kidney meridian by jiang jing

7/27/2019 Kidney Meridian by Jiang Jing

1/24


2/24

2

SomeGeneralConsiderations

Fig.A

Fig.B

Becauseofthedifficultytopenetratethroughthedensearmorformedbythespine

andribsontheback,allthemeridiansotherthanTaiyangoflegtendtoflowoverthe

frontofthebody.Similarly,thebackoftheheadisenclosedwhilethefaceandtemporal


3/24

3

regions are open through the sensory organs. Therefore, allmeridians also tend to

connectwiththefaceratherthanthebackofthehead.

Fig.C

IntheFig.C,onesideofbodyisillustratedshowingtwelvemeridiansdistributedof

theleftarmandleftleg.Noticethatthehorizontalcenterlineindicatesthebodytrunk

and the organs,while the vertical center line indicates spine.The vertical line at the

centerofthecirclesindicatesthebonesofthearmandleg.Inthisdiagram,theenergy

circulation follows thenumberingsystem.Note thatmeridianswhich initiate fromthehorizontallinestarttheircoursesfromthecorrespodingorgans(1,5,9,and3,11,7).The

others initiate from the tips of the limbs and eventually connect with their

correspondingorgans.Thetwelvemeridiansarenumberedonthediagramasfollows:

1:TaiyinofArm

2:YangmingofArm

3:YangmingofLeg

4:TaiyinofLeg

5:ShaoyinofArm

6:

Taiyang

of

Arm

7:TaiyangofLeg

8:ShaoyinofLeg

9:JueyinofArm

10:ShaoyangofArm

11:ShaoyangofLeg

12:JueyinofLeg


4/24

4

Heavenisthesourceoftheyangmeridians;earthisthesourceoftheyinmeridians.

These energies flowbetween heaven and earth,merely passing through the human

body.

TheRenmai andDumaimeridians are created as a resultof symetricalpairs of

threeyinonthefrontandthreeyangontheback.AsmuchasRenmai/Dumaicircutis

themostvitalmeridiancirculationofthehumanbody,itistheresultoftheinteractionbetween the six qi circulation thru thebody and thebodys five elemental response.SinceRenmaiandDumaiarecreatedbytheuniversalsixqiinthehumanbody,thesetwoare theonlymeridians that trulybelong toan individual.This is thereasonwhy

RenmaiandDumaiarethemostimportantchannelsofcirculationforhumanexistance

(health,life,death).

Fig.D

Thekidneymeridian is themeridian thatmost closely follows and contributes to

Renmaiwhile also creating important channels likeChongmai.Together these three

meridianscontributethemostimportantqiflowincreatinganewlife(reproduction).


5/24

5

The lungdealswiththemostyangqi,andthekidneythemostyinqi.Becausethey dealwith such opposite qualities of qi in a physical unit, theybecome a pair.Naturally,thereareconnectionsbetweenkidneychannelandlungchannelinternally.

ThelungchannelreachesdowntotheTantienandthekidneys,whilekidneychannelextends up to the lungs andbranchial tubes.While their two essences (qi andjingrespectively) mix between these two organs, the many variables of the internalenvironment arouse tremendous variety in the way that qi and jing manisfest insyndromes. In themicrocosm ofhumanbody, lungdrawsuniversalyang qi into themicrocosmic unit, and the kidney, through the action of the spleen and stomach,

suppliesyinenergyorjingqi.Thisishowmicrocosmsimulatesthemacrocosmicflowasshown in the Fig.C and Fig.D. Reducing this scheme to the smaller scale of an

individual,wecanconsidertheflowoftheexternalchannelsatthesurfaceofthebody

to be themacrocosm of the universe, and the internal flow of the channels as the

microcosmofhumanbody.Amore indepth synopsisofuniversal stemsandearthly

brancheswillbediscussedinmycommentariesoftheYoonchisectionoftheNeiching.

TheKidneyMeridianHere,wewillnotdiscussthekidneyorganpersenoremphasizethe importanceof

thekidneysbut, instead,summarize thecourseof thismeridian.Thekidneymeridian

initiatesfromthelastpointofthebladdermeridianlocatedonthefifthtoe.FromU.B.67

(Zhiyin),yangbecomesyin.TheTaiyangqiofwaterelementtransformsintoShaoyinofwater element by entering into the deepest center of the foot at Kd.1 (Yongquan).

