Yin Deficiency or Damp Heat Tongue? On Yin def

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> Please do more posts on the possible manifestations and etiologies

of Yin

> Deficiency.

>

> Thanks,

> Victoria

 

Yin-deficiency is a huge topic, I got one book which would translate

into 1000pages on yindef. only. It is a huge topic for us coz we have

a yindef.-breeding culture (sex drugs music food thoughts work toxic-

western-pills)...here are some thoughts I had:

 

" The many masks a Yin deficiency hide in are not clearly explained in

western language books. "

Whats Following is in no way complete, I just tried to stress what is

NOT regularly told in teaching books.

You have to read very slowly, I put a lot of meanings into the

sentences.

German style.

 

 

OK, our western minds perceive 'deficiency'='there is something

missing', like there is nothing. Let me describe it as a

desert...there are rattle snakes (tinnitus) with dry scaly skin,

stingy cactus (so many skin diseases are yin def), night-preferring

animals(yang finds no yin to hide in during the night), hot evil

winds, the water is deep under the sand(as edemas), one sweats a lot

or lost all sweat, urine is hot, temper is hot and tired at once,

skin is flushy red.

And like the symbol of an immunedeficiency, a lot of different evils

sit on top of it (temporarily): Yin deficiency might...

drys fluids (might lead to Qi blockage)

deficient fluids lead to stagnant blood (voila we got qi and blood

blocked cause by yin-deficiency...hmm...maybe some breast cancer

topped with some arteriosclerosis?)

produces heat/fire (might produce phlegm, which then might be

misdiagnosed as dampheat)

this heat might stir up bloods movement leading to all kinds of

bleedings(Thromb.purpura/Vasculitis/petechiae/TBC blood cough)

it might stir up inner wind (spasms/stroke/mania)

 

If you start treating from the branches the basic yin deficiency will

show up more clearly. One by one the more clear syndroms keep popping

up and you should change the recipe every week.

A master doctor would compose several recipes to cure according to

his 'school'.

 

out of the many disease I chose these 2:

ASCITES

can be caused by any of these:

qiblock damp stagnation

waterdamp harrasses spleen

damp and heat intermingle each other and mess up

liver+spleen blood clotted

spleenkidney yang deficiency

OR

liverkidney YIN DEFICIENCY

 

HEADACHES

can be so many different winds and

I get the feeling western minds want to clear the wind like using an

aspirin that works in the head. " Headache is located in the head, so

the root must be in the head.? "

Would you believe that mild kidney-yin-tonics cured her: 'Oh I got

such stabbing awful headaches all the time, its killing me!' ?

 

I you take pulse and tongue but you dont see anything obvious then

dont fantasize.

Vice versa:

Beginners yell out man you must be sick if they see my tongue, a

master doctor doesnt bother.

Another master doctor said: look at my tongue, I also have spleen

deficiency, but that is no disease in my case.

 

The pictures our western diseases show up with seem to differ from

what is thaught in the books. We actually have to expand the TCM

teachings with a lot of western-people-symptoms, but FIRST we should

read their old books very carefully as they might have stuffed them

with hints. (Start learning chinese! NOW! You dont want to miss that

experience!)

You end up saying: I think its liver stagnation...or spleen

deficiency...or dampheat....oh no maybe yin deficiency....but there

are no yin def. signs and no spleen def. signs....and no damp heat

signs...

The art of TCM is to distinguish the root from the branches. And this

is not an easy task as clients come in late stages after seeing many

doctors and taking lotsa toxic pills. Ask what pills she took like 2-

4 years ago, read there blurbs, analyze their sideFX via TCM

diagnostics.

I am soooo frustrated that there are yet no sufficient books on

diagnosis and syndrom-synthesis!

Syndroms never show up as single patterns but intermix.

You can have heat in the upper part AND cold in the lower part. You

can have Yin-deficiency with dampheat and liverstagnation and spleen

deficiency dampness. But you need to learn to distinguish what was

there first, what came next, which evils/fluids/factors are holding

the situation on that point where it is now.

Imagine many different tinted clouds that overlay each other

constantly move a little produceing different symptoms depending on

daytime, moon, food etc.

You get to see only the outer parts of some clouds, the inner clouds

are still hiding but they influence the others.

Ever caught yourself thinking 'man this bunch of symptoms makes no

sense! This has gotta be a really complicated case, if I mistread him

I will make it worse. But if I give him tonics the dampheat/slime

stagnation will be feeded!

