Tongue diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

Tongue Body Colour  State of Ying Qi, XUE, Yin Organs

Conditions  Heat/Cold character Normal body colour should be pale red

Pale and slightly Wet Pale and slightly Dry Red Red Red tip Red sides Red centre

 Cold, Yang QiXu  Cold, XueXu

 Heat  with coating Full Heat  with coating HT fire  with coating LIV fire /GB heat  with coating Heat in the ST

Red points on the tip Red points on the sides Red spots on the root Red points around the centre Purple Reddish purple Bluish purple

Pale on the sides Orangey sides no coating no coating no coating no coating

 Liv XueXu  Liv XueXu severe

Empty Heat HT empty heat LIV empty heat / LIV yin def Empty heat in the ST

 HT fire Spots indicate Blood Stasis  LIV fire  Heat in the lower jiao  Stomach heat

 XUE stasis  XUE stasis (heat)  XUE stasis (cold)

Sides Bluish-purple ♂♀ Sides Bluish-purple ♀ Centre Bluish purple

 LivXue stasis  BaoXue stasis  ST-Xue stasis

Body Shape  State of Ying Qi – XUE Conditions  Full/Empty character Thin  red Yin def. pale XUE def. Swollen  Dampness or phlegm Swollen on a red tip  HT Fire Swollen on red sides  Liv Fire Swollen on the sides  SP Def. in this case it is generally pale in the centre Swollen in front  Phegm in the LU Stiff  Internal Wind – XUE Stasis Flaccid  Jin-Ye XU Long  Heat Short  if pale and wet Int. cold if red Severe Yin Def. Cracked  centre/sides ST/SP yin def. - to the tip HT pattern Quivering  SP Def. Deviated  Internal Wind Tooth marks on the sides  Sp Qi Def. Coating  State of Yang organs (mainly ST) Thick [thicker > stronger the PF] Coating + no root Absence of coating White coating Grey/Black coating

Conditions  Full/Empty normal coating should be thin and white

 PF  ST Qi Def.  Partial ST Yin Def. | Total severe ST/Ki Yin Shu  Cold  Extreme Cold

Moisture State of JinYe Too wet  Yang def/ Damp Too dry  Heat/Yin def. Sticky  retention of damp/phlegm