A tongue might changes its color and turn red, yellow, or purple and each color may be indicative of a disease that you are currently suffering from or hiding in you. Actually, it is not unusual for your tongue to have a different color or shade, but it can also mean the presence of some infection or other medical conditions. At present, it can be a sign of COVID-19 virus as well and this is called the COVID tongue.
According to recent research, a number of COVID-19 patients are diagnosed with bumps, inflammation, and swelling of the tongue and those who are asymptomatic COVID-19 positive may only have symptoms such as loss of taste and smell. Moreover, tongue discoloration can be a good indication or helpful for doctors to diagnose a condition based on the color or appearance of the tongue.
There is nothing more wonderful than our diseases or inner ailments being detected with ease by just witnessing the changing color of our tongue. I think it is high time to give priority to the study of tongue discoloration in this time of crisis.
# Heat – Thin yellow coating, red tongueIf a person has a red tongue and not dark pink, then it mostly indicates an acute deficiency of Vitamin B. Moreover, if you are suffering from diseases like Scarlet Fever, Eczema or Kawasaki disease, then most probably your tongue will be discolored to red.
# Blood Deficiency – little/no coating, pale tongueA white tongue or a pale tongue is a condition where white patches will be all over the surface of your tongue. Either it is caused by fungal infection, known as oral thrush or blood deficiency. Apart from these, it can be a symptom of leukoplakia or oral lichen planus.
# Blood Stasis – Black spots, purple tongueIf your tongue suddenly turns purple, then it is indicative of heart issues or poor blood circulation or blood stasis. Blood Stasis is a disease mostly recognized by Chinese medicine where a feeling of pressure or an acute pain in the chest occurs, resulting in a dark, blood clotted cough. In addition to this, you can also experience purple tongue, if you are suffering from Kawasaki disease.
# Damp Retention – White greasy coating, swollen tongueIf you are experiencing a white greasy coating over your tongue, then surely you are going through some digestive issues. Experts have even suggested that it can be a sign of Peptic Ulcer or Eczema. In addition to these, it can also be a sign of damp retention which mostly gets undetected. Moreover, a study in 2017 has indicated that nearly 43.5% of the population mostly suffers from Eczema and have a pale greyish tongue. Usually white lines develop between spots creating a shape similar to a map.
# Qi Deficiency – thin white coating, teeth marks, pale tongue with few red spotsA tongue can also reflect a person’s inner harmony or disharmony, and if you have a pale tongue with few spots on it or a tongue that has thin white coating and teeth marks, then you must definitely be suffering from Qi Deficiency.