When autumn arrives, many people experience issues such as cracked corners of the mouth, canker sores, dry eyes, nosebleeds, and swollen gums—these are classic symptoms of "internal heat." Want to know where your internal heat is coming from? Let me teach you how to read your tongue for health, as 5 tongue conditions can indicate "5 types of fire" in your body.
To examine your tongue, you need to look at several parts:
First, look at the tongue body: is it red or purple; pale or dark?
Second, look at the tongue coating: is it a yellow coating or a white, greasy coating?
Third, look at the tongue shape: are there cracks or teeth marks? Is it swollen or thin? Is the tongue stiff or deviated? Finally, look at the veins on the tongue.
A red tongue tip indicates heart fire.
Generally, a tongue that is redder than normal is a common symptom of illness, indicating a "heat syndrome" in your body. However, different areas of redness on the tongue reflect different problems.
The main signs of heart fire include a red tongue tip, along with symptoms like a dry mouth, irritability, mouth sores, poor sleep, dark yellow urine, and constipation. If heart fire is present but the symptoms are mild, Da Chi San (a herbal decoction) is often used clinically. For severe symptoms, Xie Xin Tang (another herbal decoction) can be used, which contains herbs like Coptis, Scutellaria, Phellodendron, and Rhubarb, all of which have the effect of purging fire.
Another common clinical condition is extremely dark yellow urine, sometimes accompanied by a dry or bitter mouth and a sense of urgency in urination. This is known as "heat in the small intestine" and can occur in both adults and children. Heat in the small intestine is often caused by heart fire descending. To alleviate the symptoms, herbs that clear heart fire and promote urination, like Da Chi San, can be used to address the issue of heart fire descending.
Dietary remedies to reduce heart fire:
Bitter melon and ginkgo stir-fry: Select 1-2 bitter melons and 20 ginkgo nuts. Wash the ginkgo nuts and wash and dice the bitter melon. Briefly blanch the bitter melon and ginkgo nuts in boiling water, then immediately remove and set aside. Add a little oil to a wok, stir-fry the ginkgo nuts, bitter melon, and seasonings until cooked. Thicken with starch and serve.
Appropriately eating "bitter" foods in the winter can help reduce heart fire. However, it should be noted that ginkgo nuts should not be consumed in excess at one time.
Redness on both sides of the tongue indicates liver fire.
The clinical manifestations of liver fire and heart fire are different. Mouth sores or a dry mouth and poor sleep are typical of heart fire. If the mouth is not only dry but also bitter, and the eyes are red, these are all signs of liver fire.
When there is liver fire, the tongue body will be red, but the redness on both sides is more prominent. Clinically, Longdan Xiegan Wan can be taken to clear liver fire. Alternatively, you can drink medicinal teas, such as one made with Kudingcha, chrysanthemum, and vitex steeped in water. If accompanied by a flushed face and high blood pressure, you can use Prunella and Uncaria to make a tea, which has an auxiliary effect of lowering blood pressure.
Dietary remedies to reduce liver fire:
Pork liver and wood ear mushroom stir-fry: The saying "you are what you eat" applies here; to combat liver fire, you should also nourish the liver. Stir-frying pork liver with wood ear mushrooms helps to pacify liver fire.
Select about 40 grams of wood ear mushrooms and 240 grams of pork liver. Soak the wood ear mushrooms until soft, cut off the hard bases, and then shred them. Wash and pat the pork liver dry, then cut it into thick slices and marinate with seasonings for about 10 minutes. Heat a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil, and sauté the ginger until fragrant. Add the pork liver slices and stir-fry over high heat until cooked. Then add the wood ear mushroom shreds and scallions and stir-fry until evenly mixed. Add a little sugar and salt to taste, then serve.
Goji berry and chrysanthemum tea: Boil the goji berries for 30 minutes, then add the chrysanthemums and boil for another 3 minutes. This can be consumed as a tea and is suitable for people who use their brain frequently.