10 signs of health from the tongue that indicate a serious illness is coming

Sometimes when we go to see a doctor, the doctor will ask us to stick out our tongue. This shows that the tongue can indicate the health of the body. The tongue is the most flexible part of the mouth, and many diseases of the human body can also be manifested through the tongue, which is like a barometer of physical health.

The tongue can reflect human body diseases

1. [Too white tongue coating]

White tongue coating may appear in patients with water retention or phlegm in the body. It is clinically common in patients with certain pleural effusions, ascites, chronic nephritis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, etc., who have dampness or phlegm in the body, causing thick white or greasy tongue coating.

The tongue coating is too white, indicating dampness or phlegm accumulation in the body

From the perspective of modern medicine, it may be due to excessive saliva secretion in the mouth and increased sputum secretion in the trachea, which soften the keratinized cells or parakeratinized cells of the tongue, causing the cells to swell and not easily fall off; coupled with tongue tissue edema and lymphatic drainage disorders, the old keratinized cells on the tongue surface do not fall off while new keratinized cells accumulate, so the tongue is swollen and the tongue coating is thick and greasy white.

2. Yellow tongue coating

It is usually seen in the course of febrile diseases, indicating that the struggle between the evil and the righteous is very fierce, the disease has entered the interior, and the evil has turned into heat.

Yellow tongue coating is often seen in febrile diseases: yellow and greasy tongue coating is a manifestation of damp heat, and the main symptoms are in the liver and spleen. You also get thirsty easily, which also shows that it is a liver problem. It means that you have a strong liver fire and are prone to being irritable and losing your temper.

Yellow tongue coating indicates disease in the liver and spleen: Liver disease can affect the rise and fall of the spleen and stomach and the excretion of bile. Bad breath is caused by spleen and stomach imbalance, excessive stomach fire, and indigestion; bitter taste in the mouth is caused by bile excretion disorder.

In addition, the liver opens up to the eyes, and liver diseases usually cause dry eyes and decreased vision. You can take some medicine to nourish yin, strengthen the spleen and nourish the liver, and regulate the spleen, stomach and liver.

3. Black tongue coating

It is mainly caused by the proliferation and darkening of the filiform papillae of the tongue. There are different shades of brown, gray, charred, and even pitch black. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that if a patient has this kind of tongue coating, the illness must be of a long duration and the disease is complex and serious.

The nature of the black tongue coating is relatively complex and serious: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the black tongue coating is caused by extreme heat turning into fire. Some people with gastrointestinal problems are prone to cold and dampness, and their tongue coating will become thick and greasy. It is white at first and gradually turns yellow or black. Clinically, it has been found that some chronic diseases, such as uremia and malignant tumors, will also cause black tongue coating when the condition worsens. This is a sign of serious illness and you should go to the hospital to see a doctor in time.

The tongue coating turns black when a chronic disease worsens: Black coating may also appear when the mind is under high mental stress. Staying up late and smoking too much can easily cause black tongue. In addition, some foods, such as sour plums, black sesame paste, or medicines, such as compound licorice tablets and iron supplements, can easily dye the tongue coating black. This is only a temporary phenomenon and there is no need to worry.

4. Mirror tongue

That is, the tongue surface is free of coating and is as smooth as a mirror. In mild cases, it is due to malnutrition, or lack of iron or vitamin B2 in the body; in severe cases, it indicates a lack of body fluids and a serious illness.

A tongue as smooth as a mirror is also a disease: if the patient has been ill for a long time and the mirror tongue is crimson in color, sepsis should be prevented. If an elderly person's tongue is as smooth as a mirror and the two veins at the bottom of the tongue are thickened and elongated, it indicates cor pulmonale.

5. Stiff tongue

The tongue is neither swollen nor shrunk, but moves stiffly, losing its usual softness and flexibility. This is also called "tongue stiffness".

A stiff tongue is a more serious condition: "Strong tongue" is common in some more serious diseases, such as coma, convulsions, etc. In a few cases, the tongue becomes inflexible due to local factors on the tongue, such as severe tongue ulcers or the accumulation of thick, dry and hard coating on the tongue, but it is easy to distinguish it from tongue stiffness caused by central nervous system diseases.

6. Beef Tongue

That is, the tongue is dark red and the tongue coating is smooth and peeled like beef. Beef tongue is commonly seen in patients with pernicious anemia.

People who eat corn and sorghum for a long time are prone to niacin deficiency. Long-term niacin deficiency can lead to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

People with dark red tongue are prone to niacin deficiency: Foods rich in niacin include animal liver and kidney, lean meat, whole wheat products, beer, yeast, malt, fish, poultry, figs, and dried fruits such as peanuts.

Be careful when eating peanuts. People with yin deficiency and internal heat should not eat fried peanuts to avoid generating heat. Adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) when cooking corn can enhance the body's absorption and utilization of niacin.

7. Tongue pricking

It refers to the fact that there are many red thorns on the tongue protruding from the surface of the tongue, like the fruits of a mold. The appearance of prickly sensations on the tip or edge of the tongue indicates excessive heat, which can be seen in patients with various febrile infectious diseases or extensive burns.

Red thorns on the tongue are mostly caused by more severe heat toxicity or heat entering the blood: Red thorns appearing in the middle of the tongue are mostly caused by more severe heat toxicity or heat entering the blood, which can easily lead to shock and coma.

People who suffer from insomnia, constipation, or work stressfully at night, as well as those with vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, and cerebral cortex dysfunction, may also have red spots on the tongue.

8. Fissured tongue

The cracks on the tongue include deep cracks, shallow cracks, and cracks and wrinkles in different directions.

Cracks on the tongue surface should alert you to tongue atrophy: shallow cracks on the tongue surface are mainly due to atrophy of the tongue mucosa, while deep cracks are more serious tongue atrophy.

9. [tongue playing]

Repeatedly sticking the tongue out of the mouth and licking the lips is called tongue playing. Heat in the heart and spleen, precursors to wind movement or intellectual disability in children.

Heat in the heart and spleen, precursor of wind movement or mental retardation in children: The difference between sticking out the tongue and fiddling with the tongue is that the former can be stretched out but difficult to retract, while the latter can be stretched and retracted, but the tongue is repeatedly retracted and spit out.

10. [Trembling tongue]

Involuntary tremors occur when the tongue is extended, which is caused by hyperactivity of liver yang, excessive heat causing wind or qi deficiency.

The tongue trembles when it is extended, indicating hyperactivity of liver yang, excessive heat and wind. Due to hyperactivity of liver yang, excessive heat and wind, the tongue is often red. Due to qi deficiency, the tongue is often pale. Tongue tremors may be seen in high fever, hyperthyroidism, hypertension and certain neurological diseases.