Tcm Tongue Diagnosis

Front 1

Pale Tongue
Lighter than that of normal people

Back 1

Yang, blood and Qi Deficiency

Front 2

Red Tongue

Back 2

Internal heat, excess and deficiency heat.

Front 3

Pale Tongue

Back 3

Yang, blood and Qi deficiency.

Front 4

Red Tongue with Yellow Coating

Back 4

Excess heat

Front 5

Red Tongue with little or no coating

Back 5

Deficiency heat

Front 6

Crimson Tongue

Back 6

Nutrient (ying) phase syndrome, yin deficiency and blood stasis

Front 7

Purple Tongue without fluid

Back 7

Extreme heat

Front 8

Purple Tongue with fluid

Back 8

Extreme cold

Front 9

Purplish spots on the tongue

Back 9

Blood stasis

Front 10

Blue Tongue

Back 10

Cold and blood stasis

Front 11

Tenderness: Striae are delicate, fine and smooth

Back 11

Deficiency

Front 12

Toughness: Striae are rough and sturdy

Back 12

Excess

Front 13

Swollen: Delicate, pale with tooth marks

Back 13

Spleen, Kidney and Yang deficiency

Front 14

Swollen: Deep red, entire space of the mouth

Back 14

Excess heat in heart and spleen

Front 15

Swollen: Blue/Purplish and dark

Back 15

Toxicity

Front 16

Thin

Back 16

Deficiency

Front 17

Pale thin tongue

Back 17

Qi and blood deficiency or deficiency of both heart and spleen

Front 18

Dry thin in red or crimson tongue

Back 18

Deficiency heat

Front 19

Withering thin tongue dark

Back 19

Qi and Yin exhaustion

Front 20

Crack Tongue

Back 20

Excess and deficiency heat, blood deficiency

Front 21

Crack Tongue with deep red color

Back 21

Excess heat consuming body fluid

Front 22

Crack Tongue with pale color

Back 22

Blood deficiency

Front 23

Thorny Tongue

Back 23

Heat accumulation in interior

Front 24

Smooth Tongue

Back 24

Stomach exhaustion (No stomach Qi)

Front 25

Teeth mark: pale and moist tongue

Back 25

Internal cold dampness

Front 26

Teeth mark: pink tongue

Back 26

Spleen or Qi deficiency

Front 27

Stiff Tongue

Back 27

Heat, phlegm and Wind

Front 28

Flaccid Tongue

Back 28

Heat, deficiency of both Qi and blood, liver and Kidney Yin deficiency

Front 29

Tremor Tongue

Back 29

Liver Wind due to extreme heat, Liver Yang arising, Blood and Yin deficiency

Front 30

Deviated Tongue

Back 30

Liver Wind and Wind Stroke

Front 31

Short Tongue

Back 31

Born with it - Harmless
Heat, cold phlegm or deficiency

Front 32

White Coating

Back 32

Exterior and cold (Wind cold)

Front 33

Yellow Coating

Back 33

Exterior and Interior heat

Front 34

Gray Coating without Moist

Back 34

Interior Heat

Front 35

Gray Coating with Moist

Back 35

Interior Cold

Front 36

Black Coating without moist

Back 36

Extreme interior heat

Front 37

Black Coating with moist

Back 37

Extreme interior cold

Front 38

Thin coating means..

Back 38

Exterior and mild

Front 39

Thick coating means..

Back 39

Interior and more severe

Front 40

Moist tongue coating means..

Back 40

Cold or dampness

Front 41

Dry tongue coating means..

Back 41

Heat included excess heat and deficiency heat

Front 42

Putrid Coating

Back 42

Looks like residue of making soy bean curds piling on tongue and easy to be scraped off

Front 43

Greasy Coating

Back 43

Made of fine particles and difficult to be scraped off

Front 44

Putrid and Greasy Coating

Back 44

Phlegm or food retention