Open Up & Say AHHHH: Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

Chances are that when you go to acupuncture, you’ll be asked to stick out your tongue.  👅 I’m going to try to make this pretty general, just so you get the gist of why this is important. 

Tongues in TCM tell a lot about a person.  They especially show what’s happening on the inside; meaning the state of your internal organs.  There are several zones of the tongue and each zone represents different organs.  The picture I’m posting is not my favorite, but it gives a decent enough map of how tongue diagnosis in Chinese Medicine works.

Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

Aspects of the tongue that your acupuncturist is noting:  color, moisture level, cracks, size, shape and coating (as well as the color of the coating).  Even your ability (or inability) to stick your tongue out gives an indication as to the state of your body.  All of these things are important and help lead to your Eastern Medicine diagnosis.    

So many things can affect our tongues including our overall health, stress levels, mood, any medicines that we take and obviously, what we’ve eaten recently.  Hint:  if you’re going to acupuncture, best not to suck on that blue raspberry jolly rancher beforehand. 😂

In TCM-land, brushing your tongue is considered a no-no as it removes the tongue’s natural coat.  But as most people in the West tend to brush their tongues, we’ll do our best to figure it out.

So don’t be put off by sticking out your tongue at your next acupuncture appointment; try to enjoy it with kid-like vigor.  It is the most objective way to see the inside of our body.  Think of it like a much quicker and less jarring MRI. 🩻