Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis is an ancient proven process to do a health check on the human body.
In this article, you will discover how you can diagnose your health by having a regular check on your tongue.
Also, I will tell you about all the types of disorders that may affect your tongue and what they are.
Does your tongue have some coating? Does that coat have some color? Does your tongue appear red or yellow or green? Or, is it imprinted with marks?
Yes? Then this article will help you know what these issues are about.
Table of Contents
Tongue Diagnosis : What Does It Reveal About Health
The shape of your health can be easily figured out from your external conditions. You must have seen how the doctor examines your eyes, nails, skin, and tongue while diagnosing your illness.
This is because; these things can easily reflect your inner health conditions. Ayurveda says how your tongue acts like a systematic diagnostic element for your health.
Often, your tongue can give you the exact idea of how your health is building up or demolishing. In most of the cases, a medical practitioner can say what is bothering you, looking at your tongue.
It is said that your tongue is the map of your body. Science tells how the appearance of your tongue can draw your complete health sketch.
According to it,
- The tip of your tongue will represent the upper part of your body and,
- The base of your tongue will stand for the lower part of your body.
The color of the tongue every morning can also tell you a lot about your health. You must always keep a check on the conditions of your tongue to make sure you are safe and healthy.
Your tongue may tell you about the following aspects of your body:
- The health of the various organs.
- Nutrition mal-absorption.
- Thyroid related issues.
- The health of your spine.
- The presence of toxins in your blood, etc.
To cut down a long story, we can conclude that the tongue plays a major role in keeping an eye on your health.Let us have a more descriptive understanding of the topic.
How Shall A Perfect Tongue Be Like?
- How Shall A Perfect Tongue Be Like
Your tongue is like a get way to your health. Your inner self can be easily depicted by the help of your tongue.
It is important for you to understand that the tongue has a close relationship with our main constitution. And it is common in every human being.
Talking of a healthy and perfect tongue, it flashes the three basic constitutions:
Vata: The Vata constitution talks about how thin, small, rough or dry is your tongue. In this, your tongue will tend to attain the mentioned characteristics.
Pitta: The Pitta talks of the redness of your tongue along with the medium size and light dryness of the tongue.
Kapha: Here, in the case of the Kapha, the tongue will be comparatively larger and fuller. Also, the tongue appears to be lightly pink in color and mild wet.
These are the basic composition traits of your tongue. But, every other individual can have a different tongue. They may vary because of the variations in the constituents.
Depending on the differences, let us see the various points that a perfect tongue may possess.
- Your tongue should be pink in color and not pale or red. This color should be universal throughout your tongue. This means that your entire tongue should be of one color on a whole.
- Your tongue consists of small cylindrical bodies called the taste buds. These taste buds situated on your tongue must be easily visible.
- Your tongue should neither be very dry nor too wet.
- There shall not be any cracks in it. It should be smooth.
- Your tongue must possess a very thin coat of mucus lining it. Yes, it is normal and a must.
- The sides of your tongue should not have teeth marks imprinted on them.
Here, I have laid down a gist for you about the perfect tongue. Now, let me tell you more about the abnormalities linked with it.
Types Of Tongue Abnormalities
How you would know you have a perfect tongue. Now, we will discuss some of the different types of issues that cause problems.
Listed below are some of the abnormalities that your tongue is prone to suffer from.
1.Tongue Coating
If you take a good look at your tongue, you may notice that you have a slimy coating on it. Now, this coat can be on some particular area of your tongue, or it may even be widespread.
I want to make this clear that I am not talking about the mucus lining of your tongue here. This tells us two things.
The coating on your tongue is an indication of the presence of toxins in your body. I already stated that the tongue is the map of one’s body.
Thus, the coating on various parts of the tongue can tell you which body organ is to be taken care of. If the coating is present all across your tongue, then it means that your blood stream is intoxicated.
The second stage that you may take into consideration is when then coat turns out to have a color. This usually will let you know about the “doshas.” The particular color obtained by your tongue will tell you where the lack is and what the dosha is.
- If the color is gray, black or brown, then you can conclude it to be a Vata Dosha.
