White tongue fur

  White tongue fur. Apart from normal tongue fur, white tongue fur is usually seen in external syndrome and cold syndrome. But white tongue fur is not only confined to external syndrome and cold syndromes.

Thin and white tongue fur is often seen at the primary stage of exogenous disease and diseases due to internal impairment without fever. At the primary stage of exogenous diseases, pathogenic factors attack the superficies but have not invaded the interior, the tongue fur does not have obvious changes. That is why thin and white tongue fur indicates external syndrome. Light-red tongue with thin, white and moist tongue fur indicates wind-cold external syndrome; tongue with reddish margins and tip as well as thin, white and moistless fur indicates windheat external syndrome. Light-white tongue with thin and white fur is usually seen in internal asthenia-cold syndrome.

Whitish greasy tongue fur is usually due to internal retention of damp turbid substance, phlegm and fluid or due to food retention without transforming into heat (see colour Fig. 14). Powder-like thick and white tongue fur that does not feel dry is called powder tongue fur, frequently caused by mixture of exogenous fetid pathogenic factors and heat toxin, usually seen in pestilence and internal abscess.