Tongue Analysis:
| Tongue Colour: Normal colour is pale - red. | |||
| Pale: | Deficiency of Yang or deficiency of Blood. If a Yang deficiency, tongue will be swollen and slightly wet. If a blood deficiency, tongue will be somewhat dry. | ||
| Red: | Always indicates heat. If predominately on the tip = Heart. If predominately on the sides = Liver or Gall Bladder. | ||
| Purple: | Stasis of Blood, circulation disorder. | ||
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| Tongue Shape: |  | ||
| Thin: | Indicates either a Blood or Yin deficiency and a chronic condition. | ||
| Swollen: | Indicates retention of fluids. | ||
| Long: | Indicates a tendency to Heat in the Heart. | ||
| Short: | If pale and wet = Interior Cold (Yang deficiency). If red and peeled = Interior Heat (Yin deficiency). | ||
| Cracks: | Indicate either Heat or a Yin deficiency: Short, horizontal indicates Stomach Yin deficiency. Long, deep midline reaching to the tip indicates a Heart disharmony. Shallow, midline, not reaching tip, indicates a Stomach Yin deficiency. Short, transverse on sides of middle, indicates a Spleen Qi deficiency. | ||
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| Tongue Coating: A thin, white coating is normal and indicates that the stomach is digesting properly. | |||
| Thick: | Indicates the presence of a pathogenic factor. | ||
| None: | Often called "peeled". Indicates a Stomach or Kidney Yin deficiency. If peeled and red all over, indicates deficient Kidney Yin. | ||
| White: | Indicates Cold (Yang deficiency). | ||
| Yellow: | Indicates Heat (Yin deficiency). | ||
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| Moisture: A normal tongue is slightly wet. | |||
| Wet: | Indicates a Yang Qi deficiency. | ||
| Dry: | Indicates a Yin Qi deficiency. | ||
| Slippery: | Or sticky, indicates retention of dampness. | ||
