Chinese Medicine

Thin white coated tongue with moderately moist is one of most typical tongue diagnosis images we can see clinically. This article explains the cause and treatment of this typical tongue image.

Tongue diagnosis

The tongue surface is paved with thin white coating, particles in even size, and moderately moist.

The formation of thin white coated tongue

Thin white coated tongue, which is pink, clear and moderately moist, is the most typical tongue we can see under normal circumstances. This tongue image is the extrinsic evidence of the vital Qi in stomach.

The formation of thin white coating is mainly due to the combined effect of mastication, swallow, saliva and diet, which keeps the material between the tongue mucosa filiform papilla and cuticulated epithelium constantly being cleared off, so that only a thin white layer of coating left.

Thin white coated tongue

Before talking about the disease indicated by thin white coated tongue, some basic concepts about Chinese medicine are explained as follows in advance.

• Six climatic exopathogens refer to wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness and fire.
• Superficies syndrome refers to the disease is superficial or in early stage.
• Interior syndrome refers to the disease is progressing and deteriorating.
• The Qi of Zang-fu viscera refers to visceral functions.

However, when the six climatic exopathogens, such as cold, wind-dampness, cold-dampness etc. are still stay on superficies, namely superficies syndrome not progressing to interior syndrome, the pathogens are relatively mild and unable to hurt the Qi of Zang-fu viscera.

In such case, the coating is mostly thin white.
Therefore, that is the reason why we say that “thin white coating hosts superficies “.

As usual, I have to do some explanation to better understand to following text.

• Wei Fen refers to the realm of Wei. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese medicine, the diseases can be divided into four levels of Wei, Qi, Ying and Xue according to the severity.
• Ma Huang: Ephedrae Herba.
• Qiang Huo: Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii

The book of Bian She Zhi Nan (Tongue Diagnosis Guide) said,

“So long as the tongue coating is thin white and most, it indicates that the pathogens are in the Wei Fen, which can be treated by diaphoresis like Ma Huang and Qiang Huo alike.”

Thin white coated tongue with moderately moist mostly indicates exogenous wind-cold syndrome.

• If accompanied with the symptoms such as aversion to cold, fever, body aches, neck and head stiffness and aches, no sweat or less sweat and floating tight pulse, the herbal formula of Ma Huang Tang can be used to resolve superficies.
• If accompanied with the symptoms such as red tongue and thin white moist coating, it belongs to an exogenous wind-heat or exogenous wind-cold transforming heat and the herbal formula of Jing Fang Bai Du San can be used to against it.

Ready herbal drugs recommended

Gan Mao Qing Re Chong Ji and Tong Xuan Li Fei Kou Fu Ye etc.