Rob (Kentucky) on 01/14/2025
Medical Council – A Monthly Journal for the Physican and Surgeon. Volume 15, p. 293-295. 1910
Always look at the tongue. People expect you to do so; and besides, helpful information can occasionally be gleaned from such inspection, as may be apprehended from the following outline:
Movements. Slowly protruded and tremulous in typhoid and chronic lead poisoning; tremulous and smooth in chronic alcoholism; tremulous with fibrillar contractions in locomotor ataxia and general paresis; projected with difficulty in general and diphtheritic paralysis and progressive muscular atrophy; turned toward affected side in apoplexy and hemiatrophy; incompetent as to mastication and speech and not projectible in progressive bulbar paralysis or glossolabio-pharyngeal cerebral paralysis (cortical symptoms) ; rapidly protruded in nervous and excitable persons; constant rolling in feeble-minded; tongue may be involved in movements of hysteria, epilepsy, chorea or tuberculous meningitis; tongue-tie due to an abnormally short or broadly attached frenum.
SHAPE AND SIZE.
Narrow in typhoid; shrunken and pinched in functional dyspepsia and advanced fevers and inflammations; long, narrow and rounded when protruded (parrot tongue ) in dysentery, hepatic abscess or carcinoma, acute peritonitis and advanced tuberculosis; bilateral ог unilateral paralysis (crenated in later stages), hypoglossal atrophy in hemiplegia, glossolabiopharyngeal disease (softening, hemorrhage, tumor), progressive muscular atrophy, locomotor ataxia (surface ridged), general paralysis of insane and tertiary syphilis (smooth atrophy of base of tongue).
Broad and flabby in anemia, atony (edges turned upward) and biliousness (yellow coating; breath foul and heavy), severe acute infections, scurvy, ptyalism, acute articular rheumatism and chronic gastroenteritis; dark and swollen in passive congestion (heart disease, lung affections, compression of veins in neck); inflamed and swollen from irritant and corrosive poisons; excessively enlarged (macroglossia) with benign or malignant growths, cysts (mucous, blood, hydatid), gummata, congenital lymphangioma, inflammatory hypertrophy, acute glossitis (pain, tenderness, salivation), actinomycosis or Ludwig's angina (hard swelling of tongue and along inside of lower jaw, causing thickening of floor of mouth), myxedema, acromegaly, cretinism or idiocy; ranulae (cystic tumors of various size observed on either side of frenum) due to obstruction of Wharton's duct or ducts of Rivini.
MOISTURE.
Dry from talking or agitation, dyspnea and mouth breathing (most noticeable on waking), long continued fasting, tonsillitis and pharyngitis (path of dryness down central line); acute fevers (in proportion to height and duration-returning moisture a good sign); prostrating diseases (bare, smooth and polished), especially with hectic, cachexia and suppuration ; diabetes insipidus and mellitus, severe diarrhea, dysentery (bare), acute peritonitis or intestinal obstruction, dropsy, severe pneumonia (rough), cirrhosis, aneurysm, brain disease and with opium and belladonna. The tongue is smooth and glazed (dried mucus) when moderately dry. In pronounced cases of appendicitis it is dry, cracked, often brown- altogether out of proportion to temperature and abdominal symptoms.
Moist in acute rheumatism (white), hyper-chlorhydria (smooth), coma and collapse (leathery), Asiatic cholera (creamy and cold, becoming dry and brown with reaction), wean digestion (pale and white furred in patches), ptyalism, constipation (furred).
