What is the reason for the purple tongue

In ancient China, due to the popularity of the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, there were always fortune tellers on the streets who would tell fortunes for others. Even now we can still see such people on the streets. They can predict what we will face or happen in the future based on our facial features. So let us now understand what the purple-red tongue means.

A bluish or purple tongue is a special signal of blood stasis or slow blood flow in the body. Among people with purple tongue, about 90% have various chronic diseases in their bodies. What diseases cause purple tongue? According to clinical statistics, among people with cyanotic tongue, about 54.4% are cancer patients, 30.6% are non-cancer patients, and 15% are healthy people. It has been reported that among 151 patients with esophageal cancer, 105 had cyanotic tongue.

Some scholars also observed 100 patients with liver cancer and found that 71.9% of them had dark purple and ecchymotic tongues. Clinically, it has also been found that patients with mid- to late-stage cancer have far more cyanotic tongues than those with early-stage cancer, and those with metastasis have more than those without. If a cancer patient develops a cyanotic tongue after surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis is poor and the condition will worsen. If the cyanotic tongue disappears after TCM treatment of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, the condition is improving or tending to stabilize; otherwise, the prognosis is poor.

Although cancer patients often have a purple tongue, not all people with a purple tongue have cancer. Other chronic diseases related to blood stasis, such as coronary heart disease, cor pulmonale, chronic liver disease, diabetes, vasculitis, lupus erythematosus, dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea in women, can also be seen with a purple tongue, but the proportion and severity are far less than cancer. So, why does a purple tongue appear? It turns out that under normal circumstances, red blood cells flow in blood vessels like a continuous thread.

In the case of blood stasis, there are gaps between the red blood cells, which are not continuous. When flowing in the blood vessels, they become dot-like, and you can even see several red blood cells tangled together, causing capillary embolism. Modern research has confirmed that venous congestion, slow blood flow, increased blood viscosity, capillary distortion, increased vascular fragility, vasoconstriction and spasm, blood hypoxia, and thrombosis caused by any cause can lead to poor microcirculation in the tongue, darkening and purple color of the blood vessels, and the appearance of a cyanotic tongue. If you observe with a microcirculation electron microscope, you can see that the blood flow in the densely blood-filled tongue is as slow as a snail, or even blocked. Some micro-capillaries have signs of rupture and bleeding. The tongue tissue is ischemic and hypoxic, showing a colorful image of a bluish purple tongue due to blood stasis. Therefore, a purple tongue is a special sign of blood stasis in the body, and can warn of the severity of a disease. It has high practical value, especially in assisting cancer diagnosis, staging, differentiation of syndromes, estimating prognosis, and guiding treatment. Once a cyanotic tongue is discovered, a doctor must be asked to conduct a detailed examination to identify the cause and to initiate prompt treatment. Do not neglect the condition.