Understanding Tongue

Johnny, Johnny,
Yes, Papa,
Eating sugar?
No, Papa
Telling lies?
No, Papa
Open your mouth
Ha! Ha! Ha!

Its not just little Johnny who's lie is caught when he opens his mouth. But there are many more whose disease can be caught or diagnosed once they open their mouths.

How?

Well just by close observation of their tongue. Ah! Tongue which conveys what is in the hearts of men often portrays the health of man too. As Face is the index of Mind, so Tongue is the Mirror of Stomach.

Tongue is a muscular organ situated in the floor of the mouth with main functions of tasting, deglutition and speech. The tongue's colour, shape, texture and coating reveal the state of a person's health. A healthy tongue is pink, moist and with a clear or light white coat.

Tongue diagnosing dates back to 1600 BC and is the main diagnostic tool of acupuncturists and herbalists. The traditional Chinese medicine, considers tongue as a map that corresponds to different parts of the body. The tip is connected to the heart; the sides are connected to the liver; the centre to the spleen and the back to the kidney.

A careful observation of the state of tongue, its color, shape often gives us an insight into the health condition of a person. Now the first thing to know is what is to be observed while examining tongue.

Things to be observed include: Colour of tongue whether moist or dry, any coating or furring on tongue, if the tongue large, flabby thin, thick, presence of any cracks, fissures, patches, ulcers on tongue; any deviation of the tongue, Tremors of the tongue etc.

In homeopathy tongue and taste form physical generals and helps us in constructing the patient portrait and individualizing the patient as a person. Other than representing the signs of underlying disease in body sometimes it also helps in selecting medicines wherein tongue symptoms are characteristic. The character of tongue also helps us in diagnosing the underlying miasm of the case which further helps in deciding the course of treatment. Thus to summarize, from Homoeopathic point of view a close observation of tongue helps us in :

• Disease diagnosis.
• Miasmatic diagnosis
• Medicine selection.

In Footnote to § 90 Dr. Samuel Hahnemann advises the physician to examine the state of tongue of the patient. This shows the marked importance to observation of tongue in homeopathic practice. "When the physician has finished writing down these particulars, he then makes a note of what he himself observes in the patient 1, and ascertains how much of that was peculiar to the patient in his healthy state.

1 For example, how the patient behaved during the visit - whether he was morose, quarrelsome, hasty, lachrymose, anxious, despairing or sad, or hopeful, calm etc. Whether he was in a drowsy state or in any way dull of comprehension; whether he spoke hoarsely, or in a low tone, or incoherently, or how other wise did he talk? what was the color of his face and eyes, and of his skin generally? what degree of liveliness and power was there in his expression and eyes? what was the state of his tongue, his breathing, the smell from his mouth, and his hearing? were his pupils dilated or contracted? how rapidly and to what extent did they alter in the dark and in the light? what was the character of the pulse? what was the condition of the abdomen? how moist or hot, how cold or dry to the touch, was the skin of this or that part or generally? whether he lay with head thrown back, with mouth half or wholly open, with the arms placed above the head, on his back, or in what other position? what effort did he make to raise himself? and anything else in him that may strike the physician as being remarkable".

Tongue as an aid in Disease Diagnosis

Color

Pale - Anaemia.

Blue - Central cyanosis.

Bluish red - Polycythemia.

Black or black hairy tongue with hyper proliferation of Filliorm - Fungal infection.

Red tongue with sharp red tip and edges - D.M., Hyperchlorohydria.

Excessive red - pellagra, acute glossitis & advanced typhoid.

Dry brown tongue - Advanced uremia.

Straw berry tongue - Scarlet fever.

Brownish pigmentation on tongue- Addison's disease

Coating

White or greyish coating - Constipation, tonsillitis, Chronic pharyngitis.

Thick white coating - Gastritis, Enteritis.

Blanket tongue (Thick white, coated dry, flabby tongue) - Rheumatic fever.

Leukoplakia or thick white patches of various size and shapes and adherent to underlying tissue - Syphilis, Pre-cancerous ulcer.

Systemic disease

Plummer - Vinson syndrome: the mucous membranes of the tongue and the pharynx are atrophic causing dysphagia. This symptom is accompanied by spoon-shaped nails (koilonychias)

Smooth atrophy of the tongue:

With fibrosis as seen in syphilis.

Without fibrosis, viz., in hypochromic anaemia, avitaminosis etc.

Diagnosing Miasm through Tongue

The knowledge of underlying miasm helps us in understanding the predominant miasm in the person. This information helps us to choose Antimiasmatic and Intercurrent medicine of the case bringing about a speedy cure.

Selecting Remedy on the Basis of Observation of Tongue

Coating - colour - Blackish - Ars., Bapt., Camph., Lach., Lyco., Merc.c., Merc.cy., Merc., Merc.v., Op., Phos., Rhus t., Vipera.

Bluish, livid, pale - Ars., Cupr.s., Dig., Gymnocl., Merc.,cy., Morph., Op., Mur.ac., Sec., Ver.a., Vipera.

Brownish - Am.c., Ant.t., Ars., Bapt., Bry., Cupr.ars., Echin., Hyos., Med., Merc.cy., Morph., Mur.ac., Nat.s., Phos., Sec., Vipera.

