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Why Are You Looking At My Tongue?

One of the questions I hear most often in the treatment room is: Why do you look at my tongue? It can seem a little strange in our modern world, but in Chinese medicine, the tongue is like a window into what’s happening inside your body.

Thousands of years ago, when Chinese medicine was developing, practitioners didn’t have labs, blood tests, or imaging scans. Instead, they became master observers — listening deeply to what patients said and paying close attention to what the body revealed. The tongue, along with the pulse and the complexion, has always been one of these vital clues.

What do we see when we look at your tongue?

In Chinese medicine, different areas of the tongue reflect different organ systems. Its color, shape, coating, and any unusual features all give insight into how your body is functioning. Ideally, a healthy tongue looks like that of a young child: pale red, with a thin white coating and a smooth, rounded shape.

When we’re not at our healthiest, the tongue starts to show it:

• Redness: A red tongue body suggests heat. Redness at the tip might mean a cold is brewing (heat in the lung) or that you’re feeling stressed and restless (heat in the heart).
• Pale or white tongue: This often points to blood deficiency or overall weakness — you might feel tired or low in energy.
• Swollen or puffy tongue (sometimes with toothmarks): This indicates dampness or sluggish fluid metabolism, which can show up as bloating or fluid retention.
• Cracks: Like dry, cracked earth, tongue cracks mean your body’s nourishing fluids are depleted. You may feel hot at night or notice dryness in your skin and eyes.
• Thick coating: A thick or greasy tongue coating suggests dampness — think of it like internal sludge — often linked to digestive issues.

Take a look at this tongue:

Tongue image

Notice how the tip is red with tiny red dots? The back has a thicker, slightly yellowish coating, and the edges look a little swollen, with possible toothmarks. Even without asking the patient a single question, I might suspect she’s experiencing heat and perhaps some digestive dampness.

A simple daily practice

I encourage my patients to peek at their tongue every morning before brushing their teeth. Get to know what it usually looks like and watch for changes. It’s an easy, insightful way to check in with how you’re feeling.

Listening to your body’s messages, and learning how to interpret those messages is key to long lasting health. Technology is wonderful, but it can’t replace the wisdom we gain when we pause, look, and listen to what our body is telling us.

Interested in learning more? Here’s a helpful resource to further explore: Sacred Lotus Chinese Medicine Tongue Diagnosis

Happy tongue gazing!

Julie