Color. – Red from slightest irritation in infants; red and moist in chronic debility; small, bright red spots in ecchymoses; red, inflamed and tender in stomatitis, diphtheria, truama (hot liquids) and chronic superficial glossitis (continuously sensitive; often smooth, shiny ovoid patches separated by deep furrows); red and irritable in severe acute gastritis; red, dry and harsh in advanced diseases of stomach, kidneys, lungs and liver; red, dry, cracked, irritable in diabetes; raw and beefy in severe abdominal disease, especially dysentery and hepatic abscess; deep dark red in septicemia; tip and edges red in typhoid (dusky in severe cases); strawberry, raspberry or mulberry color (tip and edges red at first; whole surface bright red by fourth or fifth day) with injected papillae in scarlet fever (somewhat similar appearance in pneumonia and influenza; also raised red papules in gastric irritation, exhaustion and lack of digestive power); angry red or yellow-brown, smooth, raised patch to one side of median line in "smoker's patch"; red, ringlike, spreading circinate patches with light yellowish edges in annulus migrams of delicate children (trophoneurosis; harmless anomaly); pale and swollen
in chlorosis and anemia (flabby and marked with teeth); white and blue-white opaline plaques in leucoma (coalescent), leucoplakia (isolated), ichthyosis and keratosis; yellow plaques on edges in xanthelasma; purple or bluish-black spots in Addison's disease and following glossitis; purple margins from malaria or plethora; dark discolorations from bruises, blood stains (purpura) or infarcts; livid and cyanotic in chronic nephritis, infectious fevers and cardiac, dropsical or pulmonary affections with defective hematosis; recurrent spreading dorsal black patch in nigrities (parasitic; mucor stains with Lugol's solution); soft, venous, somewhat elevated bluish tumors, paling on pressure, in angiomatous nevi; hyper-trophic papillae show a soft base, rarely ulcerating. Stained black by iron, bismuth, ink, charcoal, blackberries, mulberries, grapes, cherries or other pigments; brown from tobacco, licorice, nuts, prunes, cocoa or chocolate; orange in professional tea tasters; yellow from rhubarb or laudanum; shriveled and lemon-yellow in poisoning by nitric or chromic acid; pearly red or yellow and pulpy from caustic soda or potash; white or pearly in ammonia poisoning; white and glazed in corrosive sublimate poisoning ; puckered, with white or brownish spots turning red then black, in phenol poisoning; white and scalded from oxalic acid; white and parchmentlike, turning gray and black, in sulphuric acid poisoning; pearly eschar from silver nitrate.
Coating. – Normally whitish at birth and a few weeks thereafter ; nearly always dry-coated in old age; slight coating normally at back of tongue in smokers (thickly stippled, mornings); stippled with moist white points in non-febrile chronic debility; dry stippling in mild acute febrile diseases; thick, uniform plaster in acute febrile diseases with prostration; smooth, gray and moist, with sharply defined red patches, in gastroenteritis; thick, moist white fur in chronic rheumatism; heavy dry-brown fur on either side of median line in typhoid (may be cracks and fissures); grayish coating, like diphtheria, in mycoses (microscope shows fungus); sticky furring in chronic alcoholism; tongue usually much furred in migraine; white and sodden in neuroses and with anxiety and emotions; irregular white patches, with local heat and soreness, in thrush (oidium albicans under microscope); white, milky and glistening in mycosis leptothricia; rough and white in milk drinkers; white or bluish-white scarlike spots or notched patches in lepkoplakia oris (from irritants, such as use of pipe; moderate pain if ulceration ); horny, raised, whitish or slate-colored dots, lines and patches in leucokeratosis buccalis, lichen planus or scleroderma ; silghtly stippled or coated in simple dyspepsia and ulceration (clean tongue with dyspeptic symptoms suggests hyperchlorhydria or extra-gastric disease), autointoxication and acute obstruction of bowel; moist and white in acute articular rheumatism and onset of scarlatina (central, clearing away in a few days ); thick, soft, yellow-white fur in acute glossitis (may be dry, cracked or ulcerated) ; maplike appearance (from epithelial hyperplasia) in lingual psoriasis or tylosis (ichthyosis; keratosis; usually in smokers); uniform light yellow and pasty fur in biliousness, severe tonsillitis and acute catarrhal jaundice; encrusted, dry-brown tongue in cancer, phthisis, albuminuria and chronic nervous diseases ; more or less black dorsal patch in old persons weakened by digestive disorders (acidity; leptothrices); one-sided furring from decayed or ulcerating tooth, one-sided mastication, facial neuralgia, hemiplegia, disease of gasserian ganglion or injury to chorda tympani; opalescent white, central dorsal patch, highly acid, in influenza; thrush in advanced phthisis.
Fissures. – Stomatitis impetiginosa (sore, with tenacious exudation ) ; chronic gastritis of weak children and weak digestion of adults ( pale, moist, white fur in patches ) ; glossitis desiccans (gradually developed deep fissures and indentations, giving tongue an uneven, ragged look; syphilitic glossitis (deep furrows at edges in tertiary form); chronic alcoholism, tea-drinking or abuse of tobacco; chronic kidney diseases; foot and mouth disease (edema with vesicles and sometimes sloughs); febrile states (dry, brown and often fissured); chronic dysentery. Furrowed commonly in elderly persons as a result of past glossitis, or rarely hypertrophy (often smooth, shiny ovoid patches separate by deep furrows); indentations in swollen tongue in various forms of glossitis and states of debility; bitten in epilepsy (often nocturnal at first) and early stage of glossolabopharyngeal paralysis. Fissures without furring or dryness sometimes present in health.
