What should a normal person's tongue look like

The tongue is a very important organ in our human body. Our tongue can not only sense taste but also help us eat. In addition, the tongue is also related to our language, so we must protect our tongue well. We find that the tongue is sometimes white, sometimes red, and sometimes even yellowish. So what should a normal person's tongue look like?

There are many tiny lingual papillae on the back of the tongue: filiform papillae, fungiform papillae, circumflex papillae and foliate papillae. Except for the filiform papillae, the other three types have taste receptors - taste buds. Taste buds are oval bud-shaped and consist of supporting cells and taste bud cells. They have taste pores extending to the surface of the tongue, which can sense the taste of food in the mouth. Taste buds in different parts of the body can sense four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. The front of the tongue is sensitive to saltiness, the back of the tongue is sensitive to sourness, the root of the tongue is most sensitive to bitterness, and the tip of the tongue is sensitive to sweetness. Different tastes serve as signals for human life activities: sweetness is a signal that calories are needed; sourness is a signal that metabolism is accelerated and food is spoiled; saltiness is a signal that helps maintain fluid balance; bitterness is a signal that protects the body from harmful substances; and umami is a signal of the source of protein.

A healthy tongue looks like this: the tongue itself should be light red and moist, and the tongue coating should be thin, white, and even. The widest part of the tongue should not exceed the width of the corners of the mouth when it is stretched out; of course, a too thin tongue should not be considered cute. Stick your tongue out of your mouth. It shouldn't feel too dry or too wet.

An unhealthy tongue may have the following symptoms:

1. Red tongue: refers to a brighter red tongue than normal, which is usually caused by a hot constitution.

2. Dark red tongue: refers to the tongue that is dark red, and may even have bruises and ecchymosis on it, which is mostly caused by blood stasis.

3. Pale tongue: refers to the tongue color losing its normal pink color, or even being a little pale, which is mostly a sign of deficiency.

In the above article, we introduced the importance of tongue to the human body. Once there is a problem with our tongue, it will cause us a lot of trouble, so in the above article we have given you a popular science introduction to what a normal person's tongue should look like.