Causes of white tongue coating in children

A mother's wish is that her baby can grow up healthy and happy, but the baby's body functions are not fully developed, and the body's resistance is relatively weak. If you see the baby's tongue coating is white, you will feel very anxious, but inexperienced mothers don't know what to do. What should I do if the baby's tongue coating turns white? Let's take a look at the cause of this problem today.

A white coating on the tongue is not necessarily a sign of disease. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, if the tongue coating appears thick or white, and there are no other discomfort symptoms in the body, it is generally considered to be a manifestation of "getting angry". This condition often leads to an unpleasant odor in the mouth or even bad breath. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a toothbrush to gently brush your tongue coating when brushing your teeth, and it is best to eat light food. If this situation persists for a long time, you should go to the oral department of the hospital, because white tongue coating may also be a symptom of gastrointestinal disease.

Traditional Chinese medicine divides the tongue into the tip, middle, root and sides of the tongue. It is believed that the tip of the tongue belongs to the heart and lungs, the middle of the tongue belongs to the spleen and stomach, the root of the tongue belongs to the kidneys, and the sides of the tongue belong to the liver and gallbladder (see Figure 3-1). The fact that different parts of the tongue reflect different organ lesions has certain reference value in clinical practice, but it cannot be viewed mechanically and needs to be considered in combination with other symptoms and signs.

Moss color: there are white moss, yellow moss, gray moss, black moss, etc.

① White tongue coating White tongue coating is the most common in clinical practice. Tongue coating of other colors can be considered as transformation from white tongue coating. White tongue coating generally belongs to the lungs, and is mainly related to superficial symptoms and cold syndromes. However, clinically, white tongue coating can also be seen in cases of internal symptoms and heat syndromes. If the tongue coating is thin, white and moist, it indicates wind-cold; if it is thin, white and dry, it indicates wind-heat; if it is internal cold and dampness, the tongue coating can be seen as white, thick and greasy.

② Yellow moss comes in different colors such as light yellow, tender yellow, dark yellow, and burnt yellow. Generally speaking, the darker the color of the yellow tongue coating, the more severe the heat evil is. Light yellow indicates mild fever; tender yellow indicates heavier fever; dark yellow indicates even heavier fever; burnt yellow indicates heat accumulation; yellow and dry indicates heat damaging body fluids; yellow and greasy indicates damp heat.

③Gray-black tongue coating mostly indicates heat syndrome, but also cold-dampness or deficiency-cold syndrome. A gray and dry tongue coating indicates excessive heat and damage to body fluids; a gray and moist tongue coating indicates yang deficiency and excessive cold. Gray-black tongue coating is more common in the more serious stages of the disease.

(2) Thickness: thin moss, thick moss, little moss, no moss.

Thin tongue coating usually indicates that the disease has just started, the pathogens are on the surface, and the condition is relatively mild; thick tongue coating usually indicates that the pathogens are more severe and have spread to the interior; or there may be gastrointestinal stagnation; or there may be phlegm and dampness. The thicker the tongue coating, the more serious the disease and the more severe the condition. However, the formation of tongue coating reflects the presence or absence of stomach qi. A thick tongue coating indicates that stomach qi still exists, while a thin coating often indicates that the body's positive qi is insufficient. No coating means that the stomach qi is very weak and lacks the opportunity to grow. There is irregular peeling of the tongue coating on the surface of the tongue, and the peeling area is smooth and without coating, which is called flowery peeling coating. It is mostly caused by insufficient qi and yin of the stomach. If there is also greasy coating, it means that phlegm and dampness have not been transformed and the vital energy has been damaged.

(3) Moisture and dryness: reflects the condition of body fluids. The normal tongue coating is neither dry nor wet. Dry tongue coating means that the body's body fluid has been depleted. Exogenous diseases are mostly caused by dryness and heat that damages the body fluid, while internal diseases are mostly caused by yin deficiency and lack of body fluid. A moist tongue coating indicates that the body fluid is not damaged, but if there is too much moisture on the coating and the tongue is about to drip, it is called slippery tongue coating, which indicates that there is moisture in the body.

Greasy coating: The coating is dense and fine, like a layer of turbid and smooth mucus covering the surface of the tongue. It is not easy to wipe off and is mostly caused by excessive phlegm and dampness.

Putrid tongue coating: The tongue coating is loose like tofu dregs, piled on the surface of the tongue and easy to wipe off. It is mostly caused by the excess heat vaporizing the food turbidity in the stomach, and is a manifestation of the decay of old food in the stomach.

According to the above statement, the baby may have been suffering from excessive internal heat recently. As long as mothers pay more attention to the baby, the baby's tongue is a barometer. Inexperienced mothers can judge the baby's recent physical condition based on the baby's tongue. Then mothers can let the baby drink more water, eat more fruits, and urge the child not to be picky about food, so that the child's body will be very healthy.