Brown center - Bapt., Phos., Plumb.m.

Brownish dry - Ail., Ant.t., Ars., Bapt., Bry., Kali p., Lach., Rhus t., Spong., Tart.ac., Vipera.

Clean - Ars., Asar., Cina., Cinch., coryd., Dig., Ipec., Mag.p., NHit ac., Pyro., Rhus t., Sep.

Clean anteriorly, coated posteriorly - Nux v.

Clean at menstrual nisus, foul after flow ceases - Sep.

Dark streak in center, typhoid tongue - Arn., Bapt., Mur.ac.

Flabby, moist, with imprints of teeth - Ars., Chel., Hydr., Kali bich., Merc s., Merc.d., Merc.s., Nat.p., Pod., Pyro., Rhus t., Sanic., Stram., Yucca.

Forthy, with bubbles on side - Nat.m.

Furred - Ant.t., Ars., Bapt., Canth., Card.m., Chin ars., Coca., Ferr.picr., Gels., Guaiac., Lyco., Myr., Nux v., Puls., Rumes.

Grayish - white base - Kali m.

Greenish - Nat.s., Plumb.ac.

Mapped - Ant.c., Ars., Kali bich., Lack., Merc.v., Nat.m., Nit ac., ox.ac., Phyt., Ran.s., Rhus t., Tarax., Tereb.

Mapped, with red, insular patches - Nat.m.

Red - Acon., Apis, Ars., Bell., Bor.ac., Canth., Crot., Diph., Gels., Hyos., Kali bich., Lach., Merc.c., Mez., Nux v., Pyr., Rhus t., Tereb.

Red, dry, especially center - Ant.t., Rhus t.

Red edges - Amyg.pers., Ant.t., Ars., Bapt., Bell., Canth., Card.m., Chel., Echin., Kali bich., Lac.c., Lach., Merc.c., Merc.i.fl., Merc., Nit.ac., Pod., Rhus t., Rhus v., Sul., Tarax.

Red edges,white center - Bell., Rhus t.

Red in center, or streaks - Ant.t., Ars., Caust., Crot., Ver.v.

Red, papillae pale, effaced - Allium s.,

Red, papillae prominent - Ant.t., Arg.n., Ars., Bell., Kali bich., Lyco., Mez., Nux m., Tereb., Ptel.

Red raw - Ars., Arum., Canth., Tarax.

Red shining, glossy, as if varnished - Apis; Canth., Crot., Jal., Kali bich., Lach., Nit ac., Phos., Pyro., Rhus t., Tereb.

Red spots, sensitive - Ran.s., Tarax., Tereb.

Red tip - Amyg.pers., Arg n., Ars., Cycl., Merc.i.fl., Phyt., Rhus t., Rhus v., Sul.

Red, wet, central furrow - Nit ac.

Strawberry - Bell., fragar., Sapon.

Unilateral - Daphne., Lob., infl., Rhus.t.

White-furred, slimy, pasty - Acon., Aesc., Ant.c., Ant.t. Arg.n. Arn., Bapt., Bell., Bism., Bry., Calc.c. Carbo v., Carb.m. Chel., Cinch., cycl., Ferr., Glon., Hedeoma., Hydr., Ipec., Kali c., Kali chor., Kali m., Lac.c., Lob.infl., Lyco., Merc.c., Merc., Mez Nat.m. Nux v., Ox.ac., Paris., Petrol., Phos., Puls., Sep., Sul., Tarax., Ver.v.

Yellow, dirty, thick coating - Aesc. Bapt., Bry., Carbo v., Cham., Chel., Chionanth., Cinch., Ferr., Hydr., Indol., Kali bich., Kali s., Lept., Lyco., Merc.d., Merc.i.fl., Merc., Myr., Nat.p., Nat.s. Nux v., Ostrya., Pod., Puls., Sang., Sul., Yucca.

Yellow patch in Center - Bapt., Phyt.,

RUBRICS COVERED BY SINGLE MEDICINE FOR TONGUE IN KENT 's REPERTORY. (MOUTH CHAPTER)

• Apthus, tongue sensitive and bleeding - Borax.
• Apthus, tongue, spots in - Sul acid.
• Atropy, tongue - Muriatic acid.
• Corrugated tongue - Natrum ars.
• Crawling tongue - Platina.
• Discolouration, tongue, greenish gray - Natrum sulph.
• Discolouration, tongue, red tip triangular - Rhustox.
• Discolouration, tongue, white, pointed as if - Ars. alb.
• Discolouration, tongue, red insular patches with - Nat. mur.
• Discolouration, tongue, yellow base bright, shinning - Apis mel.

Thus we see that by carefully observing Tongue, its character and state we can as homeopath gain essential information aiding in our tryst with cure.

REFERENCES

1. Organon of Medicine- 5 th Edition by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
2. The chronic miasm of psora and sycosis - J.H. Allen, B.Jain publisher, Low price edition.
3. A comparision of the chronic miasms - Phylis speight.
4. Repertoryof Homoeopathic Materia Medica - J. T. Kent, B.Jain publisher ltd.
5. Pocket manual of Homoeopathic materia medica & Repertory Dr. W. Boericke.
6. Essentials of clinical medicine - Dr. S. P. Dey, 4 edition.