why tongue can reflect the zang-fu organs

8/14/2019 Why Tongue Can Reflect the Zang-Fu Organs

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Tongue

P50


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Why tongue can reflectthe Zang-Fu organs

The heart opens into the tongue,

All Zang-Fu organs are directly or

indirectly connected with the tonguethrough channel-collaterals andchannel-tendon.

The essential Qi of Zang-Fu organs

flows up nourishing and moistening thetongue, hence, the condition of thetongue can mirror the state of Zang-Fuorgans.


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What tongue examinationcan do

Tongue invariably reflects

The state of Yin-Yang and Qi-blood.

The nature of the pathogenicfactor

The progression and regression of

the disease

The degree of heat and cold

The depth of the pathogenpenetration


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Relationship between tongue andZang-Fu organs


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Method for observing thetongue

Natural light shining directly intopatients mouth.

Because of inadequate lighting mayconfuse the vision and blur colordifferences

Tongue should be relaxed and naturalflat.

Tense protraction may deepen thecolor of the tongue and moisten thetongue surface

Something affecting the tongue shouldbe excluded.


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Content of tongueexamination

Tongue substance

Muscular body of the tongue

Tongue coat

Moss-like layer which covers thesurface of the tongue


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Normal tongue

proper in size,

light red in color,

free in motion,and with a thinmoss-like layer ofwhite coat over

the tonguesurface

which is neitherdry nor too moist.


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Tongue substance

Color

Form

Movement


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Color

Pale tongue

Red tongue

Crimson tongue

Purple tongue


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1.Pale tongue

a less thannormally light red

tongue,indicatesdeficiencysyndrome,

or cold syndromedue toinsufficiency of

Yang Qi.


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Because of deficiency, theinsufficiency of Qi and blood fail to

nourish the tongue, thus a paletongue occurs, or because the coldstagnates the meridians, the

tongue is also pale.


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The color of the tongue is just likepeople's complexion, will become pale

without the supply of nutrition.Since Yang Qi is weak and fails toproduce enough blood, it may result indeficiency of Qi and blood, and because

of the deficiency of Qi, the warmingaction is failure, so it will give rise tocold syndrome.


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2.Red tongue

An abnormallybright red tongue

Indicated variousheat syndrome.


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The color of redtongue like thefire, give us thesymbol of heat,

so it indicate heatsyndrome.
http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%BB%F0&in=26&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=25&rn=1


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3.Crimson tongue

It is more redthan red tongue

Indicates a severestage of febriledisease in whichpathogenic heat

factor hasintruded intonutrient blood.


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Purple tongue

Purple tongue ortongue withpurple spots

Indicatesstagnation of Qiand blood.


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After the trauma, the purplephenomenon will present in the bodysurface, prove some blood vessel or the

tissue is damaged, and thus causeblood not to run smoothly in the part.

And Purple tongue indicate thecirculation of Qi and blood unsmooth in

the body, so it is the stagnation of Qiand blood.


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Form

refers to the shape of the tonguebody.

Thickness Tenderness

Other morbid changes


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1.Enlargement tongue

The tongue bodyis enlarged andbecome biggerthan normal size.

Indicateddeficiency of

spleen Yang andkidney Yang.


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In the lesson of the state of Zang-Fu organs, we know that spleen

and kidney control watermetabolism.

If the function of spleen and kidney

are out of order, water retentionwill happen in the body, and reflectin the tongue, and make thetongue larger than normal state.


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2.Swollen red tongue

Indicatesdampness-heatbrewing, up-flowing of bloodwith cardiac heatand splenic heat,

or toxic heatpoisoning.


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red tongue and Enlargementtongue

Common: the size of tongue arebigger than normal tongue

Difference----color: the color of Enlargement tongue

is pale, it indicate cold syndrome

the color of Swollen red tongue isred, it indicate heat syndrome


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3.Thin and small tongue

Indicates the deficiency syndrome,including deficiency of Qi and blood,and deficiency of Yin.

+pale in color: indicates deficiency ofheart and spleen, insufficiency of Qiand blood.

+dry tongue with dark red color:damage to body fluids by exuberantfire of deficiency Yin.


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Without nutrition supply,everything in the body will become

smaller than normal stateincluding the tongue.

It indicate the deficiency of

syndrome.


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4.Fissured tongue

Indicatesdeficiency Yin


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Body fluid and blood are belong toYin humor

The fissured tongue mirror the Yindeficiency syndrome is same tothe earth without water

supplement.
http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=0&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%B8%C9%BA%D4&in=20&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=19&rn=1


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5.Prickled tongue

Indicates heat inthe relative Zang-Fu organs.

