Category: Medical Health >> Traditional Chinese Medicine
Problem description:
The Chinese medicine doctor helped me look at my tongue coating and said there were teeth marks on both sides. What are those? What are the symptoms? What’s wrong with me?
Analysis:
Hello;
Tongue diagnosis Tongue diagnosis is an important method for diagnosing diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. The tongue is connected to the five internal organs through meridians. Therefore, the deficiency and excess of the human body's internal organs, qi, blood, and body fluids, as well as the changes in the severity of the disease, may be objectively reflected in the tongue. Through tongue diagnosis, we can understand the deficiency and excess of the internal organs and the nature, severity, and relationship of the disease pathogens. change. Among them, changes in tongue quality mainly reflect the deficiency and excess of internal organs and the rise and fall of qi and blood; while changes in tongue coating are mainly used to judge the depth and severity of external evils, as well as the rise and fall of stomach qi.
Traditional Chinese medicine divides the tongue into the tip, middle, base and sides of the tongue. It is believed that the tip of the tongue belongs to the heart and lungs, the middle of the tongue belongs to the spleen and stomach, the base of the tongue belongs to the kidneys, and both sides of the tongue belong to the liver and gallbladder (see Figure 3-1). The different parts of the tongue reflecting different organ lesions have certain clinical reference value, but they cannot be viewed mechanically and need to be considered comprehensively with other symptoms and signs.
1. Tongue quality: refers to the body of the tongue, mainly observing its color, shape and state.
The normal tongue is light red in color, reserved and moist, moderately fat, thin, old and tender, and can move freely and freely, indicating sufficient qi and blood. It can be seen in healthy people, but can also be seen in those who are experiencing the first onset of external infection or mild internal injuries.
(1) Tongue color
① Pale tongue: The tongue color is lighter than normal, mainly due to deficiency syndrome and cold syndrome. It is more common in blood deficiency, which is caused by weak yang and insufficient qi and blood. elephant. If it is light in color but fat and tender, it is a sign of deficiency and cold; if it is fat and tender but has tooth marks on the edge, it is a sign of qi and yang deficiency.
②Red tongue: The tongue color is darker than normal and bright red. It is mainly due to heat syndrome, mostly internal heat syndrome. A red tip of the tongue indicates inflammation of the heart-fire; a red edge of the tongue indicates heat in the liver and gallbladder; red and dry tongue indicates heat damaging body fluids or yin deficiency and excessive fire.
③ Red tongue: The tongue is dark red in color and indicates excessive heat. Most of the time, it is caused by evil heat that penetrates deep into the nutrients, blood, or yin deficiency and excessive fire.
The darker the color of the red and crimson tongue, the more severe the heat evil.
④Ecchymotic tongue: There are purple petechiae or spots on the tongue, mostly due to the accumulation of blood stasis.
⑤Bluish tongue: The whole tongue is blue and purple, either due to extreme heat or cold syndrome. If the tongue is deep purple and dry, it is extreme heat. In patients with warm heat, the disease is due to the introduction of nutrients and blood; if the tongue is light yellow-purple or blue-purple and smooth, it is a yin-cold syndrome.
(2) Tongue shape: Observe the tenderness, fatness, thorns, cracks, etc. of the tongue.
① Laonen: "Lao" refers to the tongue with rough texture and firm color, mostly due to syndrome and heat syndrome: "Ten" refers to the tongue with fine texture, floating and tender texture, mostly due to deficiency syndrome syndrome or deficiency-cold syndrome.
② Fat and thin: "Fat" refers to the tongue being fat and swollen, which is mostly related to the retention of water and moisture. A tongue that is light and fat, with tooth marks on the edges of the tongue, is mostly due to spleen deficiency or kidney yang deficiency, and water-damp retention; a red and swollen tongue is mostly due to internal dampness and heat or excessive heat and toxins. "Skinny" refers to a small and thin tongue, which is mostly due to deficiency syndrome. A person with a pale tongue and a thin tongue shape is mostly due to insufficient Qi and blood; a red tongue with a thin tongue shape is mostly due to Yin deficiency and internal heat.