Naturally,Kd.1 (Yongquan)point is in the foot,notsimplyon thebottomskinof foot.

The course of themeridian follows the interior aspect of the foot,moving upward

aroundthe

interior

malleolus

and

then

backward

and

down.

When

it

reaches

the

bottom

of the interiormalleolus, the qi entersdeeper into thejointand formsKd.6 (Zhaohai).Starting from Kd.6 (Zhaohai), the kidneymeridianbecomesmore involvedwith the

internalorgansandothermeridians.

KidneymeridiansLuopoint isKd.4 (Dazhong) and itdirectly communicatewith

BladdermeridianthroughU.B.58(Feiyang),theLuopointoftheBladdermeridian.This

pairofpointsactivelyexchange qi throughyin/yang transformation.AsKd.2 (Rangu)receivesandspringsouttheFireelementofShaoyin,YangmingqiinfluencefromSt.12(Quepen) throughYinqiaoMai causes the flowbetweenKd.2 (Rangu) andTaixi tobemuchmorevigorous.Thismakes theKd.3(Taixi)aneffectivepointforcontrolling the

flow(stream)ofkidneyqi.Kd.3(Taixi)formsapairwithU.B.60(Kunlun).TaixiisearthofyinandKunlunisfireofyang.Thesetwopointscontroleachotherandcontributeto

thebalancingoftwowater(BladderandKidney)meridians.

Thepairingofthesepointsnotonlycontributestobalancingofthesetwomeridians,

but alsohelps focusneedling effect to avery small areawhich isoftennecessary for

treating localizeddisorders likebrokenbones, cysts,obstructionsofurethra,etc.Kd.6

(Zhaohai)andU.B.62(Shenmai)alsoformapair.

***


6/24

6

Kidney meridian has very complex relation with many other meridians. Kd.1

(Yongquan)isinpolaritywithheartmeridianHt.8(Shaofu).Kd.2(Rangu),Taixi,Zhaohai

andjiaoxin connects to Stomachmeridian throughQuepen (St12). BetweenSanjiaoxin

andYingu,Sanyinjiao (Sp6)connects thekidneymeridian to twootheryinmeridians

(Jueyin, Taiyin) while it branches into Yinqiao mai following closely the kidney

meridianuptoYingu.AtYingu,kidneymeridianconnectstoYinlingquan(Sp9,waterofTaiyin) and thewater elemental qualitybecomesmore clear and the combination of

spleen andkidney qi allowsYingu to influence the reproductive qimorepowerfully.Zhubin(K9)connectstospleenmeridianatFushethroughYinweimai,andextendsto

livermeridianatqimen,andfurtherextendstoRenmaiatTiantu.AfterYingu,kidneymeridianmovesupward towardChangqiang connectingdirectly toDumai andRen

mai . From Changqiang, one branch of kidney meridian follows the Du mai upto

Mingmenandentersintothebothadrenalglands(Huangmen,UB51)andthanintothe

kidneys.Fromthekidneys,twolinesofqientertheTantien.FromChangqiang,theotherbranchrisesfowardRenmaiformingChongmai,andatQugu(Ren2)itdividesintotwo

lines(.5

cun

lateral

to

Ren

mai

)to

reach

Huangshu

(K16)

at

the

level

of

umblicus.

Duringthiscourse,atHuiyin,additionalqi(downwardyangqi)fromtheTantienentersthe Renmai forming Chongmai, Renmai and kidneymeridian together. Renmai

connectswiththekidneymeridian,spleenmeridianandlivermeridianconnectingDahe

(K12), Fushe (Sp13),Jimai (Liv12) and Zhongji (Ren3), and through Zhongji, kidney

meridian contacts thebladder.Thekidneymeridianbranch through theDumai and

kidneyswhichenters thebladderalsojoins thekidneymeridianatGuanyuan (Ren4),

andconnectsbacktothekidneymeridianatqixue(K13)tocontinueupwardflowoftheShaoyinqi.FromHuangshu(K16),kidneymeridianmixesagainintoRenmaiandtravelsdown