 

Always stick to classical recipes, they might seem too simple or

narrow sighted, but they cure the root.

 

In a hayfever condition you might clear his nose using magnolia-

powder (xinyisan) or build up his resistance (yubingfengsan), mix

both and it will cure his hayfever during spring, but it might not

cure the root of his disease. He has been taking anti-hypertensive

pills for decades (which caused kidney yang deficiency which led to

spleen yang deficiency which led to liver qi attacking the weak

spleen).

 

My very first contact with a chinese doctor, I just arrived in Peking

and went to the next pharmacy to get a TCM diagnosis, pulse, tongue

etc....he said: stools? Are you obstipated? I said no. He then

repeated stools?What?, until he nearly screamed: Don't ly to me, I

know you are obstipated!!! I was afraid he might explode and said:

OK, yes.

He prescribed totally wrong pills which gave me a real diarrhea (pill

to remove the four kinds of stagnation *lol*)

Dont try to collect symptoms that only fit the disease you chose out

for him!

Find out in which way you manipulate his answering habits.

If you find a prescription doesnt work at all then there might be

something wrong.

 

hmm...hope I didnt confuse you too much,

would love to get feedback with clearly stated

opinions/suggestions/clearly asked questions.

 

Greetings Tay.

tay

[Guest guest]

I'll be replying to this in different, short (for me) posts since my

computer is cutting off a lot and save is not working.

 

I try to strike a balance on here among posts which are very basic for those

just starting to learn about TCM and those which go into more detail. This

is going to be a thread primarily for the students and professionals. I'm

mentioning this because I don't want the people new to TCM to feel totally

overwhelmed by some of the in-depth discussion and get discouraged from

learning more about TCM as a result.

 

Victoria

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I'll be replying to this in different, short (for me) posts since my

computer is cutting off a lot and save is not working.

 

I try to strike a balance on here among posts which are very basic for those

just starting to learn about TCM and those which go into more detail. This

is going to be a thread primarily for the students and professionals. I'm

mentioning this because I don't want the people new to TCM to feel totally

overwhelmed by some of the in-depth discussion and get discouraged from

learning more about TCM as a result.

 

Victoria

 

 

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>HEADACHES

>can be so many different winds and

> I get the feeling western minds want to clear the wind like using an

>aspirin that works in the head. " Headache is located in the head, so

>the root must be in the head.? "

>Would you believe that mild kidney-yin-tonics cured her: 'Oh I got

>such stabbing awful headaches all the time, its killing me!' ?

 

One of the biggest surprises for me was when I learned if I wanted to get

rid of my headaches in a hurry, to put the heating pad over the lower back,

not on the back of the head or neck.

 

The heating pad over the neck and back of the head was a big improvement

over using no heating pad. It cut my recovery time down to a day or two

from days. Then, one day when I had done a lot of yard work and worked a lot

of muscles I didn't want to stiffen, I discovered that when I put that

heating pad over the lower back, it not only eased my sore muscles, it

instantly got rid of the headache that had been getting worse since I got up

that morning. Plus, it even eased that frequently sore spot on my lower

back just below the waist and to right of the spine. I didn't know it at

the time, but that was Bladder 23, aka the Sea of Vitality. I also didn't

know at the time that this point which was an acupoint also was related to

my feeling so tired as well as to a lot of other problems. After I began to

learn about TCM, I learned that that sore point on my back was an acupoint

and that working it with massage and heat (as well as some other points)

would knock out my headaches in minutes or even seconds and also reduce my

tendency to have headaches.

 

Why would a Yin tonic herb help someone with a headache? Because the

headache had a Root of Liver Yang Rising. In order for Liver Yang to rise,

Liver Yin (and/or Blood) must be deficient. Tonify the Liver Yin (or tonify

the Kidney Yin which supplies the Liver), and the Liver Yang can't rise. In

these cases - provided no other Roots are present - a Yin tonic formula

would correct the imbalance.

 

There are many different Roots for headaches. This is why TCM healers will

ask a lot of questions about the headache: Location(s), type of pain

(boring (usually Excess) vs. dull (usually Deficiency), time of day the

headache starts, etc.

 

Can anyone think of any other Roots in addition to Liver Yang Rising in

which a Yin tonic would help?

