White stuff on tongue? What your tongue is telling you about your digestion

How well we digest food and drink shows up on the tongue. This is visible in the tongue coating and in the tongue color.

Tongue coating: White stuff on tongue & other clues

The tongue coat, which often shows up on the middle or at the back of the tongue, lets you know how well you are metabolizing the food you eat:

• A light, thin, white tongue coat reflects healthy digestive function.

• A thick tongue coat reflects an excess of dampness, or pathogenic fluid. The tongue coat may be thick and yellow or thick and white. Most commonly, a thick tongue coat is associated with poor gut function.

• No tongue coat at all could mean some form of exhaustion in the body. For example, a red and shiny wet tongue could signal that the body does not have enough fluids to produce a coat. A natural balance of fluids in the body is essential for healthy gut function and overall vitality.

Tongue color

Tongue color can range from pale pink to red or even have a bluish tinge.

The tongue color reflects the distribution of body fluids throughout the body. For example:

• A pale tongue tells us that there may not be enough blood in the body. Often the root cause of a pale tongue can be found in diet. This is because food gives us the energy to make blood.

• A tongue that is purple or has a bluish tinge could be a warning that fluids and blood are not fully circulating. Lack of circulation can also translate into emotional stagnation or depression.

If you would rather not talk about your feelings, an acupuncturist will still be able to learn a lot from looking at your tongue! This is because the tongue gives clues about your current mental and emotional state.

Tongue tip

When it comes to emotions, the tip of the tongue is especially important:

• A red tongue tip shows up when the tongue tip is redder than the rest of the tongue body. This can reflect some kind of psychological stress. According to Chinese medicine, too much thinking or worrying can deplete the cooling, regenerative fluids of the body and generate heat. Heat, as you may have already guessed, shows up as a red color in the tongue. When we see a red tongue or a red tip, it makes sense to avoid foods that can overheat the body. These are foods like wine, alcohol, coffee, spicy foods, and too much meat.

• No tip or indentation at the tip of the tongue. When someone experiences severe trauma, this may show up as an indentation on the tip of the tongue. Emotionally, this person may be slightly introverted or feel an overall loss of strength.

The danger of a thick tongue coat

If you see a thick tongue coat, it is time to make some changes!

A thick tongue coat in the center of the tongue body or toward the back of the tongue indicates an overburdened digestive system. An overgrowth of bacteria or yeast in the digestive system will often show up as a thick tongue coat. The color of the coat may be white or yellow, depending on a person’s constitution.

Too much dampness can contribute to a thick tongue coat as well. When we overburden our digestive system by eating to capacity, we slow down gut motility. While a little digestive disharmony may not seem like anything to worry about, over time it can lead to other problems that involve the immune system and the hormonal system.

6 ways to remedy a thick tongue coat

If you are suffering from a thick tongue coating, try the following:

1. Fermented Foods

Fermented foods and probiotic beverages are some of the most effective ways to bring your inner ecosystem back into balance. A healthy tongue should look fresh and have a very thin, white coat. Introducing living enzymes and probiotics to assist in the digestion of your food and to repopulate the digestive tract with beneficial bacteria is a must when correcting digestion and fighting Candida.

2. The Principle of 80/20

A simple solution to improve digestion is to follow the Body Ecology Principle of 80/20. This means eating until you are 80 percent full. It also means not overwhelming your plate (and your gut) with too many starchy or acidic foods. Make sure that 80 percent of your plate is made up of non-starchy vegetables, fermented vegetables, and ocean vegetables.

3. Warm It Up

Soups, broths, steamed vegetables, and cooked foods are often better choices for someone with digestive issues. Avoid large amounts of raw fruits and vegetables.

4. Spice It Up

Herbs and spices such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger, coriander, black pepper, and fennel all aid in warming the system and improving digestion.

5. Warm Ginger Tea

A cup of warm tea 20 minutes before a meal is a great way to stoke the digestive fire. Ginger tea can also benefit indigestion, bloating, and nausea.

6. Enzymes

Enzymes can assist the digestive process by improving the body’s ability to break down the foods initially in the stomach and later in the small intestine to increase mineral absorption.