- If the color is red, orange, yellow or green, then it means you have Pitta Dosha.
- And finally, if you have an entirely white coat then it illustrates Kapha Dosha.
It is a benefit to know which dosha are you having. This is because each of them needs to be dealt separately. You can have a better chance of cure if the dosha can be identified.
2.Imbalances
a. Vata Imbalance
Check if you have a pale, small, shaky and thin tongue that appears to dry easily with multiple cracks on it.
If you have these symptoms, then you can sum up and say that you have a vata imbalance in your system. You already know that the vata imbalance will give you a black hue to your tongue.
This will prove its existence by many ailments like anxiety, fear, restlessness, insomnia, tension and digestive disturbances. This, usually, affects the colon area of your tongue and can be easily identified.
b. Pitta Imbalance
If you have a sharp and pointy tongue which is medium sized and is much red in color, then you have a “Pitta tongue”.
You may also witness red spots on the very tip of your tongue. This means that your blood comprises of excessive heat.
This imbalance will manifest as skin disorders, psychological imbalances, digestive issues, headaches, and inflammation. The imbalance can appear as a green, yellow or orange coating on your tongue.
c. Kapha Imbalance
A broad, thick and heavy tongue will mean that you have “Kapha imbalance.” Here, the tongue may appear to be entirely pale. The tongue may be swollen, and you may have thick saliva.
It usually disturbs the kidneys, the lungs, and the stomach. Few of the symptoms of the imbalance are grief, sadness, depression, laziness, excessive sleep and slow metabolism rate, impaired digestion, and weight gain.
3. Teeth Marks On The Sides Of Your Tongue
Talking of tongue abnormalities, this is one of the most common disorders. You can notice it in almost every second individual.
The presence of teeth marks is evident in many human beings. This disorder says that your body is not able to absorb the essential nutrients. It is known as malabsorption.
It occurs due to poor digestion, consumption of food that may lead to allergies, intake of toxins, parasitic disorders and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. As per studies, the marks left by the teeth should go away once the disorder is removed.
However, you may also notice that the marks are left behind even after the problem is met. In such cases, it is mostly due to a swollen tongue from inflammation.
4. Cracks
a. Vertical Cracks Running Down The Center Region
A vertical line running down your tongue can tell you a lot about the health of your spine. A crack in the center of your tongue is an indication of having a stressed spine. The tip of your tongue tells you about the cervical region of your spine.
In the other hand, the base of your tongue will give you an idea about the lumbar region of your spine. Wherever may the crack be, but this will mark a possibility of a cracking spine. This may lead to pain and tension along with misalignment of the spine.
b.Cracks All Over The Tongue
If you have cracks all across your tongue, you have a chronic Vata imbalance. Those cracks are signs, which tell that your body is prone to nervous system disorders. If these cracks are only in a particular area of your tongue, then it says that only a particular organ is infected.
You must look into the remedies of the issue. Once the problem is met, the cracks will eventually go away.
5. Swollen Tongue
A swollen tongue can be a result of some undesired food intake in your body. Another reason for the swollen tongue can be the Kapha imbalance. This can lead to hyperthyroidism.
6. Sinking Of The Center Of Your Tongue
The center of your tongue draws the character sketch of your heart. If something is bothering you and you have a heavy heart, then the center of your tongue can show it.
Grief, sadness or some depression are few of the reasons that can lead to a scooping center of your tongue. This can also mean that you have excessive heat in your blood with the presence of systemic toxins in it.
This will be reflected on your tongue by the presence of red spots or marks along the edges.
7. Red Raised Papillae
If you have large heat issues on your system, then your tongue is sure to have red dots all across it. This is called the Pitta dosha.
This means that the plasma and blood have an excessive amount of heat in it. You may also witness that your tongue has gone red by its edges. This also tells the same.
This may lead to improper bowel movements, hyperacidity, stomach or oral ulcers, headache and irritation. Though it is one of the most noticeable disorders, however, it may be mistaken for a change of climate or mood.
You must seek for proper measures for it. One of which is by balancing your Pitta. A proper diet can help you achieve it.
