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http://dx.doi.org/10.22246/jikm.2017.38.2.131

A Case Report of Black Hairy Tongue Treated with Traditional Korean Medicine  

Nam, Seong-uk (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Lee, Jae-hyung (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Lee, Jung-eun (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Ha, Na-yeon (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Ko, Whee-hyoung (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Hwang, Mi-ni (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Kim, Jin-sung (Dept. of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
Publication Information
The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine / v.38, no.2, 2017 , pp. 131-137 More about this Journal
Abstract
Black hairy tongue is a benign medical condition, which is characterized by elongated filiform lingual papillae, with a typical carpet-like appearance on the dorsum of the tongue. We describe the case of a 70-year-old Korean female with black hairy tongue, who complained of black hairy tongue accompanied by xerostomia. The patient was treated with Jibaekjihwang-tang-gagambang and electric acupuncture for 13 days. Black hairy tongue was evaluated by its visual appearance and by calculating hue-saturation-brightness (HSB) and red-green-blue (RGB) values of images of the tongue using a photo-edit program. Salivary flow rate (SFR) was evaluated to evaluate oral dryness. After 13 days of treatment, the black fur disappeared, and the brightness and RGB values of the black fur increased. In addition, the SFR increased. We conclude that Korean medicine could be the treatment choice for black hairy tongue.
Keywords
case report; black hairy tongue; xerostomia; herbal medicine; electric acupuncture; traditional Korean medicine;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
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