Tongue diagnosis is an important part of the "inspection" (Wang Zhen) in Traditional Chinese Medicine. A normal child's tongue should be soft and flexible in movement, with a light red color and a thin coating that is neither too dry nor too wet. Once a child becomes ill, the tongue will undergo corresponding changes, especially the tongue coating. Below are several common tongue coatings. If parents can notice these changes early and adjust the diet, they may help their child avoid the suffering of needles and medicine.
Pale tongue body with a thin white coating
This type of coating often indicates a cold syndrome, commonly seen in the early stages of a cold. At this time, it is advisable to choose warm-natured foods, preferably soft foods such as rice or millet porridge, leavened flatbreads. On cold days, one can drink light, low-fat beef or mutton soup, and use vinegar and ginger as seasonings. You can also boil water with scallion, ginger, and brown sugar and drink it several times a day. Fruits should also be of a warm nature, such as apples and tangerines. It is not advisable to eat cold-natured foods, such as cold drinks, salads, crab, snails, or duck eggs.
Thick white coating, or a thick, greasy white coating
This type of coating often indicates food stagnation in the spleen and stomach, commonly seen in individuals with insufficient spleen and stomach function. It is recommended to choose foods that strengthen the spleen, warm the stomach, dispel cold, and transform dampness, such as Chinese yam, Job's tears, lotus leaf, and hawthorn. One or several of these can be used with rice to make a porridge for drinking. At the same time, one should eat less sweet, greasy, fried, raw, and cold foods, as these can lead to bloating and loss of appetite.
A white coating, sometimes accompanied by a swollen tongue body or teeth marks on the sides of the tongue. This tongue appearance is often a sign of pathology, indicating a deficiency of the spleen's Qi, leading to failure to transform water and dampness. It is often accompanied by symptoms like lassitude, lack of appetite, and loose stools. In addition to paying attention to the diet, it is best to consult a TCM practitioner for调理 (regulation and treatment).
Yellow coating, or a yellow, greasy coating
This indicates damp-heat in the spleen and stomach, or food stagnation in the intestines and stomach. It often occurs in cases of infection, fever, or digestive disorders, and is often accompanied by symptoms like thirst, irritability, constipation, and scanty, yellow urine. At this time, it is advisable to choose foods that clear heat and promote urination to drain dampness, such as winter melon, bitter melon, white radish, loofah, lotus root, mung beans, and Job's tears. One should eat less heat-natured foods, such as mutton, black-bone chicken, fish, shrimp, dates, longan, lychee, mango, cherries, and chili peppers.
As the saying goes, "Fish creates fire, meat creates phlegm, but green vegetables and tofu bring peace." Therefore, when a yellow coating appears, parents must pay attention to giving their child a light diet to prevent generating more heat and fire.
Thin and sparse coating, a smooth coating without any fur, or partial peeling of the coating
This indicates excessive heat injuring the Yin fluids, especially common in the late stages of febrile diseases or in cases of stomach heat with Yin injury. It can also be seen in parasitic diseases or chronic debilitating diseases. It is advisable to choose Yin-nourishing and fluid-generating products, such as tremella, lily, and snow pear. At the same time, one should eat less pungent and warm substances like mutton, garlic, and onions.
In addition, a peeling coating that varies in severity is also common in children with a constitutional tendency towards allergies. Such children often have a history of food or drug allergies, had severe eczema in infancy, and often experience symptoms like sneezing, or itchy and uncomfortable eyes or nose. Therefore, when the coating peeling is severe, it is advisable to reduce or temporarily avoid seafood such as fish, shrimp, and crab, as well as high-protein foods like meat and eggs, to prevent inducing allergies and worsening the condition.