8. Pale Tongue
A pale tongue marks the sign of an immense small number of red blood cells. This may also be a sign of anemia.
Apart from this, acute loss of blood from your system can also lead to a pale tongue. Heavy loss of blood due to menses or some injury may play a role in this.
You may also suffer from a pale tongue if you have nutritional deficiencies. Deficiencies like that of iron and vitamin B12 usually leads to this.
Parasitical infections, rheumatoid arthritis, inefficient circulation, ulcers, and autoimmune diseases can be some of the other causes.
8. Smooth And Moist Tongue With Redness Or Paleness
A red, smooth and wet tongue represents the presence of excessive acid in your stomach.
This will lead to irritation due to which your taste buds will try to escape it. They usually do this by hiding themselves.
Due to this, the tongue appears smooth and moist. The moist tongue points towards the high mucus secretion in your stomach and intestines. It is done so that the inner lining of these organs can be saved due to the irritation caused.
If you see your tongue is smooth and wet but pale, then know you have irritated intestines. This is due to the stress on your tongue.
Here again, the taste buds will try to protect themselves by hiding. Thus, the tongue will appear smooth. The wetness is due to the same reason. But, the paleness is a cause of the termination of acids in your stomach.
Food That May Helps Your Ill Tongue
The tongue abnormalities I just talked about are caused by few deficiencies in your body. Issues like:
- blood deficiency
- blood stagnation
- different forms of yin and yang deficiencies
- dampness and heat-related disorders
Are some of the reasons that can lead to various tongue abnormalities.
Being healthy is not tough. It just takes a bit of effort and proper knowledge of the things you eat.
Here, is a list of food that can help you stay healthy and thus, fight those tongue related issues.
-
Food For Yang Deficiency And Excess Heat Yang
- Coriander leaf juice
- Dry ginger
- Watermelon
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Soya milk
- Cinnamon bark
- Barley
- Walnuts
- Seaweed
- Cloves
- Mung beans
- Lamb
Food For Qi Deficiency
- Grapes and dates
- Sweet potato
- Malt and rice
- Chicken and beef
Food For Blood Deficiency And Blood Stagnation
- Red grapes
- White pepper, Cayenne, Nutmeg
- Raspberries
- Egg yolk
- Chicken and red meat
- Liver
- Leeks and Chives
- Vinegar
- Ginger and garlic
- Aubergine
- Butter
- Rice
- Basil and rosemary
Food For Deficient Yin Deficiency
- Asparagus
- Pears
- Seaweed
- Wheat
- Rice
- Grapes
- Banana
- Tofu
- Green beans
Food For Excess Cold
- Onions, leeks, and chives
- Cinnamon bark, cloves, cumin, chili, pepper, and ginger
- Oats
- Walnuts and dates
- Parsnip
- Chicken, lamb, and beef
- Anchovy
- Trout
- Citrus Peel
Food Which Reduces Dampness
- Parsley
- Barley
- Mushrooms
- Grapefruit
- Corn
- Broad beans
- Hops
How Shall You Take Care Of Your Tongue?
To prevent any downs with your health, there have always been some measures. You can prevent the occurrence of any disease or disorder if you know what is to be done.
Similarly, you can also take care of your tongue by few simple steps. Regular scraping of your tongue can give you a healthy and clean tongue.
Following is the list of benefits that are accompanied with regular scraping:
- Eliminates and keeps a check on the growth of oral bacteria. This helps to the health of your gum and teeth.
- Reduces the occurrences of sulfur compounds that may lead to bad breath.
- Helps the taste buds to perform better. This happens by increasing the effectiveness of the taste and digestion.
- Reduces putrefaction.
- Reduces the accumulation of toxins and thus prevents bad breath.
Conclusion
Your tongue can tell you so much about your health. Keeping a regular eye on your tongue can help you stay fit. It should be one of your priorities to fix those issues if discovered.
Again, having a regular check on your tongue can help you fix your health issues at the very initial stage. You must remember to eat healthily and keep your tongue clean.
Try to be consistent about checking your tongue. It can give you a complete diagnosis of your health.
