Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

243 Pages·1995·20.87 MB·English

by  Giovanni Maciocia

Tongue Diagnosis
in Chinese Medicine
REVISED EDITION
Giovanni Maciocia
Eastland Press
SEATTLE
O 1987,1995 by Giovanni Maciocia
Published by Eastland Press, Incorporated,
P.O. Box 99749, Seattle, Washington 98199
All rights reserved.
No ]part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted ina my form or by any means
without the prior written pedsiona of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-61961
Internationad Standard Book Number: 0-939616-19-X
Printed inn the United States of America.
Book design by Catherine L. Nelson.
Bmsh calLipaphy by Kou Hoi-Yh.
The French and Dutch language editions of tltais book
are published by SATAS (IBelgi~~t~hne) ,G emm edition
by ML Verlag (Gemmy), md the Hmgdm edition
by k s E ditions 3.8.3 Pubhbg Ltd. (Hungary).
Fifth Printing, 2000
Contents
..
Preface .......................................................m zz
fireword ......................................................x ix
Acknowledgments ...............................................mci
1. History of Chinese Tongue Diagnosis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I
Waning States Period 1
Han Dynasty 2
Sui and Tang Dynasties 3
SongandJinDynasties 4
Yuan Dynasty 5
Ming and Qing Dynasties 5
Republic of China 7
People's Republic of China 7
-
2. Tongue Examination: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Western Anatomy of the Tongue 13
Tongue Diagnosis: Strengths and Wealmesses 14
Examining the Tongue 17
Effect of Medicines on the Tongue 17
Antibiotics 17
Corticosteroids 18
Bronchodilators 18
Diuretics 18
Anti-Inflammatory Agents 18
Antineoplastics 18
Aspects of Tongue Diagnosis 18
Vitality of Color, or Tongue Spirit 18
viii / TABLE OF CONTENTS
Body Color 19
Body Shape 19
Tonngue Coating 20
Tongue Moisture 20
The Normal Tongue 20
Table of Aspects of Tongue Diagnosis 22
3. Tongue Signs: A Pidure of the I n t e d Organs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
4. The Eight Principles in Tongue Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Exterior 28
Wkd-Cold 29
Wkd-Heat 29
Interior 30
Half-interior, Half-exterior Conditions 3 1
Cold 32
Deficiency Cold 32
Excess Cold 32
Heat 33
Deficiency 33
Qi Deficiency 33
Lung Qi Deficiency 33
Spleen Qi Deficiency 34
Heart Qi Deficiency 34
Yang Deficiency 34
Spleen Yang Deficiency 34
Kidney Yang Deficiency 35
Heart Yang Deficiency 35
Blood Deficiency 35
Spleen Blood Deficiency 35
Liver Blood Deficiency 36
Y k D eficiency 36
Stomach Yinn Deficiency 36
Kidney Y h D eficiency 36
Heart Y k D eficiency 37
Lung Y h D eficiency 37
Excess 37
Exterior Excess 38
Intenior Excess 38
Interior Excess Cold 38
Interior Excess Heat 38
Blood Stasis 38
Phlegm 39
Summary 39
Table of the Eight Principles D8erentiation 40
TABLE OF CONTENTS / ix
5. Tongue Spirit and Body Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -41
Tongue Spirit 41
Tongue Body Color 42
Pale 42
Pale Wet 43
Pale Dry 43
Pale, Bright and Shiny 44
Red 44
Red Tip 46
Red Sides 46
Red Center 46
Red Root 47
Red and Wet 47
Red and Dry 48
Red and Shiny 48
Red and Scarlet 49
Red Points or Spots 50
Red with Red Points 50
On the Tip 50
On the Sides 50
On the Sides, Central Area 51
On the Root 51
Red with Red Spots 52
On the Tip 52
On the Sides 52
On the Root 53
Red Points in Externally-ContractedD iseases 53
On the Front 53
On the Sides 54
On the Left or Right of the Center 54
Pale Red or White Points 54
Red with Prickles 55
Red with a Purple Spot in the Center 55
Red and Peeled 56
Dark Red 56
Dark Red and Dry in the Center 56
Purple 57
Reddish Purple 58
Reddish Purple Tip 58
Reddish Purple Sides 58
Dark Reddish Purple 59
Dark Reddish Purple and Dry 59
Dark Reddish Purple and Wet 59
Reddish Purple and Distended 59
x / TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bluish Purple 60
Bluish Purple Tip 60
Bluish Purple Central Surface 60
Bluish Purple Sides in Central Area 60
Bluish Purple Root 60
Bluish Purple and Moist 61
Blue 61
Blue without Coating 61
Blue Central Surface, Slippery and Greasy 62
Blue Tongue During Pregnancy 62
White Vesicles 62
Underside of the Tongue 62
Method of Examination 62
Clinical Sigmficance 63
Summary 63
Table of Tongue Body Color 65
Thin 67