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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>If you start treating from the branches the basic yin deficiency will

>show up more clearly. One by one the more clear syndroms keep popping

>up and you should change the recipe every week.

>A master doctor would compose several recipes to cure according to

>his 'school'.

 

I was so severely Kidney Yang Deficient that it almost completely masked the

Kidney Yin Deficiency. If someone didn't know that where Kidney Yang

Deficiency is present, Kidney Yin Deficiency is almost always present in

lesser degree (and vice versa), only the Kidney Yang Deficiency would have

been treated. Fortunately, the herbalist I saw really knew his TCM.

 

In the days when I was very sick, only two symptoms of Yin Deficiency were

present. When I was the sickest, I was waking up every 15 minutes.

Fortunately, that improved after I started on all the vitamins and minerals,

including magnesium. (I didn't know about TCM back then.) The other problem

which stayed until well after I had been on TCM treatment for a while was I

would wake up hot during the night. I really didn't mind since this was the

only time I ever generated enough heat to feel warm, not less hot. This was

back in the days of having to take several hot baths a day in order to warm

up. Layers of clothes, 3 heavy quilts, and an electric blanket wouldn't do

it. And it doesn't even get that cold here during the winter! I was glad I

could feel hot at all. Plus, a sip of room temperature water always cooled

me off immediately so I went back to sleep.

 

One of the finer points of Yang Deficiency that doesn't get mentioned in

texts. It can lead to Dryness problems. I got to the point where I had an

aversion to drinking anything. It wasn't only the Dampness problems (which

are sure to develop when the Kidneys and Spleen both are Deficient). It was

that a sip of room-temperature water chilled me. It was ok when I woke up

hot during the night, but any other time it was just too chilling. I was

already too Cold from the Yang Deficiency, and room-temperature water made

me feel even colder. I remember one Christmas night when I realized that I

had not had anything to drink that day and it was after 7 pm that night.

Needless to say, I was winding up in ER with dehydration problems. I was

very dumb back then. The doctors would ask if I was drinking enough liquids

and I said, " Yes, " because I thought I was getting enough because I drank

when I felt thirsty. I not only didn't feel thirsty in the slightest most

of the time, I had an aversion to liquids. When a nurse finally realized

what was going on, and taught me the signs of dehydration and that I

couldn't depend on feeling thirsty, I had to force myself to drink. When I

eventually discovered TCM and got placed on the correct herbs for me, it

gradually got easier and easier to drink. For a long time I felt pleasantly

surprised whenever I felt thirsty. It was such a novel experience for me.

The Yin and Yang Deficiency problems definitely were factors in the Blood

Deficiency I also had as well as the Fluid Deficiency.

 

The Yin Deficiency can damage Fluids, and the Yang Deficiency can keep the

person from drinking to replace Fluids. It's a one-two punch.

 

As I gradually improved, more of the Yin symptoms appeared. I was still

Yang Deficient, but no longer as severely and no longer so much greater than

the Yin Deficiency. (Both Kidney Yang and Kidney Yin Deficiency can take a

long time to treat. It's not pop a herb and get instant relief. It takes

time for the body to return to normal as imbalances are corrected.) My

formulas were adjusted monthly.

 

If a healer had just seen the Blood Deficiency, and not realized that the

Kidney imbalance was present and a big part of why I was Blood Deficient,

treatment would not have been successful. It would have been like trying to

bail a leaky rowboat without also patching the leaks. The boat would just

keep filling up with water as fast as one could bail. Faster.

 

Knowing etiologies - how imbalances can arise and trigger other imbalances -

can be a great aid in both analysis and treatment. And sometimes one

problem can be so severe that it almost completely masks other problems.

 

Victoria

 

 

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But you need to learn to distinguish what was

>there first, what came next, which evils/fluids/factors are holding

>the situation on that point where it is now.

 

This sums it up very well.

 

This is also why it's important to learn etiologies - how imbalances develop

and trigger other imbalances. Giovanni Maciocia's text, The Foundations of

, does go into etiologies some. It's not complete

information by any means, but it's a good start for students.

 

The thing about knowing etiologies and applying the information is that it

can give the healer greater confidence that s/he's made the right analysis.

If you can trace out the etiology - not always possible but possible more

often than not - it will remove a lot of the confusion in those cases where

one imbalance is masking another. It's not necessary to do this in every

case, but it sometimes is critical in " knotty " (complex cases). These often

are the cases where the imbalances have been present for years and other,

inappropriate treatments (TCM as well as herbal) have worsened a bad

situation or created new problems.