internally to enter urinarybladder. From the kidneys, anotherbranch of kidney qimovesdirectly to liver,diaphragmand lung.Abranch from the lungentersheartand

connects to pericardium. The otherbranch from the lung follows thebranchial tube

laterally and reaches the root of the tongue. Between Yingu and Henggu, kidney

meridian communicateswith liver and spleenmeridian through connectionsbetween

Chongmai,Yinweimai,Yinqiaomai,livermeridianandspleenmeridian.AtChongmen

(Sp12), spleenmeridian conncectswith livermeridian and togetherwith the kidney

meridian,threeyinmeridiansmeetintheRenmaithroughQugu(Ren2).

DetailsoftheKidneyMeridianKd.1(Yongquan),awoodelementShaoyin(yinfire)ofwaterpointofleg(yin,lower

burner),hasadirectcontactwithHt.8(Shaofu)whichhasfireelementofShaoyin(yin

fire)ofhand (yang,upperburner).These twopointsare likenorthand southpoleof

magnet.The functionofKd.1(Yongquan) isbasicallytoregulatefire(heat)distribution

fromthewaterelementalviewpointwhileHt.8(Shaofu)controlsfirefromthesideofthe

fire (fire elemental viewpoint). Both points have interesting connectionwith G.V.20

(Baihui) and C.V.1 (Huiyin). The reason why these four points are all connected is


7/24

7

becauseofthepolarityoftheqi.Intheacupunctureanatomicalpositionwithbothhandsupabove theheadstandingup,therearetwo layersofcircles;one isRenmaiandDu

maicircle,theotheristwelvemeridiancircle.G.V.20(Baihui)belongsyin(cold)fire,and

C.V.1(Huiyin)belongsyang(hot)water.Thefollowingthreechartsareincludedtoaid

theunderstadingofthispolarrelationofthefourpoints.

In this figure, the core is yin and the surface is yang.G.V.20 (Baihui) andC.V.1(Huiyin)areyin,Ht.8(Shaofu)andKd.1 (Yongquan)areyangfromthepointofviewofsurfaceandcore.

This chart implies the combination of two concepts of yin/yang differentiation;

lower/upper and in/out.Thismight look somewhat contradictory to the conventional

wayofmakingachartwithoneconceptofyin/yangdifferentiation.Please,trytoseethe

chartasathreedimentionalballshape,notaflatcircle.)


8/24

8

As illustrated in the Figures , four points form an important symmetry: Yang

yang/yinyang/ yinyin /yangyin, twolayer circles of qi.Natually, these four pointssharesimilaritiesincontrollingcoldhotSanjiaoenergydistribution.Ht.8(Shaofu)hasagreat effect slowingheart ratedownby lowering theyang (heat) type tension in the

upper

burner

which

also

increases

the

yin

nature

of

lung

of

upper

burner

resulting

more

yang qi induction (deeperbreathing).Ht.8 (Shaofu), in comparison toG.V.20 (Baihui),dealswithhotter,butweaker,yangenergythatrisestothehighestlevelofthebody(the

Sanjiaoheatdistribution).G.V.20 (Baihui)alsocontrolsheatasa sedationpoint,and it

dealswithlessviolentbutmorepotentheatoftheSanjiaowhichrisesthroughbothRen

maiandDumaimeridiansandaccumulatesintheheadandshoulderaroundandabove

G.B.21 (Jianjing)Naturally,G.B.21 (Jianjing) isdirectly involved in the distribution of

heat in the entirebody trunk as apumpingpoint of activated qi.Yang qi that spinsupwardfromTantienafteractivationprocessthroughSanjiaoandMingmenpointsonthelowerbackwhilejingisconvertedintoqifromthekidneyandadrenalgland.The similarity of these two points on the yang pole is that they control heatby

sedating from the top. These points can easily control excessive heat surge into theupperportionofthebody(upperSanjiao)by loweringyangenergylevelandallowing

yinleveltoriseintheupperSanjiao.Inthecasesoftonificationofthesetwopoints,like

in the case of lacking qi support in the heart orbrain,we can applymoxibustion toachieve thecontactwith theheat in the lower level. In the techniquesofneedling,we

can tonify cold qiwith a silverneedlewitha slow, curvymotionat theneedle tip toachievethecontactwithcoldqiofthelowerSanjiaowhichasaresultwillsedatetheheat


