Tongue Examination
Technical meaning
Tongue is one of the four Examinations of Chinese medicine. It is like a piece of litmus paper that reveals the basic qualities of a disharmony. Many signs may be interpreted only when the entire configuration can be seen, but the tongue interpretation is always essential.
It is often the clearest indication of the nature of a disharmony and its pattern, reliable ever when other signs are vague and contradictory.
When we are talking about tongue, please let's first get a little knowledge about yin, yang, qi & blood...
The logic underlying Chinese medical theory - logic which assumes that a part can be understood only in its relation to whole - can also be called synthetic or dialectical. In Chinese early naturalist and Taoist thought. This dialectical logic explains relations, patterns and changes; it is called yin and yang theory.
Yin
The character for yin originally meant the shady side of a slope. It is associated with such qualities as cold, rest, responsiveness, passivity, darkness, inside, downwardness, inwardness, and decrease.
Yang
The character for yang means the sunny side of a slope. The term implies brightness and is part of one common Chinese expression for the sun. Also it is associated with qualities such as heat, stimulation, movement, activity, excitement, light, exteriority, upwardness, outwardness, and increase.
Qi
The idea of qi is Chinese medical thinking, yet no one English word or phase can adequately capture its meaning. It is the source of all movement in the body and accompanies all movement and body's physical functions. Its functions include: protecting the body, warming the body, keep everything in.
Blood
The Blood of Chinese medical terminology is not the same as what the west calls blood. Although it is sometimes identifiable with the red fluid of western medicine, its characteristics and functions are not so identifiable.
The major activity of the blood is to circulate continuously through the blood, nourishing, maintaining, and to some extent moistening its various parts. Blood moves primarily though the blood vessels, but also though the meridians.
Clinical meaning
The tongue includes material, coating, shape, flexibility, all of which we need understand. The material can be various shades of red and have degree of moisture.
- Normal tongue: a little pale with moisture
- A pale tongue with less red: indicates deficient blood or qi or excess cold
- A redder tongue: heat in the body
- A scarlet tongue / deeper red: as extreme heat
- A purple tongue: qi, blood are not moving harmoniously
The coating as moss or fur is the result of spleen activity.
- Normal: thin moss
- Moss to much: dampness or excess fluids
- Moss very dry or sandpaper like is sign of excess yang or fire, or deficient fluids
- A greasy moss appears to be a thick, oily film, covering, this is mucous or dampness
- Moss white: cold
- Moss yellow: heat
- Moss black or gray: too hot
- Swollen tongue / scallop edges: deficient qi or excess fluids
- Thin tongue, smaller/slender: deficient blood or fluids
- Stiff tongue/lacks flexibility: stroke
Areas of the tongue and their corresponding organs
- Extreme tip: heart
- Tip: lung
- Side: liver and gall bladder
- Centre: spleen and stomach
- Root: kidney
淡红舌薄白润苔舌象描述：正常人 |
淡红舌类剥苔1
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淡红舌偏白滑苔
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淡红舌类剥水滑苔
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淡红舌尖黄根白苔
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淡红舌黄腻苔
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淡红舌尖白滑根黄灰苔
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淡红舌黄白苔
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淡红舌薄白滑苔
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淡红胖大瘀斑舌黄白苔
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淡红偏暗舌薄白腻苔
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淡红胖大舌薄白润苔
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淡红晦暗胖大舌薄白苔
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淡红红点舌薄白水滑苔
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淡红红点紫斑舌薄白腻苔
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红红点舌薄白腻苔
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淡红红点舌白腻淡黄苔
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淡白舌透明苔
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淡红齿痕舌薄白滑润苔1
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淡白舌双黄苔
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淡白舌尖白根黄苔
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淡白舌薄白腻苔
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淡白舌红点白腻淡黄苔
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