A lack of sensation in the tongue. Numbness of the tongue is attributable to liver wind stirring internally, to blood vacuity, or to phlegm obstruction.
Patterns
Blood vacuity (血虚 xuè xū): A pale numb tongue is accompanied by a somber-white or withered-yellow facial complexion, heart palpitation, shortness of breath, insomnia and profuse dreaming, forgetfulness, and a forceless fine pulse.
Medicinal therapy: Nourish the blood. Use Spleen-Returning Decoction (归脾汤guī pí tāng) plus blast-fried ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparatum, 炮姜páo jiāng).
Liver wind stirring internally (肝风内动 gān fēng nèi dòng): Numbness of the tongue is accompanied by inhibited speech, dizzy head, headache, and rapid fine stringlike pulse. In some cases, there may sudden collapse leaving the patient with hemiplegia (wind stroke).
Medicinal therapy: Boost yīn, calm the liver, and extinguish wind. Use Gastrodia and Uncaria Beverage (天麻钩藤饮tiān má gōu téng yǐn).
Phlegm obstruction (痰阻 tán zǔ): Phlegm obstruction can manifest in different ways. The main forms are wind-phlegm and phlegm-fire. In wind-phlegm, the tongue is numb and stiff. This is accompanied by dizzy head and vision, and numbness of the limbs. In some cases, there may be sudden collapse leaving the patient with deviated eyes and mouth or hemiplegia. The tongue is white and glossy or yellow and slimy. The pulse is floating and slippery or stringlike and moderate. In phlegm-fire, the tongue is numb and red. The tongue fur is yellow and slimy or else thick yellow and dry. In addition, there is dizzy head and vision, tinnitus, bitter taste in the mouth, vexation and agitation, irascibility, ungratifying defecation, and a rapid slippery stringlike pulse.
Medicinal therapy: For wind-phlegm use Awake-From-Wind Decoction (省风汤shěng fēng tāng) plus aquilaria (Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum, 沉香chén xiāng). For phlegm-fire, use Gallbladder-Warming Decoction (温胆汤wēn dǎn tāng) plus bile arisaema [root] (Arisaema cum Bile, 胆星dǎn xīng), scorpion (Scorpio, 全蝎quán xiē), gastrodia (Gastrodiae Rhizoma, 天麻tiān má), and coptis (Coptidis Rhizoma, 黄连huáng lián).