Question
My 5-month-old baby has white tongue coating. What should I do? They started coughing on December 2nd and were diagnosed with bronchitis. They are not coughing anymore, but have a lot of phlegm. Could the white tongue coating be related to bronchitis?
Answer
Thick tongue coating in infants indicates excessive stomach Qi, internal food retention, unprocessed food, or dampness caused by the spleen. A red tongue with a yellow coating suggests heat, while a pale or faint red tongue with a white coating indicates Qi deficiency and inability to transform dampness. I’m not sure how old your child is, but it’s important to note that children’s medication should be used sparingly – “a little too much makes it sticky, and too much can cause damage.” Generally, it’s not advisable to use medication for these symptoms, and they tend to gradually balance out as the child grows. My suggestion is to avoid giving your child random foods and not overfeed them. Children’s organs are delicate. Traditional Chinese medicine says “do not wear warm clothes, and always breastfeed appropriately” – don’t worry about them being cold and wrap them up too warmly. The saying “if you want the child to be healthy, keep them slightly hungry and cold” is very instructive. As for food supplements, dried dates, yam, Job’s tears, hawthorn fruit, etc., are all good choices. You can add them to daily rice porridge to enhance Spleen and stomach absorption.