A red tongue body with no coating indicates which condition?

A red tongue body with no coating is indicative of Empty-Heat. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, a red tongue typically signifies heat within the body. When there is no coating on the tongue, it suggests that the heat is not due to an excess of pathogenic factors but rather represents a deficiency, commonly associated with Yin deficiency.

Empty-Heat arises when there is a lack of nourishing Yin fluids, which leads to a relative excess of Yang or heat in the body. This condition can manifest as a red tongue without coating, alongside symptoms such as night sweats, dry mouth, or a feeling of heat that worsens with activity. The absence of a coating further reinforces the diagnosis of a deficiency state, as a thick coating would usually signify an accumulation of pathogenic heat.

In contrast, the other conditions listed tend to feature additional signs or tongue presentations associated with more pronounced heat or other factors, such as a thick coating or other symptoms that suggest a presence of full heat or an organ-specific excess.