A patient with palpitations and fatigue is expected to have which type of tongue?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a pale tongue commonly indicates a deficiency of qi and blood, which is closely associated with symptoms such as palpitations and fatigue. The pale coloration suggests that there may be insufficient nourishment and vitality within the body, reflecting an overall lack of energy that results in feelings of weakness or tiredness.

When assessing a patient with these symptoms, a pale tongue would be a clear indicator of underlying conditions that may involve heart qi deficiency or an overall deficiency syndrome, further supporting the idea that the patient's governance of energy is compromised. This aligns directly with feelings of palpitations, which can arise from a weakened heart qi that fails to circulate blood effectively.

Other tongue presentations, such as a wet and swollen tongue or bluish-purple tongue, would suggest different pathologies, such as dampness or blood stasis, respectively, which are not the primary concerns in this context. A thin and slightly dry tongue may suggest other imbalances, but would not specifically indicate the qi and blood deficiencies related to the symptoms provided. Thus, the pale tongue is the most representative of the situation described.