We all rely on our bodies to tell us when something is wrong. The appearance and qualities of the tongue is a critical part of diagnosis in TCM.

The appearance and qualities of the tongue is a critical part of diagnosis in TCM.

We all rely on our bodies to tell us when something is wrong. Besides the skin, hair and nails as indicators of internal imbalance, the tongue can also provide us with vital clues. In fact, in Chinese and Indian medicine, observation of the tongue plays a fundamental role in determining a person’s state of health. Although not backed by scientific research, tongue diagnosis dates back several thousand years, and has long been used as an investigative tool by practitioners of such schools of medicine.

In Chinese and Indian medicine the tongue is seen to reflect the degree of health or imbalance of the body. The tongue is examined to assist in diagnosis and to the extent in which the tongue changes with treatment can indicate how successful the treatment has been. It is important to emphasise that neither Chinese nor Indian medicine rely only on the tongue for diagnosis, seeing it as an important but not exclusive part of the diagnostic process.