Article courtesy of BCHA Professional RHT member Dr. N.K. Dutta.
Ayurveda –an ancient science- has drawn a wonderful picture of the human body. Our body speaks about our body problems. But we have to understand it. In this article, I will talk about tongue diagnosis. Our tongue is not just an organ of taste, it is a tool of diagnosis. Along with pulse, nail, skin and face analysis, tongue diagnosis is an ancient proven process to do a health check of the human body.
The tongue is called a mirror of our inner system. Our tongue never lies and clearly indicates if your body is accumulating toxins, food is indigested and indication of any disorder. Vata dosha condition can normally be observed at the back of the tongue and is associated with the state of the colon. Pitta dosha condition can be observed in the middle portion of the tongue and is associated with the stomach and small intestines. The sides of the tongue relate to the liver and many pitta imbalances can be seen here. Kapha dosha condition can be observed in the front portion and is associated with the lungs, chest and heart.
Tongue helps to diagnose how harmonized the dosha is, or whether it is out of balance. Divide the tongue into three parts (33.3% each); the inner part near the throat is vata, middle is pitta, and the outer tip is kapha. Excessive tongue coating in any of these specific areas shows imbalance of that dosha. The 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. Our tongue consists of small cylindrical bodies called the taste buds. These taste buds situated on your tongue must be easily visible. Tongue should neither be very dry nor too wet. There shall not be any cracks in it. It should be smooth and must possess a very thin coat of mucus lining. It is normal and a must.
If you see a whitish coating, that is a sign of ama, which means there are toxins in the digestive system. We can get ama for a number of reasons, but mainly because we have weak agni. Agni is our digestive fire and there is plenty that we can do during our daily routine to keep agni strong. Think about wanting to do a detox but have difficult thinking of a strong enough incentive. In this case, imagining that your colon could be full of material that doesn’t belong there, spreads toxins into your blood, makes you sluggish, your skin greyish and your head foggy might be the push you were waiting for. Take a break from heavy, oily and processed foods. Beside whitish tongue, redness indicates that there is too much heat in the body. This redness suggests that digestion might be too hot, therefore burning the food before it gets absorbed to become nutrients. Cracks on the tongue, means a vata derrangement. This could be due to dehydration or not enough oils in the diet. Trembling tongue is a sign of anxiety or fear and indicates a possible vata disturbance. We live in such a high stress society that anxiety can crawl over you without you even being aware of it. It might even be your permanent state and you are so used to it that you can’t tell the difference. Can’t remember the last time you woke up rested and excited to start your day? Take a break from caffeine and nourish your nervous system with warm, easy to digest light soups and bean dishes. Teeth marks on the side of the tongue is a sign of ama in the colon and/or unabsorbed nutrients. Teeth imprints around the contour of the tongue shows malabsorption of nutrients. It means the digestive system is not very happy.
If the coating is grey, black or brown, you can assume accumulation of vata toxins and vata imbalance. If the coating is yellow, orange, red, green, it indicates pitta toxins and pitta imbalances. If the coating is whitish in color, it is kapha toxins and correlates to kapha imbalance. If there is swelling on a tongue is the indicator of inflammation in the body. The location of swelling may vary and correlates to the inflammation of organ on that area. This can also reveal a kapha imbalance such as fluid retention, allergic reaction, obesity, hypothyroidism, etc. Swollen tongue may need more investigation and thorough examination. It is very common to see red dots on the surface of your tongue, which represents the heat or pitta energy in the plasma and blood tissues. The density of red papillae may vary and correlates to the respective organ locations. The condition like high fever, hyper acidity, ulcers, and acidic reaction may cause red inflamed papillae on the top of the tongue.
Basically, your tongue is a muscular, vascular organ. The normal color of the tongue is red-pinkish. If the tongue is pale in color, it is a typical sign of low red blood cells, poor circulation or possibly anemia. This may happen due to low hemoglobin, excessive blood loss, iron/B12 deficiency, parasitic infection, or side effects of some drugs. Looking into the heart area of the tongue, if you find hollowness or scooping, it is an indicator of emotional imbalance like sadness, grief, or depression in the heart. This may stay longer and remain chronically, which can be known by the depth and prominence of the marks.
The information provided here is for awareness purpose only .Please check up with your Doctor or Health Provider about any problem in the body. Thanks have a healthy life.
About the Author: Dr. N.K. Dutta is an experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner having more than 35 years of experience in curing common and chronic diseases with the help of Ayurvedic Herbs. He is a Professional RHT member of the CHA of BC, a life member of the All India Ayurvedia Congress, a member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, the Eye Bank Association of India, and a life member of the Indian Red Cross Society (National Ayurvedic Medical Association).
Dr Dutta can be reached at his surrey, BC office: Dutta Health Care Centre