ULCERS.
Simple. – Any age ; any part of tongue; smooth, red, glazed, irregular, sensitive; little or no hardness about base; tends to heal after re-moval of cause. Local irritation (ragged tooth, pipe, knife or fork); herpes and aphthae (preceded by vesicles; slight fever and fetor); psilosis (herpetic); stomatitis (very sensitive, with involvement of buccal mucous membrane and gums); Schoenlein's disease (cutaneous wheals and purpura); pertussis (frenal ulcer); acute infections; chronic superficial glossitis (dorsal superficial, with local swelling and soreness); foot and mouth disease (vesicles and ulcers on edges of tongue and inside of lips; infection from milk); chicken pox and other skin affections. Dyspeptic or catarrhal variety small, often circular, superficial, red, irritable, frequently about tip.
Tuberculosis. – Multiple, shallow, uneven, sinuous, ovoid or stellate, pale red, flabby, sensitive; usually near tip, spreading slowly and laterally; mucous membrane pallid; yellowish-gray muco- purulent secretion containing tubercle bacilli; nearly always secondary to pulmonary or general tuberculosis; lymphatc glands may be involved or not; lupous ulcers very rare.
Syphilitic. – Any time after puberty; dorsum or sides of tongue; previous manifestations of syphilis; edges well defined but not very indu-glands enlarged; therapeutic success of specific rated; slight soreness as a rule; posterior cervical treatment; chancre single usually near tip, with patches glazed, stellate and, if fissured, very sen-hard base-soon softens and ulcerates; mucous sitive ; gummata single or multiple, superficial or deep, usually on dorsum; tertiary ulcer deep, sinuous, punched-out.
Carcinomatous. – Usually 45-55; sometimes history of irritation from sharp tooth or short pipe; single; commonly at side or under tip of tongue; edges of ulcer everted-surface hard and covered with characteristic granulations; burning, darting, cutting pains; no tendency to heal; submaxillary and sublingual glandular enlargement. – Denver Medical Times.
HisJewel (New York) on 07/13/2024
I have tried most of the remedies posted for dry mouth and burning tongue at one time or another. And most of them helped for a while. Some of the remedies I was already taking before I got the dry mouth which came first, then the burning tongue came later. For example, I have been taking Alpha Lipoic Acid years before this condition. So, it should have at least worked as a preventive. My guess is the condition was already in progress and my diet needed major improvements.
With the Lord's help, I managed to go on my definition of a 21 days "no sugar fast." I figured 21 days would be time enough for me to see if this "no sugar" would bring relief. The limited commitment was to make sure I did not give up to soon.
I used honey in my coffee, no sugar and no milk, no candy, no cakes, no cookies or crackers. I allowed myself bread and rice with meals. My slip-ups were raisins and apples.
For Breakfast I had eggs and bagel. For dinner, I had meat, rice and vegetables, and about half a glass of grapefruit juice. I had plenty of water throughout the day.
After 5 days my mouth already felt less dry. By the end of 3 weeks, I noticed much less burning when eating spicy foods.
I finished about a week ago. I did not go all the way off this fast because; I plan to start back on it in a few days. To be more helpful: I am in my seventies; I have a good heart. I am not diabetic; if you are, you may need to check with your doctor for permission. I do get swelling in my legs, the no sugar challenge actually made my legs feel less swollen.
At present, my tongue is no longer dry. However sometimes I get a little burning along the edge of the right side which tells me to stick with the plan. The right side just so happens to be the side that I had shingles on, which was located on my leg.
HisJewel
frank (thunder bay, ontario, canada) on 03/11/2021
Replied by Kathy
(Rowville, Victoria)
10/18/2016: "hi, I suspect I might have sjogrens, my tongue is the worst symptom, it generally feels numb and scalded. My eyes are very dry also. Can you get the keratin/collegen tablets over the counter? Help!!!"
This sounds like you have a B vitamin deficiency. You should get Adele Davis's book 'Lets Eat Right To Keep Fit.' On page 65 she describes the various effect B deficiencies cause to the appearance of the Tongue.
L N (Uk) on 11/25/2017
Diet very low sugar and carb, mostly veg really but with small amounts of fish and eggs. No wheat in any form. No dairy except for live yoghourt, plain, which I find quite difficult to eat but easier when grated garlic and turmeric mixed in - as a kind of 'dressing' for the salady diet. Celery seemed very 'cleansing' and healing.
