Introduction to TCVM Tongue & Pulse Dx Basic TCVM Diagnostic Equipment

Normal Tongue  Pink Red Red White White Blue Blue  Moist  Fits mouth  Good tone

Tongue Changes- -Color Pale Pink Red

Tongue Changes- -Color  Purple  Dark Red  Black (ashen)  Normal

Pale Tongue Wet is Qi deficiency Dry is Blood Deficiency Wet, Swollen (teeth marks) & purple is Yang deficiency

Red Tongue HEAT DeficiencyExcess

Purple Tongue DeficiencyExcess Yang Deficiency Stagnation Cold

Tongue-Organ Relationship Heart Lung Spleen Liver Kidney

Tongue Coatings  White Coating Normal Normal Excess Cold Excess Cold  Yellow Coating Heat Heat  Greasy Coating Can’t be Scrubbed off Damp Not as important in animals nor as prominent

Pulses Left (Yin & Blood) Right (Qi & Yang) UpperHeartLung MiddleLiverSpleen LowerKidneyYinKidneyYang

Pulse Depth Superficial Middle DeepExcessDeficiency

Pulse Character SlowFast ColdHot

Abnormal Pulses  Slippery Damp Damp Like being in a bogLike being in a bog  Wiry Liver Stagnation Liver Stagnation Tight like a wireTight like a wire  Irregular Heart Qi or Blood Heart Qi or Blood arrhythmiaarrhythmia

Using Tongue & Pulse  Pulse looks at current events  Tongue reflects history  Together, they help determine the nature, location and Zang-Fu involvement in the disease process