What Your Tongue Tells You About Your Health

Your tongue can actually “talk” to you about your health, particularly the health of your all-important thyroid gland. The tongue is one of the most important diagnostic areas.

What makes the tongue such a great diagnostic tool?

Your tongue – containing water, electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes – is a very sensitive organ, and its appearance changes with many physical changes in the body.The tongue is a “map” of the internal body. Like the face, the tongue is divided into five-elements. These five elemental parts are linked to the various internal organs. The colour and different parts of the tongue can also help reveal the source of the illness.

The size of the tongue and its coating by saliva can be used to reveal the cardiovascular condition of the heart. When the coating of the tongue is thick, it is a sign of the digestive system going off balance. Tongue size in relation of the mouth may indicate inflammation or swelling of the body. A purplish tinge in the tongue indicates blockages in the body.

The tongue is related to the five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and spicy. Each represents: Earth-Stomach, Wood-Liver, Fire-Heart, Water-Kidney and Metal-Lung respectively.

By understanding the interactions of the five elements, we can use the countering cycle of the Five Elements to help strengthen the weaknesses in our organs. When we have a liver related problem such as gall bladder stone or related to nervous system, we should avoid spicy food. When it is a heart related problem such as weak heart or cardiovascular condition, we must cut down on salty food and lower our liquid intake. Perhaps heart patients need to take life ‘with a pinch of salt’. For a stomach related issue such as constipation, avoid sour intake. This helps to lessen our uptightness and anger. A kidney patient must avoid sweets as water element is countered by the earth element and for lung related problem, stay away from bitter food. The lung as a metal element is countered by fire element of the bitter taste.

The taste buds naturally adjust to balance what is lacking in our organs. When our five organs are in good condition, we will not indulge in any one particular flavor.

Get in front of the mirror and look at your tongue right now. The tip exhibits the fire element; behind the tongue tip is the metal element; both right and left sides the wood element; in the center towards the back is the earth element; and the very back of your tongue is the water element. Now that you know what element is where, how do you translate what your tongue is telling you?

Signs and symptoms

Here is what you want to see: A normal tongue should be pink, muscular without tooth marking or discoloration, and have a very thin clear coating that exhibits proper salivary secretions. Monitor your evolving health level by noticing color, shape, and coating changes in specific zones.

Tongue Color: When the color becomes deeper — going from pale to scarlet to purple — it means that there is increasing heat in the body. Heat may mean inflammation, infection, or hyperactivity of the organ network. When the tongue’s color becomes lighter — from pink to pale to paper white — it indicates cold, which can mean anemia, pathogenic cold factor, or low energy and function of the corresponding organ network. Patients with low immune system function, sometimes due to chemotherapy or chronic fatigue syndrome, may exhibit a pale tongue indicating low energy.

Tongue Coating: The thickness and color of the coating, or a lack of coating, can indicate different issues. When the coat of your tongue becomes thick, it is frequently a sign of imbalance in the digestive system. When the coat turns thick and cruddy, it generally points to decreased immune system with Candida (yeast infection). When the coat turns yellow, it often signals infection or inflammation in the body. A peeling coat is usually a sign of damage or weakening to certain systems of the body.

You can further diagnose underlying problems by analyzing the regions of your tongue; these show you which organ network is affected.

1. Tip of Tongue

Fire: Cardiovascular System

The fire element zone, which corresponds to the heart-small intestine network, is located at the tip of the tongue. This includes matters of the heart, both emotions and the physical health. Stress and anxiety will show up as red color and red dots on the tip of the tongue. Increasing heat signs means hyperactivity in the heart network due to stress and tension.

2. Sides of  Tongue

Wood: Liver Network

The sides of your tongue display the wood element. Teeth markings on the sides of the tongue usually mean stagnant energy in the liver network. You may also notice a bluish-green or purplish hue or spots in this zone. Dark spots may indicate more serious problems.

3. Behind the Tip of the Tongue

Metal: Respiratory and Immune System

The band-like area across the tongue and just behind the tip is the metal element zone, which corresponds to the respiratory and the immune systems. When this area turns reddish, or when red pin-sized dots occur, it usually means a respiratory infection is on its way or is settling into the body. Paleness in the metal zone may reflect a weakened immune system. In rare fungal infections of the lungs, there may appear a brownish black coating over this zone.

4. Center of the Tongue

Earth: Digestive System

This area is the earth element zone, and it is related to the stomach-spleen-pancreas network. Problems of the digestive system most often show up here in the center of the tongue.  GERD -  stomach and esophagus acid reflux that keeps many people awake at night -  may be seen with redness and a yellowish coating in the center of the tongue. Subtle changes in this area may indicate digestive problems that have not surfaced yet; observe this area and take prophylactic steps if necessary.

5. Back of your tongue

Water: Kidney-Bladder Network

The back of the tongue reflects many of the body’s functions, but is mainly the domain of the water element, or kidney-bladder network, which includes the hormonal system and sexual glands. The two large, elevated papilla on the back of the tongue are a normal part of the taste buds. What you should look for is color and coating. For example, a thick yellow coating at the back-center of the tongue in females indicate that they are very likely to get a bladder infection. It is recommended – in this case – to immediately start drinking 8 to 12 glasses of filtered water a day, take 5,000 mg of vitamin C, and to drink cranberry juice or take its extract. Many physicians say that this regimen will typically help prevent a bladder infection.

~Thanks to Healthy Palates