I took acidophilus capsules at every meal. I also did a tongue clean after every meal - it was quite unpleasant but seemed useful, ACV on a piece of towelling (to be burnt or thrown away after single use - cut up clean old towel for this) wiped over the tongue as thoroughly as bearable, followed by a rinse with warm water. I also took ACV twice a day. I changed to a bicarb toothpaste and after cleaning mouth and tongue each morning and night I soothed the mouth with coconut oil - swill for as long as possible then spit out. It has taken a month but my tongue is pink again now.
Hope this works for others.
Ginger (Frazeysburg, Ohio) on 06/19/2016
Hope this helps someone else, what an easy fix for something that can make your miserable, especially when trying to eat.
Nevy (Uk) on 09/10/2014
Pat (Pensacola, Florida) on 08/09/2014
Susie (Little Rock, Arkansas) on 06/11/2014
Alex (New York) on 03/18/2014
Marilyn (Yuma, Arizona) on 02/24/2014
R (Pune, Maharashtra) on 02/08/2013
Becca (Swansea, Ma) on 12/05/2012
Yaakova (Tulsa, Ok) on 01/19/2012
After a recent round of antibiotics for a upper respiratory infection left a nasty white coating on my tongue, I drank the following: 8 oz cup hot tea (I used decaf Earl Gray), 1 tbs of ACV with honey to taste along with 1 drop of Lugol's with my breakfast. By the end of first evening, most of the white coating was gone, by the end of my second day, my tongue was back to normal, no more white stuff! I am so amazed that something so simple cleared up my nasty tongue so quickly!
I can't say enough good things about Earth Clinic! I love this site, thank to all for your contributions and advice!
Insectc (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada ) on 01/18/2012
Lucie (Tempe, Az) on 07/02/2011
Mike (Montreal, Quebec) on 06/20/2011
After a year and a half, my tougue has finally return to its normal red color. The purpose of this post is to explain the general theory behind white tongue and suggest a single treatment that has worked for me in my particular case which may not necessairly work for everyone. The body releases its toxins through many avenues, the tongue being one of them. The white mucous is really the bodys nutural clear mucuous filled with dead bacterias. Those bacterias originate from the digestive system since the tougue is connected to it.
The only way that you can cure white tounge is that you must first go through a complete detox program. Then gradually your tongue will become red again and the color of your urine clear. Betaine HCL and oil of oregano are very powerful digestive desinfectant that you must consume along with A VERY AGGRESSIVE DIET OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND NO MORE JUNK FOOD. You must rebuild your immune by changing your eating habits to largely include fresh vegetables.
One very noticeable impact on my condition was the consumption of RAW cabbage during each meal for long periods of time. This vegetable is unique in the sense that it does effectively kill pathogens in your body and at the same feed the good bacterias. Looking back its been the worst illness I have ever tried to cure that prove very costly in the end in terms of supplements which everyone knows are extremely expensive at the health food store. In dealing with white tongue you must use common sense and ingest all foods that have the reputation of killing bacterias and fungus and of course NO MORE JUNK FOOD! my two cents ...
Chelsea (Tucson, Az) on 04/01/2011
Spiceitup (Maryville, Tennessee, Usa) on 11/12/2010
So, I came across the salt fix. Needless to say, after about 10 minutes and looking like a St. Bernard (the drooling )which I thought was quite funny by the way.... Here is what I did.... I salted my tongue with the sea salt, brushed my tongue with the sea salt, gargled with the sea salt... And lo and behold... Ten minutes later.. I found my pink tongue!!!!!!
