6 Different Types Of Diseases That Are Reflected With Tongue Color

If your tongue does not have a normal pink appearance, then it is something alarming and to worry about as this can be indicative of underlying medical issues, even COVID. A tongue discoloration is mostly detected if you are affected by any virus as it tends to cause inflammation which can consequently create an alteration in your tongue color and affect your ability to eat and taste.

# Heat – Thin yellow coating, red tongue

If 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 tongue

A 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. Thus, some of its features are :

A sudden feeling of dizziness
Fatigue
Palpitation
Sudden experience of poor concentration
Insomnia
Increase of medical issues in women

# Blood Stasis – Black spots, purple tongue

If 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. Thus, some of its symptoms are :

Experiencing cold limbs
Acute chest pain
Headaches
The sudden appearance of liver spots
Pain in your legs
Experiencing pale skin
Developing varicose veins

# Damp Retention – White greasy coating, swollen tongue

If 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. Some of its symptoms can be cited as:

Sudden experience of bloating
Fullness in your chest
A sudden feeling of heaviness
Experiencing fullness in the Abdomen

# Qi Deficiency – thin white coating, teeth marks, pale tongue with few red spots

A 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. Some of its signs or symptoms are :

Signs of fatigue
Experiencing poor appetite
Acute shortness of breath
Experiencing sweating at all times
A sudden feeling of stress/overthinking

# Yin Deficiency – little/no coating, cracks, red tongue

If your tongue has little/no coating, some cracks, and turned red in color, then most probably you are suffering from Yin deficiency. It is mostly caused due to inner turmoil or depression and its clinical manifestations are anxiety, depression, irritable fever, palpitation and insomnia. So, some of its other symptoms are :

Having hot flushes
Sudden ringing in the ears
Menopause
Irregular menstruation
Profusely sweating at night