 

It is harder to learn TCM this way than just by symptoms and signs, but the

healers who do end up being more proficient than those who do not.

 

>The art of TCM is to distinguish the root from the branches. And this

>is not an easy task as clients come in late stages after seeing many

>doctors and taking lotsa toxic pills. Ask what pills she took like 2-

>4 years ago, read there blurbs, analyze their sideFX via TCM

>diagnostics.

>I am soooo frustrated that there are yet no sufficient books on

>diagnosis and syndrom-synthesis!

>Syndroms never show up as single patterns but intermix.

 

Sometimes they do, but this is rare. The usual case is intermixed. This is

especially true where the imbalance has been untreated for years.

 

>You can have heat in the upper part AND cold in the lower part. You

>can have Yin-deficiency with dampheat and liverstagnation and spleen

>deficiency dampness. But you need to learn to distinguish what was

>there first, what came next, which evils/fluids/factors are holding

>the situation on that point where it is now.

 

The best example I can think of of something holding the situation is

susceptibility to Exterior Evils because of long-term Kidney Yang

Deficiency. (Sorry for so many Kidney Yang Deficiency examples, but it's

what I'm most knowledgeable about because of personal experience.) The usual

cause of what is called " weather sensitivity " in the West is weak Protective

Qi, but Blood Deficiency can do it in some cases (because of the lack of

nourishment) and long-term Yang Deficiency can cause it. It's a real

snowballing situation in the case of Kidney Yang Deficiency. The person is

vulnerable to all Exterior Evils invading but especially to Cold. The

person already is Cold because of the Yang Deficiency - Deficiency Cold.

(Yang warms and activates.) As that Yang Deficiency goes untreated for

years, the person becomes more and more vulnerable and susceptible to

invasion by Exterior Excess Cold. A double dose of Cold from Interior

Deficiency and from Exterior Excess invading. The thing about Cold is that

it damages both the Kidneys and the Spleen and the Yang. So you give the

person Yang tonic herbs. They are not enough because by this time the

person is so vulnerable to Exterior Cold. You supplement the Kidney Yang,

but the Exterior Cold is invading and attacking the Kidneys, the Spleen, and

the Yang. As fast as the person can supplement Yang and support the Kidneys,

the invading Exterior Excess Cold is destroying it and attacking the

Kidneys. You also need to give herbs that Warm the Interior and Expel Cold

so the person has a fighting chance. And help the Protective Qi - like with

astragalus.

 

This is an example where the original Root and what sustains it are the

same. Hopefully others will think of other examples and post them.

 

>Ever caught yourself thinking 'man this bunch of symptoms makes no

>sense! This has gotta be a really complicated case, if I mistread him

>I will make it worse. But if I give him tonics the dampheat/slime

>stagnation will be feeded!

 

I think part of the problem is due to the " magic bullet " and " one treatment

for all time " mentality in the West. There often is an underlying belief

among Western healers that if they're doing it correctly, one treatment will

take care of everything forever and never need to be changed. This is not

true.

 

One thing I learned from having CFIDS for so many years is that there is no

once and forever treatment. People with CFIDS frequently with complain that

a treatment which showed so much promise has quit working. With few

exceptions, it's not that it has stopped working but that the person has

improved to the point where something else is needed. It doesn't necessary

mean that one can stop what gave dramatic results (not without slipping

back), but that something else is now needed.

 

I also learned to go back and forth between symptoms. I would treat the

worst symptoms for a while, and when they have eased somewhat, they no

longer would be the worst symptoms, and I would need to concentrate on

something else until it was relieved. And when the right treatments were

found - Western alternative as well as it has been like backing up

through symptoms. I have heard other PWCs refer to this. As I have " backed

up " through symptoms, strategies have had to be changed.

 

I have been leery to post lists of Yin tonic herbs on here until I better

understand more about the possible ramifications in regards to people who

are Spleen Deficient and suffering from Damp problems because Spleen

Deficiency is so common in many Western countries. Any suggestions on the

mildest, most easily tolerated herbs and formulas for Yin Deficiency in

cases where there is Spleen Deficiency and Dampness?

 

>Always stick to classical recipes, they might seem too simple or

>narrow sighted, but they cure the root.

 

In my particular case, with the exception of Minor Blue Dragon formula

(which I once was on briefly), the formulas I concoct for me have been more

successful than classical formulas.