9/24

9

of theupperSanjiao.However,unlikeKd.1 (Yongquan)orC.V.1 (Huiyin)whichcanbe

treatedwithmoxibustion topullheatdownbyconnectingtheexcessiveheatofupper

SanjiaowiththecoldqioflowerSanjiao.Applying cold energy techniques to G.V.20 (Baihui) or Ht.8 (Shaofu) are not so

effective.This isbecause it ismuchharder topullcold qiupward than topullhot qidownward.Hotenergy,which isyang, isverymobile,butcoldenergywhich isyin isnotsomobile.IndealingwithKd.1(Yongquan)asaheatlevelcontroller,therearebasic

four ways to look at the yin/yang balancing.We can tonify or sedate with either

acupunctureormoxibustion.

Moreprecisely,we caneither tonifyor sedate cold qiorhot qiwith acupuncture.Withmoxibustion,wecanalsosedatecoldqiatanyleveloftheSanjiao,hookdownhotqi fromupperormiddleSanjiao, tonifyhot qiof lowerSanjiao,orconnecthot qi frombottomtotop.WhenweareusingKd.1(Yongquan)towarmupthecold lowerpartof

theSanjiao, it shouldbe tonifiedwithmoxibustion.Whenwewant tobringexcessive

heatdown fromupperSanjiao,we canpulldownheatbyusinga sedation technique

withsharp

moxibustion

heat.

If

we

want

to

simply

neutralize

the

upper

Sanjiao

heat

withKd.1 (Yongquan),we can sedate thatheatby strong sedationneedling technique

aftercontactingtheupperSanjiaoheatatthepoint.Ifwewanttoreinforcethefunctionof

Kd.1(Yongquan),thatistoexpellheavytoxicqiout,wecansimplysedatethecongestedheatattheKd.1(Yongquan)point.

Strangely enough, if we want to contact the upper Sanjiao heat at the Kd.1

(Yongquan) point,we should insert the needle deep, andwe should startdoingbird

pecking(actuallypickingout,notpeckingin)techniqueuntilheatissensedattheneedle

tip.Sucha technique iscalledbyourschool,fishingorhooking. In thiscase, it is

customarythinkingthatheatshouldbeonthesuperficiallevelisinappropriate.Thisis

becausewhenthereisnobloodflow,thereisnoclearqiflow.And,thereismoreheatinthedeeper levelof thecold feet thanon thesuperficial level.Ofcourse,whenweare

coolingahotfoot,weshouldinserttheneedleshallow.

C.V.1 (Huiyin) point has the very same function as Kd.1 (Yongquan). But, C.V.1

(Huiyin)has a special characteristics of theyin qi that ismore crystaline, contracting,accumulative,andimmobile.SincetheC.V.1(Huiyin)isconnectingRenmaiandDumai

which are thevitalmeridiansofhumanbody,many falsedeath casesare revivedby

triggeringtheextremeyinqiandcrystalizedyangqiatthepointtoactivateanddispersesuch qi upward through Tantien.Another name forC.V.1 (Huiyin) is Xiachimeaningextreme of the lower Sanjiao characteristics.However, do not disregard the other

yin/yangaspectofC.V.1 (Huiyin)which is fireofwater.This fireelement isdue to its

position,the

bottom

gate

of

Tantien.

Naturally,

the

fire

action

of

C.V.1

(Huiyin)

can

be

vigorous,but, it is a very superficial one.The fire action isvery easily lostbybeing

crystalized intoyinat thisposition.The fact thatC.V.1 (Huiyin)beingyinofyin,and

Kd.1 (Yongquan) being yangof yin is through different aspects of yin/yang

differentiantionthansimplytheaspectsofcoldandhot.Inthethreecharts,Fig.1,2,3,the

inward/outwardconceptisasimportantasthecold/hotconcept,andthesetwoconcepts

areoverlappedinthecharts.


