Traditional Chinese medicine teaches you to observe 7 types of tongue patterns to know your health privacy!

Tongue diagnosis is an important part of TCM's "visual diagnosis". Friends who have visited TCM doctors have all done the "tongue sticking out" action. The reason why doctors look at the tongue is because TCM believes that the tongue is connected to the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys and other internal organs and meridians. If there is any lesion in the human internal organs, it can be reflected very intuitively on the tongue. Therefore, to a certain extent, changes in the tongue can be regarded as a barometer of human health. If we can learn to observe our tongue ourselves, it can help us better understand our own health status.

When observing the tongue, you must be calm and it is best to do it under sufficient natural light. First of all, you should face the light so that the light can shine directly into your mouth to avoid affecting the identification of the tongue quality and tongue coating color. Traditional Chinese medicine divides the tongue into the tip, middle, root and sides of the tongue. The tip of the tongue belongs to the heart and lungs, the middle of the tongue belongs to the spleen and stomach, the root of the tongue belongs to the kidneys and large intestine, and the sides of the tongue belong to the liver and gallbladder. The tongue should be observed from several aspects, including the tongue quality, tongue coating, and blood vessels at the bottom of the tongue. Observing the tongue mainly refers to looking at the color, shape and dynamics of the tongue. For example, a light red and moist tongue is often seen in healthy people, indicating that the qi and blood in the body are in harmony; if a pale white tongue appears, that is, the tongue is more white than red, it is often seen in yang deficiency syndrome and qi and blood deficiency syndrome; if a red tongue appears, that is, the tongue is redder than light red, and is bright red, it is often seen in heat syndrome; if the tongue is blue, it usually means that the yin and cold are more severe or there is blood stasis syndrome, and some congenital heart diseases, or drugs, food poisoning and other diseases will also cause the tongue to be blue; if the tongue is hard and trembling, it indicates internal liver wind and wind-phlegm blocking the collaterals, which is often seen in hypertensive stroke patients, or indicates the risk of stroke.

The normal tongue appearance can be summarized in six words: "pale pink tongue with thin white coating". Specifically, the tongue is light red, moist, of moderate size, soft and flexible, and has an even, thin, white and moist coating. Next, I will introduce several common tongue images for your reference:

A fat tongue with tooth marks on the edges of the tongue: It indicates that the spleen and stomach's transportation and transformation functions are relatively insufficient, and there are certain obstacles in the digestion and absorption of food. This is more common in people with spleen deficiency and dampness. You can appropriately add some foods that can strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness, such as yam, white atractylodes, white hyacinth bean, etc. If accompanied by yellow or greasy tongue coating, it means that the damp heat is relatively heavy. You can eat more coix seed, red bean, mung bean, loofah, etc. If accompanied by symptoms such as pale complexion, fear of cold, cold limbs, lack of energy, sore waist and legs, loose stools, frequent defecation, and edema of the lower limbs, it may be due to spleen and kidney yang deficiency. Daily food should be mainly warm food. In winter, more attention should be paid to warming and strengthening yang. You can eat more warming foods such as leeks, mutton, dog meat, eel, and longan. At the same time, eat less or no cold foods such as bananas and watermelons to avoid further damaging the yang energy.

Red tip of the tongue: If accompanied by irritability, dry throat, preference for cold drinks, and frequent oral ulcers, it is mostly caused by hyperactivity of heart fire. You can drink Kuding tea, or use Ophiopogon japonicus, chrysanthemum, and Sterculia lychnophora as tea. If you have sore throat, you can add honeysuckle. If you still have a bitter taste in your mouth, you should eat more easily digestible foods, such as vegetables and fruits, and less fatty and fried foods. It is best not to drink alcohol or smoke.

The tongue is dark purple or has ecchymosis and petechiae: This tongue image is more common in middle-aged and elderly people with blood stasis constitution or female friends who are troubled by dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, etc. For middle-aged and elderly friends, it is best to eat more foods or medicines that have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, such as hawthorn, scorpion, etc. The daily diet should be light, and fatty and greasy food should be avoided. At the same time, moderate exercise should be done to promote blood circulation. You should have regular physical examinations, pay attention to changes in blood pressure, blood lipids and blood viscosity, and seek medical attention promptly if any abnormalities are found. For middle-aged and young female friends, they can drink more rose tea, jasmine tea, etc. to regulate menstruation and promote blood circulation.

Pale tongue: more common in patients with blood deficiency, especially female friends, often accompanied by pale complexion, lack of blood color in nails, mouth and eyelids, sparse hair that easily falls off, easily tired eyes, fatigue and weakness. It is advisable to nourish blood and replenish qi at the same time, and appropriately increase the intake of blood nourishing foods such as red dates, carrots, pine nuts, longan meat, peanuts, lean pork, Polygonum multiflorum, angelica, donkey-hide gelatin, and spinach. You can drink more angelica, ginger and mutton soup on a daily basis.

Cracked tongue: If "cracks" appear on the tongue but there is no obvious discomfort, it is physiological and does not require treatment. If cracked tongue appears after a serious illness, the tongue is red and has no coating, and there is discomfort, it is a sign of yin deficiency and requires medication.

The tongue is coated with a mottled coating: Some parts of the tongue have a thin coating, while other parts are smooth and have no coating. There are irregular "map-like" patches, which Chinese medicine calls "geographic tongue". If there is no discomfort, it is a physiological phenomenon and does not require treatment. If you have stomach problems or other chronic diseases for a long time and develop a "geographic tongue", it is mostly a manifestation of yin deficiency. While treating the primary disease, you can eat more foods or medicines that have the effect of nourishing yin, such as American ginseng, black fungus, white fungus, lotus root, lily, milk, etc.

Black tongue coating: If the tongue coating is black but the tip of the tongue is normal light red and there is no other obvious discomfort, it may be due to eating some colored food or medicine. This is a "staining" phenomenon and there is no need to be nervous. However, patients with severe stomach problems should be alert if they develop black tongue coating, especially if the tip of the tongue turns dark red or even blue or purple, as this indicates that the condition is getting worse and they should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

For middle-aged and elderly friends, especially those with high blood pressure and high blood lipids, if numbness at the root of the tongue or tongue tremors, and numbness of the index and middle fingers occur, these are mostly precursors to stroke and you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Finally, it is especially important to remind everyone that the tongue can reflect the physiological and pathological changes of the internal organs and meridians of the human body, but all diseases cannot be diagnosed based on the tongue alone. The important thing is to combine the four examinations. Therefore, when you feel unwell, you should see a doctor in time.