Question
What medicine should be used for a child with white tongue coating, red cheeks, and dry stools?
Answer
Dry stools are generally caused by insufficient body fluids. Insufficient body fluids can be due to either cold or heat. If the child has a dry mouth along with excessive drinking, feeling thirsty despite drinking, yellow urine, a red tongue with little coating, or a yellow tongue coating, it indicates the presence of internal heat, where body fluids are being depleted. If the child has a dry mouth and tongue, drinks little water, or feels more comfortable drinking hot water, has no yellow urine, feels tired and is prone to colds, with a white or thin white tongue coating, it suggests a relation to internal Qi deficiency and the inability of body fluids to disperse properly.