by Maria Papadopoulou

Created on: July 24, 2009

Did you know that your tongue can reveal how healthy (or not) you are? Here are some things that can be very revealing, if you learn to pay attention to them.

White tongue

A white tongue is an indication of some sort of infection in tongue, such as bacteria overgrowth or an autoimmune-related inflammatory disease.

Red tongue

A bright red tongue, redder than normal tongue, is an indication of various heat syndromes, such as interior heat syndromes of excess or deficiency type. A deep red tongue is an indication of an extreme heat condition. When it comes to exogenous febrile diseases, it is an indication of invasion of pathogenic heat. When it comes to endogenous diseases, it is an indication of yin deficiency, which leads to hyperactivity of fire.

Blue purple tongue

A blue purple tongue indicates stagnation of blood. A deep blue purplish dry tongue is related to heat. A pale purplish moist tongue is related to cold. The stagnation of blood can also be indicated by purplish spots on the tongue surface.

''Hairy'' tongue

A tongue which is covered with grown filliform papillae, may have a ''hairy'' appearance. This happens because they are made up of keratin, the same protein that makes up hair. It can be caused either by a bacterial infection, antibiotic intake, or too dry mouth.

Black tongue

A black coated tongue can be caused by bacteria overgrowth and yeast in the mouth, which accumulate on the papillae and cause discoloration.

Yellow tongue

A yellow tongue is an indication of bacterial or fungal infection in the mouth, or even an indication of gastric reflux. When only some spots on the tongue turn yellow, while the rest of the tongue remains pink, the condition is well known as ''geographic'' tongue.

Tongue with a burning sensation

Sometimes there is a burning sensation in the tongue which can even affect the entire mouth. It can be a temporary or permanent painful burning sensation. It is usually caused by nutritional deficiencies, dry mouth or bacterial infection. It is important to note that this condition often afflicts post-menopausal women, propably because of some kind of damage to the nerves of the tongue that are related in a way to the hormonal changes of menopause.

Pale and smooth tongue

A tongue which is abnormally pale and smooth, indicates iron-deficiency anemia. When there is an iron deficiency, the blood cannot carry oxygen in the capacity necessary to keep the tissues red.

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