③ Thorns and thorns: hyperplasia, hypertrophy of tongue penis, protrusions like thorns, mostly due to excessive heat evil. The more severe the heat evil, the larger and more numerous the thorns will be. Clinically, thorns are more common on the tip and sides of the tongue. The thorns on the tip of the tongue are mostly caused by liver and gallbladder heat.
④Cracks: There are a variety of longitudinal or transverse cracks or wrinkles on the tongue, mostly formed due to mucosal atrophy. Cracked tongue can occur in a small number of normal people. Those with red tongues and cracks are mostly due to excessive heat; those with light tongues and cracks are mostly due to Qi and Yin deficiency.
(3) Tongue status: Observe whether the tongue body is trembling, crooked, soft, stiff, etc.
① Tremor: The tongue body trembles involuntarily, mostly due to deficiency of Qi and blood or internal movement of liver wind.
② Deviation: The tongue body is deviated to one side, which is mostly a sign of hemiplegia or stroke precursor.
③ flaccidity: weakness of tongue extension and curling, mostly caused by deficiency of qi and blood and lack of nourishment of muscles and arteries.
④Toughness: The tongue is not soft, has difficulty in flexion and extension, or even cannot rotate. It is usually due to high fever and body fluid damage, excessive evil heat, or a sign of stroke.
2. Tongue coating: Tongue coating is the manifestation of stomach anger. Zhang Xugu said: "Tongue coating appears from the anger in the stomach, and stomach qi originates from the heart and spleen. Therefore, people who are not sick often have thin coating. This is the qi in the stomach, which is like a micro grass on the ground, like a barren land. , then the soil will be lifeless.”
Wu Kun'an said: "The tongue has coating, just like the earth has coating. The coating on the earth arises from the rising moisture; the coating on the tongue arises from the steaming stomach and spleen dampness, so it is called coating." Modern doctors believe that the formation of tongue coating , mainly the differentiation of filamentous cells. The terminal ends of the filamentous cells differentiate into keratinized trees. The gaps between the branches of the keratinized trees are often filled with shed keratinized epithelium, saliva, bacteria, food debris, exuded white blood cells, etc., forming normal tongue coating. . Normal tongue coating is a thin layer of white, which is tender but not thick, moderately wet and dry, not slippery and not dry. Observe the content of tongue coating, including its color, thickness and moistening.
(1) Moss color: white moss, yellow moss, gray moss, black moss, etc.
① White coating White coating is the most common clinically. Other colors of coating can be considered to be formed based on the transformation of white coating. White coating generally belongs to the lungs and is mainly caused by external syndrome and cold syndrome. However, clinically, white coating can also be seen in internal syndrome and heat syndrome. For example, if it is thin, white and moist, it is wind-cold; if it is thin, white and dry, it is wind-heat; in the syndrome of cold and dampness, white and thick greasy coating can be seen.
②Yellow fur can vary from light yellow, tender yellow, dark yellow, burnt yellow, etc. Generally speaking, the darker the color of the yellow coating, the more severe the heat evil. Light yellow means mild heat; light yellow means more severe heat; dark yellow means more severe heat; burnt yellow means heat knot; yellow and dry means heat injures fluid; yellow and greasy means damp heat.
③ Gray and black coating mostly refers to heat syndrome, but also cold-dampness or deficiency-cold syndrome. The tongue coating is gray, black and dry, which is caused by excess heat and hurts the body fluid; the tongue coating is gray, black and moist, which is mostly due to Yang deficiency and cold excess. Gray and black coatings are more common in the more severe stages of the disease.
(2) Thickness: thin moss, thick moss, little moss, no moss.
Thin coating usually indicates the initial onset of the disease, the pathogenic factors are on the surface, and the condition is mild; thick coating usually indicates that the pathogenic factors are more severe and have spread to the inside; or there is gastrointestinal stagnation; or there is phlegm and dampness. The thicker the coating, the more severe the evil is and the more severe the condition. However, the formation of tongue coating reflects the presence or absence of stomach qi. Although the tongue coating is thick, it indicates that stomach qi is still present. However, less coating often indicates that the body's healthy qi is insufficient. No coating indicates that the stomach qi is greatly deficient and lacks the opportunity for hair growth. Irregular peeling of the tongue coating on the tongue. The peeling area is smooth and uncoated, which is called flower peeling coating. It is mostly caused by insufficient Qi and Yin in the stomach. If there is both greasy coating, it means that the phlegm and dampness have not been melted and the healthy qi has been damaged.
