Involuntary biting of the tongue is called tongue biting.

Tongue biting is different from "waggling tongue," which refers to the frequent protrusion and movement of the tongue in the mouth, occurring with clear consciousness, mostly in children; tongue biting refers to self-biting of the tongue, occurring with confused consciousness, and can happen in both adults and children who experience convulsions or wind-stirring.

Occasional tongue biting in normal individuals is not considered a pathological condition and will not be discussed in this article.

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1. Excessive Heat Generating Wind︰Biting the tongue, locked jaw, high fever, convulsions, restless hands and feet, and even opisthotonos, red tongue texture, scorched black prickly tongue coating, wiry and rapid pulse. Tongue biting is often accompanied by symptoms such as high fever, unconsciousness, mania, and other signs of excessive heat in the liver channel generating wind.
2. Wind Phlegm︰Suddenly collapsing, unconscious with eyes turned upward, convulsion and tongue biting, even with bleeding, urinary incontinence, then spontaneously regaining consciousness, tongue coating white and greasy, pulse wiry and slippery. Tongue biting often occurs without fever convulsion and is episodic, with normalcy after waking. Excessive heat generating wind tongue biting should be treated by clearing heat cooling liver and extinguishing wind, and the prescription is Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction; wind phlegm disturbing tongue biting should be treated by expelling wind and resolving phlegm to stop epilepsy, and "Epilepsy-Soothing and Pain-Relieving Mixture" combined with "Scorpion and Centipede Tablets" can be used with excellent results.

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1. 《Chinese Medicine Clinical Essentials》: "Biting one's own tongue is one of the symptoms of 'internal wind'. The Neijing states: 'When a person bites their tongue, it is due to cold extremities rising upwards, and the vessel qi all arriving. When the qi of the shaoyin arrives, it causes biting of the tongue; when the qi of the shaoyang arrives, it causes biting of the cheeks; when the qi of the yangming arrives, it causes biting of the lips. Use the Sacred Recovery Decoction with modifications.'"
2. 《Tongue Diagnosis and Correction》: "A black and rotten tongue with biting indicates extreme heat in the internal organs combined with exposure to toxic filth. It is often seen in patients with syphilitic skin lesions and is rare in other conditions. Suitable treatments include the Three-Yellow Lonicera Qi-Regulating Decoction, and drinking tea made from Glabrous Greenbrier. If ineffective, as the old saying goes, the tongue will become black and rotten, and frequent biting will lead to complete decay and death."