue.
3. The kidney / bladder channel – located at the base of the tongue.
4. The liver / gallbladder channel – this zone is located at the sides of the tongue.
5. The lung channel – showing up just behind the tip of the tongue.
When an EAM practitioner examines your tongue, they are looking for specific characteristics that give clues about the state of your body. The key features we focus on include tongue color, tongue coating, tongue shape, tongue size and tongue moisture levels. The tongue has muscles, arteries, veins, capillaries, salivary glands, mucus and lymphatic vessels, all of which make it a very sensitive organ. The coating makes up for the uppermost layer of the tongue. A normal human tongue should be bubblegum pink, a bit wet and covered with a thin white layer. When this is not the case, it indicates an imbalance somewhere.
The color of your tongue can tell us a lot about your internal environment. The color is an indicator of blood condition and constitution.
- Pale Tongue: Often indicates a deficiency in qi or blood. It can suggest fatigue, poor digestion or low energy.
- Red Tongue: This can indicate heat or inflammation in the body. It might be linked to conditions like infections, fever or excess heat in the heart or liver. Redness on the tip can indicate a cold (lungs) or anxiety (heart). If it is red in the middle, we think of heat in the digestive system.
- Purple Tongue: This usually points to stagnation of blood or qi due to emotional stress or physical blockages. Purple tends to indicate there is some kind of pain or cold lurking somewhere in the body.
The shape and size of the tongue can help diagnose conditions related to qi and blood,
and even emotional well-being.
- Swollen Tongue: A tongue that’s swollen or puffy can indicate a deficiency of qi, particularly in the spleen, or the presence of dampness or fluid retention in the body.
- Thin Tongue: A thin tongue may suggest a deficiency of blood or yin.
- Cracks or Teeth Marks: Cracks in the tongue can be indicative of a deficiency of yin fluids (hydration). Teeth marks around the edges often indicate the body is not metabolizing fluids very well, usually showing a weakness in the digestive system, particularly the spleen qi.
- Congestion on the Sides: A tongue that has tension on the sides or ends up with a pointed shape is a strong indicator of stress or liver qi stagnation.
The coating on the surface of the tongue gives us a closer look at your digestive health. A
healthy tongue coating is thin and white.
- Thick or Yellow Coating: Thickness indicates dampness, usually coming from the digestion. Over time, dampness can create heat, leading to a yellow thick coating. Those with acid reflux, gas or gastrointestinal problems will often see a thick yellow coating in the center of the tongue.
- Thin or No Coating: This may indicate a deficiency of qi or fluids. If your tongue is red and lacks a coating, it may suggest a yin deficiency or dehydration. As people age they can deplete their yin and it is common to see tongues with very little coatings in the elderly.
The level of moisture on your tongue reflects your body’s fluid balance and gives insights into your overall metabolism.
- Dry Tongue: A dry tongue can indicate dehydration or a deficiency in body fluids.
- Excessively Wet Tongue: If your tongue is overly moist, it could be a sign of excessive fluid retention, dampness or even a condition where the body’s fluids are stagnating, often linked to the spleen or kidney function.
- Cracks and Fissures: Cracks or fissures on the tongue may reveal deeper imbalances. For example, a crack in the middle of the tongue can be a sign of digestive weakness, especially in the stomach or spleen. But cracks at the tip could indicate heart-related issues.
The tongue can show various combinations of color, shape and coating. For example, a tongue may be pale in color with a thick white coat in the middle. Based on the location of this white coating, the tongue map shows that the problem is related to the stomach. It is likely that the patient suffers from cold dampness or yang deficiency in their digestive system, which can be caused by eating too many cold foods, a primarily raw diet or poor overall circulation.
Your tongue changes with diet, stress, sleep and illness. Pay attention to patterns, such as a thicker coating after rich meals or a redder tongue during times of stress. This allows you to better understand how your body responds. It is fascinating to decode the messages our bodies give us and taking time to look at your tongue can give you deeper insight into your health on a day-by-day basis. And while tongue diagnosis offers valuable insights into your health, it’s just one part of a larger picture. To find out more, consider scheduling an appointment and start your journey back to improved health.