10/24

10

Kd.1 (Yongquan)hasan important fuction to root the qidownwardexpelling coldheavy toxic qi. Therefore the feet shouldbe relatively colder to achieve this action.However, if feet arekept too cold, thedownwardmovement ofyang qi of thebody(mobility is yang, and the qi goingdown in thebody is yang qi) stops and qigoingupward also stops. That is to say, Taiyang/Shaoyin transformation between U.B.67

(Zhiyin)andKd.1(Yongquan)becomeshinderedand thekidneymeridiancannotcarrymuchqitosupportkidneyaction.Ifthere isnotenoughhotyangqiintheSanjiao,thedecreasedlevelofqiflowandthesluggishmovementofthebladderandkidneyqicancause cold feet indicating low vital energy.Kd.1 (Yongquan),while this is a coldyin

point,canbeactivatedusuallybyheattonificationtechniqueswithmoxibustion,andit

isaveryeffectivepointformanyurgentconditionslikeunconsciousnessduetostroke,

cardiacarrest,sunstroke,etc.

In general, Kd.1 (Yongquan) is effective to heat up the lowerSanjiao (urogenital

system,lowergastrointestinaltract),toreinforcethekidneyliverqitransformation(fiveelementallythiswoodelementaljingwellpointisagateoftonificationfromkidneyto

livertonification

cycle)

which

many

times

concerns

nerve

stress

and

insomnia

due

to

hyperactivity of nerves and endocrinal glands, to lower the heat level of the upper

Sanjiao(especiallyofthehead,heart,lung)and/ortostoptheheatrisingintotheupper

Sanjiao,andtofreeupfrozenqiforemergencies.Kd.1(Yongquan)isasonpoint(wood,thesonofwater)andisusedtosedatekidney

meridian qi flow. But, because of the strong heat/cold polarity action of the point,sedatingkidneywaterelemementthroughthispointisnoteasilydone.

The second point of the kidneymeridian,Kd.2 (Rangu), is also the first point of

Yinqiaomai.Yinqiaomai(RongmaiorDragonChannel)springshere,soitsnicknameis

Rongquan(dragonspring).Kd.2(Rangu)isafireofwaterelementpointresonatingwith

root of tongue andwater of fire element of heartHt.3 (Shouhai) and fire element of

Sanjiao,T.W.2(Yemen).Allthreepointsareveryeffectivepointsforcrackedtongueand

manyothertongue,heartconditionsandbleedingcondtions(especiallywaterelemental

organs,likehemorrhageofuterus,kidney,bladder,etc.).Tobespecificandtoillustrate

thedifferencebetweenKd.2(Rangu)andT.W.2(Yemen)forthedrycrackingtongue,one

shouldtonifyatT.W.2(Yemen)becauseitisthewateroffireofShaoyang;andsedateat

Kd.2 (Rangu)because it isthe fireofwaterofShaoyin.In thiscaseofsedationatKd.2

(Rangu),needlingshouldbedoneatashallowlevelsoasnottodamagetheYinqiaoand

Kidneymeridianswhichfeedthefundamentalwaterelement.Asweallknowfromthe

primary needling techniques, for each acupuncture point there are basically five

needlingdepths:

lung,

heart,

spleen,

liver

and

kidney.

Yinqiaomai starts at Kd.2 (Rangu),but it is not the representative point for the

Yinqiaomai,instead,Kd.6(Zhaohai)representstheYinqiaomai.Kd.3(Taixi)isintheoppsitepositionofU.B.60(Kunlun).AsaYuanpointofShaoyin

meridian, it communicateswithHt.7 (Shenmen) ofHeartmeridian (polarity);both ofthesepointsareShustreamearthelementofShaoyin.Kd.3 (Taixi) isearthofwaterof

Shaoyin,Ht.7(Shenmen)isearthoffireofShaoyin.Oneinterestingindicationforbothofthesepoints isconstipation.Thewaythesepointsactivatethecolon isthroughsplenic


11/24

11

actiongoingdowntoTantien.U.B.60(Kunlun)isafireofwaterelementofTaiyang,and

itisexactlyoppsitesideoftheKd.3(Taixi)anditcanbespeciallyeffectivefordiarrhea

inthemorning(ShaoyindiarrheaatthetimeofMao,imperialfire,yinwood).