(3) Moisturizing: reflects the condition of body fluids in the body. Normal tongue coating is neither dry nor wet. Dry tongue coating means that body fluids have been consumed. Exogenous diseases are mostly caused by dryness and heat that damage body fluids, and internal injuries are mostly caused by yin deficiency and insufficient body fluids. A moist tongue coating indicates that body fluids are not damaged, and there is too much water on the tongue. The desire to drip is called slippery coating, which indicates that there is moisture remaining in the body.
Greasy coating: The coating is dense and fine, like a layer of turbid and smooth mucus covering the tongue surface, which is difficult to wipe off. It is mostly due to excessive phlegm and dampness.
Rotten coating: The coating is loose and like tofu residue. It piles up on the tongue and is easy to wipe off. It is mostly caused by the steaming of food in the stomach to make it turbid, which is a manifestation of the decay of food in the stomach.
1. Normal tongue
Tongue appearance: light red tongue, moderately fat and thin, thin white tongue coating and moderately dry and moist.
2. Pale tongue
Tongue appearance: Pale tongue, fat and tender tongue body, white and thin tongue coating.
Meaning: Mostly due to weak stomach Qi or insufficient Qi and blood.
3. Old tongue with rough coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red, old, covered with white coating, slightly yellow, and rough like gravel.
Meaning: Dampness blocks the veins, fluids are not able to rise, or severe heat damages fluids.
4. Pale white tongue with white coating
Tongue appearance: Pale tongue, covered with white coating, and the middle part is as thick as powder.
Meaning: Yang deficiency and floating heat can be seen in yang deficiency and exogenous dampness and heat.
5. Pale white tongue with black dry coating
Tongue appearance: pale white tongue, fat tongue body, gray and black dry and cracked tongue coating.
Meaning: The spleen fails to function well, dampness and turbidity cannot be resolved, and phlegm and dampness accumulate in the orifices.
6. Light red mirror tongue
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red and tender, with cracks on the edges. The tongue surface is shiny, uncoated, and as smooth as a mirror.
Meaning: Insufficient stomach yin or deficiency of both qi and yin.
7. Petechial tongue
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red and dark, with petechiae and ecchymosis on the edges, and the tongue coating is thin and white.
Meaning: Blood stasis blocks the collaterals and Qi and blood are stagnant.
8. Pale red peeling tongue (geographic tongue)
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red, the tongue body is crooked, the tongue coating is white and greasy and peeling, and it is in the shape of a map.
Meaning: Qi and Yin in the stomach are deficient, and phlegm and dampness block the collaterals.
9. Red tongue with flowers and peeling coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is red and tender, the tongue coating is white and greasy, and the coating is peeling off. The peeling area is shiny and uncoated, or covered with white and transparent coating.
Meaning: Dampness and heat damage yin, and dampness and turbidity have not yet melted, thus damaging yin fluid.
10. Red and swollen tongue
Tongue appearance: red tongue, swollen, fat tongue body that cannot be retracted into the mouth, yellow coating on the tip and middle of the tongue, and white coating on the edges and roots of the tongue.
Meaning: Fumigation by damp and heat, congestion of blood and heat.
11. Tongue with light red and purple spots
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red, with many bluish flakes on the tip of the tongue and the edges of the tongue. The tongue coating is white and greasy and uneven, with less coating in the middle.
Meaning: Qi stagnation and blood stasis or chronic illness in which Qi and blood are not sustained.
12. Light red tongue with white and thick greasy coating
Tongue appearance: light red tongue with white and thick greasy coating.
Meaning: Qi deficiency and blood stasis, phlegm and fluid accumulation stop.
13. Pale red tongue with thick greasy coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red, the body of the tongue is slightly fat, and the tongue surface is covered with thick white greasy coating like powder, and the surface is slightly light yellow.
Meaning: Dampness and heat block triple burner
14. Light red tongue with yellow and rough coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is light red, the tongue coating is yellow and dry, and is as rough as gravel.
Meaning: Gastrointestinal heat knots are mixed with dampness, and dampness-heat transforms into dryness.