Mike (Montreal, Quebec) on 11/07/2010
"WHITE TONGUE FOR SOME PEOPLE IS REALLY NOTHING MORE BUT WHITE THICK MUCUS THAT THE BODY SECRETES INTO THE THROAT SOME OF WHICH EVENTUALLY ENDS UP ON THE TONGUE AS A MEANS OF PREVENTING ACID DAMAGE BEING THE RESULT OF A PARTIALLY OPEN MUSCLE VALVE LOCATED BETWEEN THE STOMACH AND ESOPHAGUS AREA. THIS MUSCLE VALVE WAS DESIGNED TO OPEN WHEN FOOD GOES INTO THE STOMACH AND TO STAY SHUT THE REST OF THE TIME SO AS TO PREVENT ACID FOR DAMAGING ANYTHING THAT LIES ABOVE YOUR STOMACH. CONSUMING BETAINE HCL IN CAPSULE FORM WILL LOWER YOUR STOMACH PH (MAKING IT MORE ACIDIC) AND CAUSE THIS VALVE TO CLOSE MORE TIGHTLY AS MOTHER NATURE HAD DESIGNED IT TO DO SO. HOW DO I KNOW IT WORKS ? SIMPLY THAT AS SOON AS THE BETAINE HCL CAPSULES REACHES MY STOMACH, ALL THE SUDDEN MY TOUNGUE SLIGHLY BURNS BECAUSE IT IS CONNECTED TO MY STOMACH AND THUS LOSES MOISTURE AS A RESULT OF THE EXTRA BURNING ACID IN MY STOMACH. THAT IS RIGHT BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE VERY MOISTURE THAT COVERS THE TONGUE IS THE WHITE COATING!!!! . BETAINE HCL IS SO EFFECTIVE THAT THE MINUTE THE STOMACH'S PH IS LOWERED BELOW A CERTAIN PH VALUE, THEN THE BODY DOES NOT SECRETE ANY MORE MUCUS WHICH IN THE END CLEARS THE TONGUE FROM THE WHITE COATING.
WARNING: DO NOT SWALLOW THESE CAPSULES AS IF THEY WERE HARMLESS OTHERWISE YOU WILL EXPERIENCE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR STOMACH!!!!!!! READ ON THE INTERNET AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BY TAKING ONE CAPSULE AT A TIME (500MG) UNTIL YOUR STOMACH BEGINS TO BURN WHICH WILL INDICATE THAT YOUR LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE NOT TAKING THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AGAINS SERIOUS ACID STOMACH BURN DUE TO A LACK OF PATIENCE IN CURING HIS OR HER WHITE TONGUE PROBLEM. YOU MUST CONSUME THE CAPSULES A-F-T-E-R A MEAL NOT BEFORE. THE REASON FOR THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS MORE ACID NEAR THE LOCATION OF THE VALVE WHICH SHOULD BE ON TOP OF THE FOOD YOU HAVE JUST CONSUMED. ONCE YOU BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE A SOMEWHAT DRY MOUTH AFTER INGESTING A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF BETAINE HCL THEN TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR TONGUE IN THE MIRROR AND YOU WILL NOTICE A THINNER WHITE COAT WHICH EVENTUALLY TOTALLY DISAPPEARS SINCE YOUR VALVE IS NOW COMPLETELY SHUT AS IT SHOULD BE AS THERE IS NO MORE STOMACH ACID LEAKING TOWARDS YOUR THROAT AREA".
White tongue for me proved to be the greatest health challenge of my life as this was the result of 2 major heartburn, a fever, and a little jaundice. Since I have totally changed my eating habits by favoring raw fruits and vegetables along with stomach enzymes and of course Betaine HCL, I have not experience another major heartburn for more than 10 months. My last major heartburn caused me to have WHITE stool and in the medical profession that is serious S***T!!!! Another major heartburn could have potentially permanently damaged one or several of my vital internal digestive organ including my liver. Your body should secrete more acid naturally if you continue with the consumption of BETAINE HCL for a little while until you cannot ingest a single capsule without feeling a burning sensation in your stomach. At this point your white tongue is COMPLETELY CURED since your body will no longer need to secrete this white thick mucus that ends up on your tongue. When I started using BETAINE HCL, most website suggest no more than 3 or 4 500mg capsules at mealtime before feeling a slight burning sensation in the stomach. For me I would consume 12 capsule per meal or 24 capsules in a day without feeling ANY burning sensations!!! This goes to show how low my stomach acid really was that got me seriously ill in the first place. Now I am down to only 5 capsules per meal and improving with each passing day. My tongue is nice and red most of the time so that is a tremendous relief for me. So if you have exhausted all possibilities in getting rid of your white tongue you should try this product because it has worked for me ONLY AND ONLY if the reason for your white tongue is due to acid reflux.
NOTE: HYDROCHLORIC STOMACH ACID K-I-L-L-S CANDIDA!!! YOU MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH STOMACH ACID AND AS A RESULT YOUR WHITETONGUE MAY BE CANDIDA RELATED NOT NECESSARILY DUE TO ACID REFLUX. EMAIL ADDRESS IN CASE YOU MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS POST: [email protected]
Diana (San Marcos, Tx) on 11/22/2009