TheLuopointof thekidneymeridian,Kd.4 (Dazhong),communicateswithU.B.58

(Feiyang).Bothof thesepointsare involved inurinationactivityof thekidneyand the

bladder.Asmuch as the entire kidneymeridian is also called asDazhongmai, theconnectionwith theBladdermeridianofTaiyangat thispoint isveryoftennoted.A

goodexampleofapplyingthisLuopointistotonifyatthispointforbackacheduetothe

deficiencyofkidneyandbladder.Anothergooduseof thisLuopoint is tostrengthen

entirenervous systemandbrainactivity,becauseDazhongenables the tonificationof

bothjing(endocrinal)propertiesofthekidneymeridianandqi(nervous)qualityofthebladdermeridian.

There are three Xi points in the kidneymeridian:Kd.5 (Shuiquan), Xi ofKidneymeridian;Kd.8 (Jiaoxin),Xi ofYinqia; andKd.9 (Zhubin),Xi ofYinwei.Whenwe areusingXipoints to release the overflowing qi of themeridian (e.g.,overthrusting andforming

wind

element

in

the

flow),

it

is

important

not

to

over

release

to

cause

weakness

ofanyotherbenignareas.ToillustratetheexamplesofthedifferentuseofthesethreeXi

points, in wind sedation: Shuiquan is very effective forbladder, uterus and kidney

contraction,Jiaoxin is very effective for contraction of vagina, testicle, urinary tract,heart, diaphragm, tongue, eosphagus (following Yinqiao mai); and Zhubin is very

effectiveforcontractionoflargeintestine(illiocecalvalve),gallbladder,pancreas,vocal

cord,etc.

Kd.6(Zhaohai)hasanotherfamousname,Yinqiao.Thisisthepointwheresomuchishappening. Zhaohai is a confluent point of Yinqiao mai, and is the practical valve

betweenkidneymeridianandYinqiaochannel.TogetherwithJiaxin, it isacoalescent

pointforYinqiaomai.TogetherwithU.B.62(Shenmai),theconfluentpointofYangqiao,

itbalancesShaoyin qiofkidney andTaiyangofbladdermeridians. It is alsoyin andyangbetweenYinqiaoandYangqiao.Becauseofthesuchyinandyangbalancingeffect

of Zhaohai and Shenmai, they are very effective forbalancingjing (organic function,emotion) and shen (mental andnerve function).Of course, Shenmai andZhaohaiare apolaritypair.And,YinqiaoandYangqiaoareapolaritymeridianpair.

AsarepresentingpointoftheYinqiaomai,ZhaohaidoesalmosteverythingYinqiao

maiwoulddojustas if ithas the fullcontrolof theYinqiaomai. Inmanyoldtextsof

acupuncture,Zhaohaihasbeendescribedasoneof the twomost importantpoints for

gynecological conditions. The other point is Sp.6 (Sanyinjiao).One reason is that the

connectionsofthemeridiansofkidney,liver,gallbladderhappenatthesameplacesas

whereYinqiao,

Yinwei,

Chong

and

Dai

mai

communicate,

which

is

thru

Ren

mai

points

on the lowerabdomen (Guanyuan,Qugu,Zhongji,Shenque).Shenquealsoconnectswith

G.B.26 (Daimai), and thru Shenque, Zhaohai connects toG.B.26 (Daimai) on theGall

Bladdermeridian,forminganotherpolaritypointspair.AnotherreasonisthatZhaohaiis

in polaritywithRenmai thru Lu.7 (Lieque). Lieque is in supporting relationwith the

ChongmaithruSp.4(Gongsun).

AnotherimportantfactofZhaohaiisthatZhaohaicanreleaseoverflowofqijustlikeXipoint.Simplybecause it isbranchingkidneymeridianout intoYinqiaomai.Taking


12/24

12

advantage of all these facts of the Zhaohai, a good example of indications is

appendicitis.Thewayithelpstheappendicitisissoeffective(usuallyusedwithShanqiu

(Sp5),you candecide against thediagnosiswhenZhaohaididnot eliminate thepain

around the appendix, almost immediately.Another famous point for appendicitis is

Kunlun, in the sameway.But, themechanisms of these twopointsworking against

appendicitisarenot the same.Zhaohai reachesJingming (UB1) throughShenmaiandYangqiaomai,andmeetskidneymeridian,stomachmeridianandbladdermeridianat

thepoint.SinceZhubinreaches thesamepoint,but thrudifferentcourse,Zhubinand

Zhaohaiareoftenusedtogethertocontrolcomplexhotandcoldsituationofkidneyand

bladder,likebladderinfectionbybacteriaandyeastatthesametime(or,yeastinfection

overlappedbybacterialinfection).

