Tongue Diagnosis

Description:	Chinese Tongue Diagnosis Study Stack
Category:	Medical
Created by:	kdwright on 2004-06-28

Symptom	Diagnosis
Pale, Bright, Shiny	Qi and Blood Deficiency, particularly of ST and SP
Red	Heat in the nutritive or blood levels (w/o coating), or yin def. w/heat (w/o coating)
Pale and slightly dry	Blood deficiency
Pale and wet	Yang Deficiency
Red, dry, w/coating	heat from excess burning body fluids
Red, dry, w/o coating	heat from def. of yin & exhaustion of body fluids
Red and wet	heat w/retention of dampness
Red and Shiny	ST &/or KD yin deficiency
Red w/red points or spots	Heat with blood stasis
Red w/prickles	Heat in the nutritive level or in the upper or middle burner
Red & Peeled	Heat from ST & KD yin
Red & Scarlet	LU yin or HT yin deficiency
Reddish purple & distended	Extreme heat w/blood stasis & poison from alcohol injuring the HT
Dark red w/a dry center	ST fire blazing or ST yin def w/heat
Red w/a purple spot in center	Blood stasis & heat in ST
Reddish Purple	Heat & Blood stasis
Blue	Severe internal cold w/blood stasis
Bluish Purple	Blood stasis from internal cold
Bluish purple & moist	Blood stasis from internal cold stiffening the tendons & bones
Blue in a pregnant woman	danger of imminent miscarriage
Blue central surface	SP yang def. w/ retention of phlegm in chest
Blue w/o coat	Severe internal cold w/stasis & exhaustion of blood
Distended veins on underside of tongue	Def & stagnation of Qi; blood stasis (if veins are also dark)
Swollen tongue	SP &/or KD Yang Def. w/dampness
Swollen and red	HT & ST heat, or poisoning (alcohol or otherwise)
Swollen edges	SP Qi Deficiency
Swollen between tip and center	LU Qi w/retention of phlegm
Swollen tip and red	HT fire blazing
Swollen and normal color	HT Qi Def.
1/2 swollen	Weakness of the channels
Partly swollen on side	Def. or stagnation of Qi in chest
Thin and pale	Def. of blood
Thin and red	Def. of yin
Swollen sides	Ascendant LV yang or LV fire
Swollen along central crack	HT fire blazing (red), HT Qi Def. (normal)
1/2 surface swollen	LU Qi def.
Hammer-shaped	ST, SP, KD Def.
Stiff and red or dark	exterior heat invading PC
Stiff and red	Heat injuring body fluids
Stiff	Blazing HT fire
Stiff and normal color	internal wind
Flaccid and pale	Exhausted Qi & blood
Flaccid and red	Extreme heat injuring fluids
Flaccid and deep red	KD yin def. w/heat
Loose and red	interior excess heat
Loose, red, w/ slippery coating	Phlegm fire clouding HT
Loose and pale	HT Qi Def.
Long	Blazing HT fire or phlegm fire in HT
Short and pale	SP yang def or internal cold
Short and red	Heat stirring LV wind
Short and red w/coat	Insuffiency of body fluids due to heat from excess
Short, red, w/o coat	Heat from def.
Moving and red	HT fire and internal wind
Moving, red and dry	SP heat w/ exhaustion of body fluids
Deviated and normal	Exterior wind invading channels
Deviated (red or normal)	Interior LV wind
Deviated and pale	HT Qi def.
Numb and pale	HT blood def
Numb and normal or red	LV wind
Numb and slippery	Wind phlegm
Quivering and pale	SP Qi Def.
Quivering and red	Extreme heat generating internal wind
Quivering and pale	Collapse of HT and SP Qi
Quivering, pale, and thin	Collapse of Yang
Ulcerated and red	Blazing HT fire or SP & KD heat
Ulcerated, red and peeled	HT heat from KD yin Def.
Tip rolled over	Heat from Excess
Tip rolled under	Heat from Def.
Tooth marked	SP Qi Def.
