Your tongue can tip you off as to the state of your general health.
1. RED, INFLAMED TONGUE
A tongue with inflamed papillae, often called a “strawberry tongue”, can be a sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency. A dry, red, raw inflamed tongue may be due to a lack of vitamin B3 and protein. “The darker the red, the deeper the heat penetrating the body,” says Dr Robert Cran of The Chinese Medicine Practice. “Red is due to heat or fever, and scarlet reflects significant injury to fluids. There could be an immunity problem (ulcers also signify this) or simply a reaction to spicy food. Purple means blood stagnation, due to either cold or heat,” he says.
REMEDY Increase your vitamin B intake and eat goji berries.
2. FURRY TONGUE
When there is a thick coating of fur on the tongue, the mucous membranes have thickened as a result of fever. Inflammatory problems of the throat are often accompanied by this coating. According to Chinese medicine, a thick, furry tongue indicates an accumulation of dampness and phlegm in the digestive system. If it feels greasy and thick, dampness and cool phlegm are predominant. If only one side of the tongue is coated, it may indicate a bad tooth on that side.
REMEDY A Chinese remedy for cold dampness is rice soup with aduki beans and barley, or a grain known as Job’s Tears, available from a Chinese pharmacy. Add fresh ginger to cooking.
3. COLOURED TONGUE
The tongue can be white, brown or even black, from bacteria, food particles and dead cells which accumulate due to reduced saliva flow. Fevers of all sorts are associated with a colour-coated tongue, and it often accumulates until the tongue is covered with a thick mass of brown in the centre and yellow towards the edges. In Chinese medicine, an absence of a coating signifies a deficiency of Yin, which means a lack of fluids in the body, says Cran. White is normal but if it’s thick, it could indicate cold dampness building up in the digestive system. A darkening tongue indicates internal heat or fever in the body.
REMEDY For internal heat avoid all spicy food. Eat room temperature watermelons every day, or a tea made of mung beans.
4. PALE, SWOLLEN TONGUE
According to Black’s Medical Dictionary (A&C Black Ltd), when the tongue is large and pale in colour, and has tooth mark indentations along the sides, the body is generally in a weak state. Dr Cran says that a swollen tongue means fluid is being retained by the body, or that the kidneys or spleen are not functioning well.
REMEDY Boost your immune system with vitamins, keep warm and avoid vigorous exercise. To warm the spleen and boost energy levels, use ginger, including the peel, and cinnamon bark in your cooking.
5. CRACKED TONGUE
A thick, white or brown cracked tongue coating can signify constipation or obstruction of the bowels. According to Chinese medicine, certain parts of the body are represented on the tongue. “You can determine the part of the body with a deficiency depending on where the cracks are on the tongue: the middle is the stomach, front the lungs and or heart, and the back is the kidneys,” explains Cran.
REMEDY Eat three meals per day, and eat calmly. Use well-cooked asparagus in your cooking. Make rice soup with adenophora or ophiopogonis tuber, available from a Chinese pharmacy.
6. PATCHY TONGUE
A tongue with white patches interspersed with red areas is known as a “geographical tongue” while other parts usually have no or very little coating. This occurs when the mucous membrane of the tongue peels off. It usually represents a substantial deficiency in the deep interior with excess elsewhere, typically the stomach and spleen, says Cran. It is usually associated with digestive disorders, lack of vitamin B or irritation from food.
REMEDY Avoid spicy foods. Eat three hot meals per day and avoid cold and raw foods. In this way you will continue to support your immune system with healthy eating patterns which will nourish the body.
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