Term
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Definition
| Pink or light red in color |
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Term
| Bluish Purple or Reddish Purple Tongue Body |
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Definition
Purple can indicate both Heat and Cold conditions.
A reddish purple tongue indicates Heat and Blood Stagnation.
A dark reddish purple tongue that is dry usually indicates depleted fluids due to Excess Heat
A light purple, bluish purple, or greenish purple tongue body color can indicate Cold and Blood Stagnation. |
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Term
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Definition
A red tongue body is darker than the normal red, which is pinkish in color. It indicates either Deficient or Excess Heat.
A red tongue body with a thick yellow coat or swollen buds indicates Excess Heat
A red tongue body with a bright shiny coat, little coat, or no coating indicates Deficient Heat. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A scarlet tongue that is also peeled or shiny indicates Yin Deficiency, usually of the Heart and/or Lung depending on the area of swelling. |
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Term
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Definition
The red is darker and more crimson in color. This tongue body can indicate internal injury such as trauma (De Da), invasion of external evil in the Ying (Nutritive) and Xue (blood) levels, or it can indicate Blood Stagnation.
If there are red spots with a thin coat, this usually indicates damage to the Ying or Xue level.
If the tongue body also has cracks and there is little or no tongue coat, this usually indicates Deficient Heat due to internal injury. |
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Term
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Definition
Indicates the quality of Blood, reflecting Blood and/or Qi Deficiency or Cold.
If the tongue body is also moist, tender, and swollen, this can indicate Yang Cold.
A pale thin tongue body usually indicates Qi and Blood Deficiency. |
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Term
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Definition
A green tongue body usually indicates Excess Yin Cold or the presence of a strong Excess evil with weak Zheng Qi. The Yang is not properly moving Blood and Fluids and there is Stagnation in the body.
Internal Wind may also present with a green tongue body. |
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Term
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Definition
A stiff or rigid tongue is difficult to move (protrude, retract, side to side). This may cause speech abnormalities such as slurring or mumbled speech. A stiff tongue is an indication of Excess, and often one of Internal Wind.
If a stiff tongue is accompanied by a bluish purple tongue body, this usually indicates potential or impending Wind-Stroke.
If a stiff tongue is accompanied by a bright red tongue body, this usually indicates heat in the Heart and Pericardium disturbing the Shen (Spirit).
If a stiff tongue is accompanied by a thick sticky tongue coating, this usually indicates "Phlegm Misting the Heart". |
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Term
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Definition
The flaccid tongue is the opposite of the stiff tongue. It is weak and lacks strength. It usually indicates Deficiency. When heat has consumed and damaged body fluids, they can not rise to nourish the tongue. This can indicate Yin Deficiency, Qi Deficiency and/or Blood Deficiency.
A flaccid tongue that is also pale usually indicates Qi and Blood Deficiency.
A flaccid tongue that is also dark red, dry, and has cracks usually indicates extreme heat injuring fluids.
A flaccid tongue body with a scarlet tongue body usually indicates Exhaustion of Yin. |
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Term
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Definition
This is a very large tongue body and can indicate both Excess and Deficiency.
A swollen tongue that is also pale can indicate Qi Deficiency
A swollen tongue that is also bright red and painful can indicate Heart and Spleen Heat. This could also be due to excess alcohol consumption. |
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Term
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Definition
An enlarged tongue can indicate Phlegm, Damp, or Water Stagnation.
An enlarged tongue with a pale body and a moist coat may indicate Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency
An enlarged tongue with a red body and a greasy yellow coat may indicate Spleen and Stomach Damp-Heat. |
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Term
| Half the Tongue Is Swollen |
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Definition
| A half swollen tongue may indicate general weakness of the Channels. |
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Term
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Definition
This is where the front half or third of the tongue is enlarged at the sides.
A hammer shaped tongue usually indicates Spleen, Stomach, and Kidney Deficiency
This tongue is almost always indicative of a serious condition, and may indicate mental illness. |
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Term
| Local Swelling on One Side |
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Definition
Localized swelling of tongue with a normal tongue body color indicates Qi Deficiency
Localized swelling of tongue with a red tongue body color indicates Qi and/or Blood Stagnation |
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Term
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Definition
| A tongue with swelling in Liver and Gallbladder area usually indicates Rising Liver Yang or Liver Fire. |
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Term
| Swollen Between the Tip and the Central Surface |
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Definition
This area corresponds to the Lung area and usually presents with a normal or pale tongue body.