 

>My very first contact with a chinese doctor, I just arrived in Peking

>and went to the next pharmacy to get a TCM diagnosis, pulse, tongue

>etc....he said: stools? Are you obstipated? I said no. He then

>repeated stools?What?, until he nearly screamed: Don't ly to me, I

>know you are obstipated!!! I was afraid he might explode and said:

>OK, yes.

>He prescribed totally wrong pills which gave me a real diarrhea (pill

>to remove the four kinds of stagnation *lol*)

>Dont try to collect symptoms that only fit the disease you chose out

>for him!

 

Beware of any healer - Western allopathic physician, TCM herbalist, or

whomever - who tries to " fit a square peg into a round hole " . Not every

single symptom of a pattern will show up in a particular individual. The

longer the person has been sick, the more severe the imbalance is, the more

likely that most of the symptoms and signs will show up. But even this is

not true in all cases. Another problem is that Western thought tends to

look at things as static - frozen in time and space - whereas TCM considers

the dynamic and things which are contantly changing. TCM expects things to

change and takes it as a given that things are in a constant state of

change. Yin becomes Yang, and Yang becomes Yin as the seasons change from

winter to summer and back to winter and so on. Hot can become Cold and Cold

Hot just as Dampness can becoem Dryness and vice versa.

 

Victoria

 

 

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In a message dated 03/27/2002 9:50:15 PM Pacific Standard Time,

victoria_dragon writes:

 

<< I have been leery to post lists of Yin tonic herbs on here until I better

understand more about the possible ramifications in regards to people who

are Spleen Deficient and suffering from Damp problems because Spleen

Deficiency is so common in many Western countries. Any suggestions on the

mildest, most easily tolerated herbs and formulas for Yin Deficiency in

cases where there is Spleen Deficiency and Dampness?

>>

 

This is my understanding of Yin Deficiency thus far. First ... that it is

the hardest of the imbalances for us Westerners to grasp.

 

Second ... I am under the understanding that unless Kidney Yin Deficiency is

constitutional (which symptoms could be traced at or back to childhood) ...

that Yin Deficiency is progressive. It doesn't start at the Kidneys.

Giovanni Maciocia's Tongue Diagnosis in book explains the

progression on pages 128 - 129.

 

It starts after Stomach Qi is depleted. Then it first shows up as Stomach

Yin Deficiency before it progresses to the Kidney. I understand that there

would be signs of this on the tongue ... as in cracks in the center or no

coat or peeled in center. Will turn red in the center only if there is

Deficient Heat. One can have Yin Deficiency without having Deficient Heat.

 

Now my question is ...

 

Can this ever be masked? I have a crack in the center of my tongue but it is

quite small, so in my case I can see why I could be Yin Deficient and still

have a pale tongue. But ... I know people who display signs of Kidney Yin

Deficiency (low back pain, sore knees without coldness or fatigue or other

Yang Deficiency signs) .... and there aren't any cracks in the tongue ....

nor is the coat peeled, missing etc.

 

Can Spleen Deficiency and Dampness simply prevent the Kidney from proper

function .... creating symptoms of Kidney Yin Deficiency ... without there

really being Yin Deficiency? Fluid transformation would be hampered, giving

rise to symptoms in other words. The symptoms would be a branch, root would

be in the Spleen/Stomach. Thus ... Yin tonics might help relieve symptoms

.... but in the long run with Spleen Damp and Deficiency ... they would

ultimately hamper recovery.

 

I have yet to find a mild Yin tonic that doesn't ultimately hamper my

progress. I have had more success using foods that have moistening

properties, they seem milder and less congesting than the herbs. Almond milk

is one of my favorites. Most Yin tonics are cooling and unless Spleen Damp

is from Excess in the diet sans the Deficiency, there would be cold. Then

.... if the diagnosis is Excess in the diet .... why would we consider Yin

tonics anyway? I have used small amounts of slippery elm or honey when I

have needed to and they have pulled me out of some big jams fast ... but I

can't take much ... nor can I take them regularly. They are more neutral in

energy and I have had the least amount of trouble with them than others.

 

Lynn

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In a message dated 03/28/2002 2:38:32 PM Pacific Standard Time,

GDurst1774 writes:

 

<< Any suggestions on the mildest, most easily tolerated herbs and formulas

for Yin Deficiency >>

 

I forgot to mention that I have been taking a formula that I have been ok on

.... this is a first! Most formulas have been too drying ... too congesting

.... too moistening .... too cooling ....