Traditionally, Fuliu is the only point on the kidney meridian to be used with

moxibustiontotonifykidneyqi.ThemostinterestingfactindoingmoxibustiononFuliuisthatweareapplyingfiretoadjustthemetalthatisthemotherofwaterelementofthe

kidneymeridian.

In

general,

the

kidney

meridian

contains

lesser

blood

and

greater

qi

(Shao XueDuo qi),whichmeans that Shaoyin quality of imperial fire is itsmain qicharacteristics.This can leadmany scholars intomiscomprehension. It sounds fine to

tonifyshoyintostrengthenthekidneymeridianwithmoxibustion,but,inpractice,itis

verydifficultnot toweakenJing (blood factorofkidneymeridian, lesserblood in the

kidneyalready)byamplifyingqi(greaterqiinthekidneymeridianalready)withfireinmoxibustion.This isnotanabsoluterule forFuliubeing theonlypoint tobehandled

withmoxibustion in themeridian,but Fuliu is a good reminder of such fact of the

kidneymeridian. It isvery important tounderstand the simple fiveelemental rule in

this example that can later lead intomuchmore complicate involvements.Another

important concept in ShaoXueDuo qi inkidneymeridian is that themeridian caneasily lack qibecause it needs to keep high content of qi than xue. Itdoes not havesurplusofqitogiveaway.The locationsofFuliuandSanjiaoxinhavebeencontrovercial forages;according to

one school, Fuliu is located in front ofSanjiaoxin, and according to the other school

(most),SanjiaoxinislocatedinfrontofFuliu.Regardingwhichisthecorrectlocations,we

shouldunderstandthecharacteristicsofSanjiaoxinmoreprecisely.SanjiaoxinistheXiof

Yinqiao, and also, the coalescentpoint ofYinqiao.Sanjiaoxin is thepoint thatdirectly

connectstotheStomachmeridianthruYinqiaomai.SanjiaoxinandQuepen(St12)arein

thedirectcontact.Sanjiaoxincontrolstheflowofthethreeyinmeridiansoflegsbyletting

themopen

to

the

three

yang

meridians

of

legs.

In

order

to

balance

the

Yangming

of

stomachmeridian,Sanjiaoxinshould locateonamoresymetricposition to thestomach

meridian.Becarefulinthesymetricityofyin/yanghere.Itisnotthe180degreeopposite

sideofthecircle,instead,itisthemirrorview.LetslookattheFig.a,andfoldalongthe

horizontallinethatdividesyinandyang.Yangmingoflegmeridianflowsveryclosely

totheanteriorcrestofthetibia.Anteriorcrestofthetibiaislikeaborderlinebetween

yangmingandtaiyinoftheleg.Theentireposteriorviewofthelegisdominatedbythe

Taiyangmeridian (Taiyangmeridiandominates thebackportion of thehumanbody


13/24

13

because other yangmeridians tend to curve to the front. And, for this reason, the

Taiyangmeridianof legdoubleor triple the flow toprotect theback.)TheTaiyinand

Jueyinofthelegbecomepushedtothemedialsurfaceofthetibia.TheKidneymeridian

ispushed close to themedialmarginof the tibia.Naturally,apoint connecting these

two, yangming and shaoyinmeridians shouldbe close to theborder, the tibia, tobe

more symetrically located, especiallybecause yangmingmeridian locates close to theborder.ItiscorrecttolocateSanjiaoxin1/2cuninfrontofFuliu,insteadoflocatingFuliu

in front ofSanjiaoxin.When you locateSanjiaoxin correctly, you shouldbe able to feel