This tongue is usually found in patients with chronic Lung and Spleen Deficiency, which tends toward Damp and Phlegm accumulation. |
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Term
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Definition
This tongue may indicate Spleen Qi or yang Deficiency.
If Spleen Yang is Deficient, the edges will also be wet. |
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Term
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Definition
When the very tip of the tongue is swollen, it usually indicates Heart problems.
If the tongue is also deep red, this may indicate Heart Fire.
If the tongue is normal in color or pale, this may indicate Heart Qi Deficiency. |
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Term
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Definition
When the patient can not show the entire tongue, it usually indicates a more severe disease.
If the tongue is also moist and pale, this indicates stagnation of Cold (bluish/purple) in the meridians or Spleen Yang Deficiency.
If a contracted tongue also has a sticky tongue coating, this may indicate Turbid-Phlegm blocking the channels.
If the tongue is also deep red and dry, excessive heat has consumed Body Fluids and stirred up internal Wind.
A short, swollen, tender, and pale tongue usually indicates Qi and Blood Deficiency.
A short or small frenum may be inherited and is normal. |
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Term
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Definition
There is difficulty in retracting the tongue.
This indicates interior Excess Heat, Heart Fire, or Phlegm-Fire Misting the Heart.
There may be numbness which is associated with |
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Term
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Definition
| Swelling towards the front one-third of the tongue may indicate Phlegm retention in the Lungs. |
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Term
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Definition
This can indicate that Qi and Blood are deficient and not able to properly nourish and moisturize the tongue. The tongue body will also usually be pale in color with Qi and Blood Deficiency.
A thin tongue that is also dark red and dry may indicate Yin Deficient Fire. |
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Term
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Definition
A tender tongue that appears smooth, delicate, and is possibly swollen indicates deficiency.
A rough tongue that appears wrinkled and rough indicates Excess. |
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Term
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Definition
Red spots may indicate Heat Toxins in the Blood or Heat Toxins attacking the Heart.
Red spots can indicate the presence of Damp-Heat in the Xue Level, where the internal organs are accumulating toxins.
Red spots on the Tip (Lung/Heart area) is usually not severe and may present in the beginning stages of illness.
Red spots on the entire tongue may indicate a more severe illness.
Red spots on the sides of the tongue (Liver/Gallbladder area) may also indicate a more severe illness.
Red spots on the back of the tongue (Kidney area) may indicate the advanced stage or chronic nature of an illness. |
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Term
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Definition
| White spots are usually due to Spleen and Stomach Qi Deficiency together with excess heat accumulating in the body. In this case, the tongue may also have sores and pus. |
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Term
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Definition
| Black spots usually indicate Qi and Blood Stagnation or heat in the Blood. |
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Term
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Definition
This is where the tongue tends toward one side of the mouth
This is due to Wind, either from exterior Pathogenic Wind or internal Wind-Damp patterns. |
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Term
| Moving, Lolling, Wagging, Playful Tongue Body |
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Definition
This usually indicates heat in the Heart and Spleen channels stirring up internal Wind.
In children, this may indicate developmental problems. |
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Term
| Teeth Marks on Tongue Body (Scalloped) |
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Definition
If the tongue body has normal color, this usually indicates Spleen Qi Deficiency
If there are teeth marks together with a swollen tongue, this may indicate Spleen Yang and/or Qi Deficiency.
If the tongue is also pale and moist, it is more likely Spleen Yang Deficiency or a Cold-Damp pattern. |
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Term
| Quivering or Trembling Tongue Body |
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Definition
Trembling of the tongue that can not be controlled may be due to external febrile disease or excess heat consuming Yin. The excess heat stirs up Internal Wind. The tongue body will be a deep red color and the pulse will be rapid.
If the tongue body is pale and trembling, this usually indicates a chronic condition of Qi and Blood Deficiency, where the tongue is not being nourished.
Side effects of some western medications (pharmaceuticals) may cause trembling of the tongue. |
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Term
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Definition
| Reveals the state of Yin and Fluids in the body. |
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Term
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Definition
| Indicates the state of the Yang organs, especially the Stomach. |
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Term
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Definition
A thin white tongue coating is normal.