 

Ginseng Nutritive Combination (Ren Shen Yang Ying Wan) .... although the

formula I have has about 2 or 3 times the regular amount of white peony than

the classic version. I find for myself that I need to take it with either

dry ginger or cardamom however because it is very cooling to digestion with

all that peony ... at least to mine. BUT .... the extra white peony seems

to be helping with Liver Wind and Stagnation symptoms that I would often get

with other formulas such as Eight Precious Herbs, Dang Qui Four, the

Rehmannia's etc.

 

This formula seems to be a nice mix. Addresses Yin without Squelching Yang.

Dries digestion but doesn't scorch. It tonifies Qi and Blood, nourishes the

Heart and calms the Spirit. Focus seems to be on the Spleen, yet is has a

little bit of cooked rehmannia and cinnamon bark for the Kidneys ... polygala

for the Heart and schisandra for Essence. So far I can only take 1 pill 4

times a day on a relatively empty stomach without congestion symptoms arising

(dose is 2-3 pills 3x a day). Hopefully I will be able to work up to a

higher dose soon.

 

I really like it.

 

Lynn

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>Can this ever be masked? I have a crack in the center of my tongue but it

>is

>quite small, so in my case I can see why I could be Yin Deficient and still

>have a pale tongue. But ... I know people who display signs of Kidney Yin

>Deficiency (low back pain, sore knees without coldness or fatigue or other

>Yang Deficiency signs) .... and there aren't any cracks in the tongue ....

>nor is the coat peeled, missing etc.

 

The low back pain and sore knees are general to the Kidneys. These two

things can be caused by Kidney Qi Deficiency, Kidney Yang Deficiency, Kidney

Yin Deficiency, and/or Kidney Jing Deficiency. Anytime there is back pain -

especially lower back pain, sore knees, problems with urination, problems

with the ears and/or hearing, problems with the bones, or problems with the

teeth, suspect and rule in or rule out Kidney imbalance. These symptoms

won't tell you the particular imbalance, just that there is a probability

that there is Kidney imbalance.

 

Feeling cold a lot and having trouble warming up is specific to Yang

Deficiency.

 

Any Deficiency can result in fatigue - Qi Deficiency, Blood Deficiency,

Fluid Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, or Yin Deficiency. This is " fatigue of

Deficiency " . Dampness also can cause fatigue. This is fatigue of Excess.

(Dampness is an Excess condition. Fatigue due to over-doing also falls under

fatigue of Excess.)

 

The fatigue of Yin Deficiency often is masked because of the agitation of

the person. This is a person who feels tired but yet keeps doing. It can

be a nervous kind of energy. If the Yin Deficiency is fairly severe, this

can be a person who can't sit still and has to be in motion.

 

Low libido usually is associated with Kidney Yang Deficiency. Being

over-sexed often is associated with Kidney Yin Deficiency. Kidney Yang

Deficiency tends to sleeping too much; Kidney Yin Deficiency to waking

frequently during the night. (There is a joke in my family that I could

sleep through anything.)

 

The peeled tongue is specific to Yin Deficiency. Maciocia writes, " Yin

deficiency is indicated by an absence of tongue coating. A normal tongue

body color in this case means a deficiency of Stomach yin, while a red or

deep red body color signifies Kidney yin deficiency. " (Giovanni Maciocia,

Tongue Diagnosis in , revised ed., p. 92.)

 

" A cracked tongue is frequently sen in clinical practice. The cracks on the

tongue's surface resemble those that develop in soil after a prolounged

period of drought. These cracks can vary greatly in number and depth. They

can be barely visible lines or extremely deep fissures. However, sometimes

a flaccid tongue can be so soft that it develops a crumpled appearance with

lines on its surface; it is important that these lines not be mistaken for

cracks.

 

" The clinical significance of cracks depends on the tongue body color, the

location of the cracks and their shape and depth. By far the most common

cause of cracks is dryness from exhaustion of the body fluids or yin. This

doncitions was described in A Collection of Tongues and Coatings: " When the

Heart is full ... the heat cracks the tongue. " A common tuype of cracked

tongue has a deep crack in the center reaching to the tip, reflection

hyperactivity of Heart fire. " )p. 76.)

 

Victoria

 

 

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