Zhang Yi, chief physician of Suining Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Sichuan Province.
Yellowing of the tongue coating is not unique to inflammation in the body. The normal tongue coating should be pale red or pink with a thin white coat on the surface. If the tongue coating appears yellow, it may be due to food or drug staining, or it may be due to a bacterial infection or inflammation in the mouth or body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the yellow tongue coating is related to real heat, damp heat, and stagnation.
1) Food or drug staining: If you eat more yellow or orange foods, such as carrots, citrus, etc., or take certain drugs, such as iron, antibiotics, etc., it may cause staining of tongue coating.
2) Oral or internal infection: Yellow tongue coating may be a sign of oral or internal infection, such as mouth ulcers, gingivitis, tonsillitis, gastritis, etc. These disorders can cause the tongue coating to turn yellow.
3) Other reasons: such as endocrine disorders, hepatobiliary diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, etc., may also lead to yellowing of the tongue coating.
4) TCM syndrome differentiation: real heat, damp heat steaming, and stagnation can also lead to yellowing of the tongue coating.
If the yellowing of the tongue coating is due to staining of food or medicine, no special ** is required, just pay attention to oral hygiene and avoid eating or taking foods or drugs that cause staining. If it is due to an oral or internal infection, it needs to be done on a case-by-case basis**. For example, if mouth sores are present, medications such as canker patches and ice boron powder can be used**; If there is an infection such as gingivitis, tonsillitis, etc., antibiotics are required**; If there is a gastrointestinal disorder, you need to adjust your diet and rest, and in severe cases, you need to see a doctor**. If it is a traditional Chinese medicine that is full of heat, it should clear away the heat and relieve the fire, such as white tiger soup; Damp heat is steamed, when the heat is cleared and the dampness is relieved, such as Huopu Xia Ling soup; If the food accumulation does not dissolve, it is advisable to eliminate the food accumulation, such as Baohe pills.