A thin white tongue coating can also indicate external Cold patterns when the appropriate clinical symptoms are present.
With a moist and pale tongue, a thicker white coating can indicate Damp-Cold.
A dry white coating can indicate Cold turning to Heat and starting to dry body fluids. |
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Term
| White Like Powder Tongue Coat |
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Definition
A white and thick tongue coating like powder indicates turbidity and external pathogenic heat. This coating will usually change to yellow after a short time if the patient is not treated.
If the tongue body is dark red, interior toxins may be present. |
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Term
| White Like Snow Tongue Coat |
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Definition
| This may indicate exhaustion of Spleen yang with Damp-Cold in the Middle Jiao |
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Term
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Definition
A slightly yellow coating indicates Wind-Heat or Wind-Cold turning to Wind-Heat
A yellow tongue coat indicates an interior heat pattern. The deeper the color of yellow, the more severe heat. A burnt yellow indicates further accumulation of heat in the body.
If the coating is yellow and moist and the tongue body is swollen and tender, this indicates interior Damp-Heat or Yang Deficiency. In the case of Yang Deficiency, the tongue is showing false heat signs, as the Yin has forced the Yang to the surface of the body. |
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Term
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Definition
| This tongue coating may indicate Stomach and Intestinal Damp-Heat |
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Term
| Simultaneous White and Yellow Tongue Coating |
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Definition
Can indicate a Shaoyang pattern
Can indicate a simultaneous Heat and Cold pattern, or a Cold pattern turning to Heat
Can indicate a simultaneous Interior and Exterior pattern |
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Term
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Definition
This tongue coating usually indicates an internal pattern of either Heat or Damp-Cold.
A dry gray coating can indicate internal Excess Heat scorching Body Fluids or Yin Deficient Fire.
A wet or moist gray coating usually indicates Cold-Damp Stagnation or Damp-Phlegm retention. |
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Term
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Definition
Similar to the Gray coating above, but more severe.
The black coating usually develops from gray or a burnt yellow coating.
A dry black coating (usually with cracks) may indicate excessive Heat burning body fluids.
A moist black coating and a pale tongue body may indicate Yang Deficiency, Internal Excess Cold, with or without the presence of Dampness.
Both Gray and Black tongue coating can indicate extreme Cold (wet tongue) or extreme Heat (dry tongue).
Western drugs such as antibiotics can also cause a black tongue coating. |
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Term
| Half Yellow, Half White (Longitudinally) |
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Definition
| This coating may indicate Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder |
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Term
| Yellow Root With A White Tip |
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Definition
| This may indicate that exterior Pathogenic Heat is penetrating more deeply into the interior of the body. |
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Term
| Black in the Center, White and Slippery on the Sides |
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Definition
| This may indicate Spleen Yang Deficiency with interior Damp-Cold |
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Term
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Definition
Normal
In disease, it indicates the disease is either external or an internal disease that is not severe.
If the tongue coating changes from thick to thin, this indicates pathogens are moving to the exterior of the body and the disease is waning. |
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Term
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Definition
A thick coating usually indicates more of an internal disease that is more severe.
It may also indicate that exterior pathogenic factors have penetrated more deeply into the body.
A thick tongue coating may also indicate retention of food.
If the tongue coating changes from thin to thick, this indicates pathogens are penetrating deeper into the interior of the body. |
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Term
| Peeled, Mirrored, Shiny, No Coating |
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Definition
With a mirrored tongue, there is no coating on the tongue. In less severe cases, there may be a partial coating on the tongue.
If the body of the tongue is also red, it usually indicates that Stomach Qi and Yin is severely damaged.
If the tongue body is also light in color, this may indicate that Qi and Blood of the Spleen and Stomach is damaged and Deficient.
If the tongue body is also red or dark, Stomach and Kidney Yin is damaged (body fluids dried up) due to heat. |
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Term
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Definition
| The normal tongue coating has Root, which means that is "rooted" or attached to the surface of the tongue body. It can not be easily scraped off or removed. |
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Term
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Definition
A coating without root rests on the surface of the tongue, but can easily be removed or scraped off.
A coating without root usually indicates impairment of Spleen, Stomach, and Kidneys. |
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