Tip-heart and lung

Side-liver andgallbladder


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The bearing of the tongue(movement)

Flaccid tongue

Stiff tongue

Wagging tongue

Trembling tongue

Wry tongue

Contraction tongue

Numbness tongue


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1.Flaccid tongue

Weak tongueunable toprotrude and curl,

a sign of extremedeficiency of Qiand blood, orconsumption of

Yin fluid.It is like the limbscant movewithout nutrition

supply.


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2.Stiff tongue

That is difficult tomove

Seen in case ofapoplexy


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3.Wagging tongue

Marked bysticking out thetongue long andrelaxed, orextending it outand drawing it

back frequently,or licking aroundthe lips as in thecase of febrile

diseases.

Indicatesexcessive heat inthe heart andspleen or anomen ofconvulsion and

poor mentaldevelopmentinfants


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4.Trembling tongue

The tongue keeptremblingunvoluntarily.

Deficiency of bothQi and blood


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5.Wry tongue

The tonguereclines to oneside.

Indicatesapoplexy or theomen of

apoplexy.


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6.Contraction tongue

Contraction means a retractedtongue unable to extend is a

critical sign in most cases.It may be caused either by asevere damage to Yin fluid by

extreme heat, or by coldcongealing the tendons and veins,or by stagnation of phlegm-damp.


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7.Numbness tongue

Numb and notfree inmovement.

Indicates the liverwind stirs and itmay carry thephlegm upward,mostly attributedto blood

deficiency.


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Tongue coat

Health: thin andslightly whitetongue coat.

Is due to upwardfuming of gastricQi


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Color of tongue coat

Morbid changes of tongue coatare categorized as

White Yellow

Grey

Black

in color


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2.Yellow color

Interior syndrome

Heat syndrome

When the pathogenicfactor has developedfrom exterior tointerior, and that it

has transformed intoheat.


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As we know, the food will becomeyellow when they are cooked by

fire, from this sense, yellow coatindicate heat syndrome.


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3.Grey color

Interior syndrome

Heat or cold-

damp


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4.Black tongue

Interior syndrome

Extreme heat or

extreme coldIt may bedevelopmentfrom grey coat or

burned yellowcoat.


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Conclusion

the more color

the more interior syndrome


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The form of tongue coat

Glossy

Dry

Thick

Thin

Unclean

Peeling


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1.Thin and thick

Thin tongue coat :the underlyingtongue surfacecan be seenfaintly.

Indicates minor

case with thepathogen in theexterior


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1.Thin and thick

Thick tongue coat:cover the tonguesurface fully.

Indicates thepathogen is enteringmore interior, thecase more severe;

retention of phlegm-water, or turbiddamp, oraccumulation ofindigested food.


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Application

Examining the thickness of tongue coatmay help to diagnose the severity of theprimary stage, the progression or

regression of disease.Generally speaking, at the primarystage, the tongue coat is mostly thin,indicates a minor case with the

pathogen in the exterior.Whereas a thick coat indicates thepathogen is entering more interior, thecase more severe, retention of phlegm-

water, or turbid damp, or accumulation


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If the tongue coat thickens, themorbid condition is advancing

If the tongue coat thins, themorbid condition is improving


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2.Glossy and dry

Glossy tonguecoat: surface oftongue contains

too much waterthat can even dripdown whenshowing the

tongue.Indicates damp-phlegm retention,or cold-damp

accumulation.


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2.Glossy and dry

Dry tongue coat: thetongue surface is dryand looks rough.

Indicates damage toYin fluid byexuberant heat ascan be seen inexogenous heat

syndrome, or failureof fluid to reach theupper body becauseof Yang deficiency.


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Application

Glossy

Because of too

much water

Dry

Because of too

little water

The morbid condition of bodyfluid is well reflected from glossy

and dry tongue coat


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3.Greasy and dreggy

Greasy tongue coat:the tongue surfacecovered with a stickygrainy coat which isfairy thick andslippery and not easyto scrub if off.

Indicates laten

phlegm-damp,failure of Yang Qi todisperse turbiddamp, retention ofphlegm-water,

warmth damp


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3.Greasy and dreggy

Dreggy tongue coat:more thick and softwith bigger granular

looks like bean curddregs, very easy toscrub it off.

Indicates stagnation

of food in thestomach, turbid Qisteaming upwards,accumulation ofphlegm-damp.


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Peeling coat

Peeling coat appearspeeling interspersedin the tongue

surface.Indicates both thestomach Yin andstomach Qi are

impaired.The coat come fromthe upward fumingof gastric Qi.

why tongue can reflect the zang-fu organs

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