Swollen 67
Pale and Wet 68
Nomal Color 68
Fresh-looking Red 68
Purple 68
Dark Bluish Purple 68
Partially Swollen 69
Swollen Edges 69
Swollen Sides 69
Swollen Tip 70
Swollen Between Tip and Central Surface 70
Swollen Along a Central Craclc 70
Swollen on Half of the Tongue 71
Highly Localized Swelling on One Side 71
Swollen on Half of Tongue Surface 72
Hammer-shaped 72
Swollen in Front Part 73
Stiff 73
Flaccid 74
Long 75
Short 75
Paleandshort 75
Red and Short 76
Deep Red, Dry and Short 76
Swollen and Short 76
TABLE OF CONTENTS /xi
Cracked 76
Long Horizontal Cracks 77
Short Horizontal Cracks 77
Cracks Resembling Ice Floes 77
Irregular Cracks 78
Transverse Cracks on the Sides 78
Vertical Crack in the Center 78
Long Vertical Crack in the Center 79
Norrnal Color 79
Red with Redder Tip 79
Red with No Coating 79
Transverse Cracks Behind the Tip 80
Deep Central Crack with Other Small Cracks 80
Loose 80
Deviated 81
Numb 81
Moving 82
Quivering 82
Rolled 82
Tooth-marked 82
Ulcerated 83
Sore-covered 83
Summary 83
Table of Tongue Body Shape 85
Physiology of Tongue Coating 87
Clinical Signrficance of Tongue Coating 88
Tongue Coating in Acute, Externally-Contracted Diseases
Wind-Cold 90
Wind-Heat 90
Heat 90
Cold 90
Dampness 91
Tongue Coating and the Eight Principles 91
Exterior 91
Interior 9 1
Deficiency 92
Excess 92
Heat 92
Cold 92
Yang 92
Yin 92
xii / TABLE OF CONTENITS
Tongue Coating Proper 93
Coating With or Witbout Root 93
Presence or Absence of Coating 94
Coating Thiclmess 97
Coating Distribution 99
Coating Moisture 100
Dry Coating 100
Wet Coating 101
Moldy or Greasy Coatings 101
Tongue Coating Color 102
White Coating 104
White and Thin 105
White, Thin and Slippery 105
White, Thick and Slippery 105
White, ThinandDry 105
White, Thick and Wet 106
White, Thick and Dry 106
White, Thick and Greasy 3106
White, Thick and Greasy-IS1ipper.y 106
White, Thick and GreasylDry 106
White, Rough and Cracked 106
White, Sticky and Greasy 107
White and Powder-Like 107
White and Snow-like 107
White and Moldy 107
Half-white and Slippery 107
Yellow Coating 108
Pale Yellow 108
Yellow and Slippery 108
Dirty Yellow 109
Yellow, Sticky and Greasy 109
Dry and Yellow 109
Yellow Koot with White Tip 109
Bilateral Yellow Strips on a White Coating 109
Thick, Bilateral Yellow Strips and Yellow Coating 109
Half-yellow, Half-white 109
Gray Coating 109
Gray, Wet and Slippery 110
Gray and Dry 110
Black Coating 13164
Black, Slippery and Greasy 110
Bilateral Black Strips on a White Coating 110
White Coating, Black Points 110
White Coating, Black Prickles 110
TABLE OF CONTENTS /xiii
Black in the Center, White and Slippery on the Sides and Tip 111
Half-white and Slippery, Half-yellow and Black 111
Yellow Sides, Black and Greasy Center 111
Black, Dry and Cracked 111
Multiple Coating Colors 111
White and Yellow 111
White and Gray 112
White and Black 112
Yellow and Black 112
White, Gray and Black 113
Yellow and Gray 1 13
Summary 113
Table of Tongue Coatings 114
Table of Imbalances between Tip and Root and between Left and Right Sides 117
8. Tongue Diagnosis in the Chic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Clinical Issues with Tongue Diagnosis 118
Tongue Body Color Always Shows the True Condition 118
Kidney Yin and IGdney Yang Deficiency 118
Emotional Problems 119
Spleen Yin and Stomach Yin Deficiency 120
The Tongue Does Not Necessarily Show the Whole Condition 121
When the Tongue Takes Precedence Over the Pulse and Symptoms 122
When Not to Follow the Tongue 123
Tongue Used to Exclude Serious Internal Organ Problems 124
Integration of Tongue and Pulse Diagnosis 124
Qi and Blood 124
Time Factor 125
When the Pulse is Rapid and the Tongue is not Red 125
Degree of Detail 126
Emotional Problems 126
The Tongue in Prognosis 127
Strength of Pathogenic Factor 127
Purple Color 127
Yin Deficiency 128
Swgical Operations 129
Bone Fractures 129
Tongue Diagnosis and Herbal Therapy 129
Torufylng the Body's Qi Versus Eliminating Pathogenic Factors 129
Differentiation of StomachlSpleen, QilYin Deficiency 130
Table of QilYin Deficiency Patterns and Herbal Formulas 131
Differentiation of Heat at the Qi or Nutritive Qi and Blood Levels,
and between Heat and Fire 131
Table of Tongue Characteristics at Qi or Nutritive Qi and Blood Levels 133
Tongue Diagnosis in Children 134