What does your tongue say about you?

When you visit an acupuncturist, he or she most likely asks to look at your tongue, and patients often get embarrassed and say, “Oh, I should have brushed my tongue...”  Please don’t!  Tongue diagnosis is very important in Chinese medicine, and an acupuncturist can gather quite a bit of information about you and your conditions by observing the tongue, such as its colour, shape, and coating.

In general, a red tongue indicates that there is some kind of heat in the body, and a redder tip of the tongue can indicate that you are under stress or anxious about something.  On the other hand, a pale tongue suggests an energy, Qi, or blood deficiency, or the presence of cold in the body.  This could indicate a person’s immune system is low, and could be susceptible to more colds.

If a tongue looks puffy and swollen, a person may be experiencing some problems with their digestion and may have fluids retention somewhere in the body.  It is also quite common to see a tongue with scalloped or teeth-marked edges.  This can indicate that an energy, Qi, is weak and that that person may be leading a hectic and busy life, feeling tired and not getting time to relax.

The coating of the tongue can indicate the state of the stomach and other various acute conditions a person might have.  For example, if the coating in the centre of the tongue is thick yellow and dry, a person may be experiencing stomach pains, bad breath, or a feeling of always being hungry.

So then, what is a ‘normal’ tongue?  It should be pale red, not too thin & not too swollen, and with no teeth marks.  Also, the coating should be thin & white and slightly moist, not dry.

The conditions of your tongue change as your health changes, but in general the changes appear on the tongue slowly (except for a high fever developing from a cold or a flu can create a very red tongue fairly quickly).  In other words, appearance of the tongue can suggest that health conditions might have been in the body for a long time.

When you visit an acupuncturist, it’s important to refrain from certain foods and drinks a few hours before your appointment.  Certain foods such as curry, tomato ketchup, coffee, and tea may stain your tongue and make it difficult for your acupuncturist to make a proper diagnosis.

舌診