Why Do Acupuncturists … Look at Your Tongue?

We’ve already talked about some surprising things your acupuncturist can tell about your body just by checking your pulse. But there’s one weird little quirk that’s also key to untangling your body’s mysteries: your tongue!

Your tongue gives us visible clues about your health, including your heart, body temperature, circulation and digestion. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the tongue is considered the pillar of a diagnosis, and it’s so reliable that what it tells us is actually more important than the information we get from your pulse. 

Kind of surprising, right? Here are some of the incredible things your tongue tells us. 

In a complicated illness, the tongue almost always reflects the basic and underlying condition. The area at the tip represents your heart, and just behind that shows the health of your lungs. The center of the tongue is reserved for the stomach and spleen, and the sides show the health of your gallbladder and liver. Finally, the very back represents your kidneys. 

So what are we looking for? Let’s start with color, which can show us whether you have too much heat in your body or pathological cold. If your tongue is bright red or has raised red spots on it, you have too much heat. If it’s too pale, you could have too little blood in your body. If it’s dusky, we’ll focus on circulation. And if it’s bluish, this one’s easy: You have too much cold. 

We also look at the shape and texture of your tongue. Here are some of the more common things we’re looking for and what they tell us. 

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