What your tongue says about your health

The tongue is generally known to serve the purpose of helping us eat and speak but it can perform more than these basic functions.

AMONG all other organs, the tongue is acclaimed to be one of the most correct gauges of the state of the digestive tract and the most precise indicator of some internal diseases. Yet, it is common to find that most people ignore their hardest-working muscle.


The colour, texture and moisture of your tongue can provide revealing signs of what's going on inside your body which is why it is one part of your body that you must study every morning before you brush your teeth or eat anything.

According to medical practitioners, it can tell you if you've properly digested your food from the night before, if your colon is clear, if your organs are happy, if you could use a cleanse, if you're holding onto too much anxiety or fear and it can even aid in diagnosing disease.

Scientists say that the heart and liver are reflected in the front part of the tongue. The middle part of the tongue shows the state of the stomach. The root of the tongue is responsible for the state of the lower part of the bowels and the sides reflect the state of the liver and kidneys. 

Here are some of the common red flags experts say your tongue might be raising about your health;

Pale and smooth

When people are suffering from iron-deficiency anaemia, the tongue can take on an abnormally pale, smooth look. “That's because when your body is dealing with a lack of iron, your blood doesn't have the necessary oxygen-carrying capacity to keep the tissues red,” explains Dr. Toyin. 
And the result of that lack of oxygen in the blood is that all of the tissue including the tongue become pale.  
However, once the anaemia is under control and the blood is once again well-oxygenated, the tongue will go back to its healthy pink shade.

Turning yellow

A yellowish tint on the tongue is often a clue that there is some sort of fungal or bacterial infection in the mouth. It could also mean your bile quotient is high. Occasionally, changes in the tongue's colour will happen only in patchesa condition, known as “geographic tongue.” In that case, some spots on the tongue will become yellow while other areas remain normal and pink.

A bumpy surface

The tiny projections on the top of the tongue, including the taste buds, normally stick up a little bit. But occasionally one will get temporarily inflamed, red, and a bit sore. As with canker sores, as long as the area returns to normal within a time span of a few days, the inflammation is most likely harmless. “But if it turns very red or white, is painful and tender, and most importantly, doesn't go away, it could be a sign of oral cancer,” Gboyega warns.

Too dark

A healthy tongue should have a warm, pinkish colour, so when it looks dark, brown or black, you need to wonder why. Chances are the answer will be in your diet, lifestyle or your medicine cabinet. 

Frequently feasting on spicy meals, antibiotics and harsh mouthwash can darken the surface of the tongue over time. Also drinking a lot of coffee, smoking or chewing tobacco can stain the tongue a brownish shade. This can cause everything from constipation to lack of sleep. 

What your tongue is telling you is that your system is 'dry' and needs ample hydration. Again, the consumption of ample water and plenty of juicy fruits should help.

Sore spots

They may be small, but canker sores or mouth ulcers (which occur in the mouth, including the tongue) can be extremely painful. A normal canker will heal up and vanish in a week to 10 days. 

Something that lasts longer and doesn't seem to be going away could be a sign of oral cancer and should be checked out by your doctor immediately.