15. Red tongue with black and greasy coating
Tongue appearance: red tongue with thick and greasy coating, white and yellow edges and black in the middle.
Meaning: Deficient yang rises, dampness and heat are inherent.
16. Red tongue without coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is red and tender, with cracks in the middle. Except for a small amount of remaining coating on the edges of the tongue, it is clear and clear.
Meaning: Stomach, kidney, qi and yin are damaged.
17. Tongue with tooth marks
Tongue appearance: The tongue is slightly red, the tongue is fat and has tooth marks, there is a longitudinal fissure in the middle of the tongue, the fur is thin and white, and the particles are loose and loose.
Meaning: Spleen deficiency and dampness stagnation, combined with internal heat.
18. Cracked tongue
Tongue appearance: The tongue is slightly thin, with most longitudinal fissures like knife cuts, and the tongue coating is thin and white.
Meaning: It is known as Yin deficiency, lack of true Yin, and inflammation due to deficiency fire.
19. Cracked tongue
Tongue appearance: The tongue is pale white and bluish-purple, the tongue is fat and large, there are deep cracks in the middle, the cracks on the edges of the tongue are like knife cuts, and the tongue coating is white, greasy and uneven.
Meaning: Qi and blood are both weak and kidney yin is insufficient.
20. Red tongue with white rot coating
Tongue appearance: Red tongue, white and thick tongue coating, coarse and loose particles, like tofu residue piled on the tongue surface.
Meaning: Phlegm and food cohesion, dampness and heat evaporate.
21. Red tongue with yellow rot coating
Tongue appearance: red tongue with red spots, old tongue body, tongue coating turning from white to grayish yellow, thick rot piled up, and horizontal and vertical cracks on it.
Meaning: Dampness, heat, filth and turbidity accumulate inside.
22. Dark red tongue with burnt yellow coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is red and dark, with burnt yellow coating like pan cake, thick and cracked.
Meaning: gastrointestinal heat knot, viscera qi blockage.
23. Red tongue with yellow and white coating
Tongue appearance: red tongue with red spots, yellow and white coating, thick and covered, like rice powder.
Meaning: Evil heat, dampness and poison accumulate inside.
24. Dark red tongue with yellow and dry coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is dark red and dark, the tongue body is thin and thin, the tongue coating is thick and burnt, yellow and dry.
Meaning: Excess heat and dryness accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract.
25. Red tongue with yellow and black coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is crimson, old, with red spots on the tip, the coating is thin and white and turns to gray-yellow, and the root is grey-black and greasy.
Meaning: Wind and phlegm disturb the upper body, causing phlegm and heat to accumulate in the fu-organs.
26. Red tongue with black and rough coating
Tongue appearance: Red tongue with red spots, black rough and cracked coating all over, and thick accumulation into lumps.
Meaning: Heat-toxic internal accumulation, phlegm-heat internal accumulation.
27. Red prickly tongue
Tongue appearance: red tongue with red prickly protrusions, white and greasy tongue coating, and slightly yellow surface.
Meaning: Yingfen Yure.
28. Thin blue and purple uvula
Tongue appearance: Thin facet of the tongue, blue and dark purple, thick white coating and rotten tongue.
Meaning: Cold and dampness stagnate, qi and blood are stagnant.
29. Purple tongue with peeling coating
Tongue appearance: The tongue is purple and dark, and the surface of the tongue is peeling and without coating.
Meaning: Heat and nourishing blood, damaging yin and blocking collaterals.
30. Pale white tongue with slippery coating
Tongue appearance: Pale and fat tongue, with white slippery coating on the edges and yellow coating on the middle root, which is thick, greasy and sticky.
Meaning: Insufficient kidney yang; dampness and turbidity turning into heat.
31. Red and crimson thin tongue
Tongue appearance: red and crimson tongue, tongue body is long and thin, two yellow scales are thickly accumulated, dry and cracked into lumps, and the rest is bare and uncoated.
Meaning: Gastrointestinal heat knots damage yin and combined with yin deficiency and excessive fire.
32. Red, fat and petechial tongue
Tongue appearance: red tongue with petechiae, swollen tongue body, damaged tongue surface, white and slippery coating with a sauce color.
Meaning: Dampness and poison are present in the body.