Sore-covered and red	Hot poison in HT channel
Sore-covered, red and peeled	Heat from Def
White or White & thin tongue coat	Wind, cold, or dampness in the exterior
White, thin & slippery tongue coat (TC)	Exterior attack of cold dampness
White, thick and slippery	Dampness in the middle burner or cold w/retention of food in ST
White, thin, dry TC and pale body	Blood def or yang def.
White, thin, dry TC	Exterior attack of wind cold or wind heat; LU fluids injured; Exterior attack of dryness
White, thick and wet (normal)	Exterior attack of wind cold
White, thick and wet (pale or normal)	Interior cold dampness in middle burner
White, thick and dry	Dirty fluids in the interior w/heat
White, thick and greasy	Yang def. w/ retention of food or dampness
White, thick, greasy & slippery	SP yang def w/ cold dampness or phlegm
White, thick, greasy and dry	Dampness w/ exhaustion of body fluids or heat
White, rough & cracked	Attack of summer heat injuring the Qi (Qi level)
White, sticky & greasy	Dampness or phlegm in the middle burner; exterior attack of dampness at the Qi level
White like powder, body red slightly red on tip or sides	Exterior heat
White like powder adn red or dark red body	Interior poison
White like powder and red body	Heat in the triple burner
White like snow	SP yang exhaustion w/cold dampness in the middle burner
White & moldy	KD & ST yin def or poison in the interior
Yellow or pale yellow TC	exterior attack of wind heat; wind cold turning to heat; damp heat in the chest & middle burner
Yellow and slippery TC	Damp heat
Dry Yellow TC	Heat-injured fluids
Yellow, sticky & greasy TC	Heat & phlegm
Right 1/2 white and slippery	Pathogenic factor half in the exterior and half in the interior
Left 1/2 white and slippery	Heat in the LV
Dirty yellow TC	Damp heat in the ST & intestines
Bilateral yellow strips (remainder white)	EPF penetrating to the interior; Heat in the ST and intestines
Bilateral yellow strips (reaminder yellow)	Heat in LV & GB
Yellow root, white tip	EPF just changing into heat & penetrating into the interior
1/2 yellow and 1/2 white (longitudinally) TC	Heat in LV and GB
Gray and dry TC	Heat from excess
Gray or gray, wet & slippery TC	Cold dampness in the SP
Bilateral black on white and wet TC	Cold Def. in middle burner
Bilateral black on7 white and dry TC	Excess heat in the ST & SP
White coating, black points	EPF penetrating to the interior & transforming into heat
Black or black, slippery & greasy	Cold dampness in the ST and intestines
Black in the center, white & slippery on sides	SP Yang def. w/ cold dampness in the interior
Black, dry & cracked	Exhaustion of KD; Yang def. w/ interior cold
1/2 white and slippery, 1/2 yellow and black	LV or GB heat
White coating, black prickles	True cold, false heat cold turned into heat
White & black TC	Dampness in the SP
White in center, yellow around	PF just penetrating the interior & changing into heat
Yellow in center and white around	Interior heat just starting to clear
Yellow in center, black, slippery, & greasy around	Damp heat in the SP
Yellow sides, black prickles in center	Heat in the yang brightness stage
Yellow, dry & black center to tip	Heat in the ST and intestines
Yellow in center & gray around	Damp heat w/ heat-injured fluids
Yellow sides, black & greasy center	Damp heat in SP & ST
White, gray, and moist TC	Cold dampness in the interior
White, gray & dirty TC	Cold dampness or phlegm of long standing
1/2 white, 1/2 gray	Cold 1/2 exterior, 1/2 interior
White in center and gray & black around	Dampness in the SP
Irregular cracks	ST yin Def.
Horizontal cracks	Yin Def
Transverse cracks on sides	SP Qi Def
Cracks like ice floes	Yin def. from old age
Transverse cracks behind tip	LU yin Def.
Very deep central crack w/ other small cracks	KD yin Def. w/ heat
Vertical crack in center	HT yin def. or blazing HT fire