strongsensationreachingQuepenofStomachmeridian.Thisway,Sanjiaoxincompresses

the3yinlegmeridiansandconnectstotheyangmingoftheleg.Also,thiscompressing

movement of the kidney meridian toward the other two yinmeridians causes the

Sanyinjiao(threeyinconnection,SP6)toopenuponthespleenmeridian.AtSanyinjiao,

manyunusaualactivitieshappenasthethreetypesofyinqiarepulledatthe correctpositionoftheTaiyin,once,andthen,escapebacktodisorderlypositioningagain.The

anatomicaltwistofthetibiaandfibulaalsocontributestothisdisorderlydistributionof

the3yin

leg

meridians

on

the

calf.

We

should

discuss

the

seemingly

reversed

distributionoftheJueyinandTaiyinunder theSanyinjiao levelat the timewediscuss

thespleenmeridianorlivermeridian.However,themostimportantfactisthatbecause

of these disorderlymanners of theJueyin and Taiyin of leg, the special point like

Sanyinjiao iscreatedon thespleenmeridian.AtSanyinjiao, the torqueof3combining

yinqithrowstheJueyinmeridianverydeepintothebonelevel,andpushestheTaiyinmore superficial.And, since theJueyin of legbecomes verydeep, actual flow of the

meridian isnot so reversedwith theTaiyin, even though the anatomical twistof the

anklejointmisrepresents theJueyin flowof the leg.Theactualdistributionof the two

meridians canbe looked at the angle of the footmatching the angle of the handby

medialrotationofthefoot.Atsuchangle,visualizetheJueyinmeridianinthemiddleof

the metatarsal bone, and the Taiyin on the surface. This will give a correct visual

allocationof themeridiansof foot.AtSanyinjiao,wecancontact livermeridian in the

verydeeplevel(bonelevel),thespleenmeridianinthesuperficiallevel,andthekidney

meridian in themiddle.Locatingkidneyqiat the shallower level than liver qi level isveryunusual,however,thatiswhatweactuallyencounteratSanyinjiao.Gettingbackto

theFuliuandSanjiaoxin,supprisingly,oneof the important textsofacupuncture,Chin

KiuDaCheng,illustratesthewronglocationsforthesetwopoints.


14/24

14

Fig.X:Apracticalguidetothedivisionofmeridianenergyintheleftleg.

The course of the kidneymeridian should not skip the Sanyinjiao of the spleen

meridian. BetweenSanjiaoxin and Zhubin, Sanyinjiao pulls the kidney meridian

anteriorlybeforeitreleasesbacktotheitsoriginalcourse.

Aswehavealreadydiscussedbefore,Zhubin isa remarkablepointof thekidney

meridian. This is where the kidney meridian and spleen meridian (Fushe, Sp13)

combinesthruYinweimai.Further,itprovidesthecontactwiththelivermeridianthruqimen (Liv14), and also, the contact with the Ren mai thru Tiantu (Ren22). Fushe

connects toGuanyuanandZhongjiofRenmai tomove to thenextpointFujie (Sp14).

Thismeans that Zhubin has almost direct contactwithGuanyuan of Ren, reaching

Zhongji.Thisisthereasonwhythispointissoeffectiveforlowerabdominalconditions,

and problems of testiclesby evoking the actions ofboth kidney and Ren. Basically,

ZhubinisapointthatbelongsmoreintheYinweimaithaninthekidneymeridian.Itisa

natural Xi point for the Yinwei releasing its overflow very easily to the Yinqiaoby

kidneymeridian flow (atSanjiaoxin),whichmeans that Zhubin obtains extrabenefits

from Renying (St9), and even from the bladder meridian thru Jingming (UB1). At

Jingming,

Yangqiao

is

met,

and

Zhubin

is

resonated

by

Zhaohai

thru

Shenmai.

Some

ancient texts considerZhubinas accumulationpointofYinqiaomai ,andconsider it

belongbothtoYinqiaoandYinwei.ItsstrongXipointqualityhasbeentakenadvantage

bybeingusedas adetoxificationpoint.AsZhubin leaks theYinweimai flow, italso

leaksthepericardiummeridianthrutheconnectionwiththeconfluentpointofYinwei,

Neiguan (P6).Neiguan ispairedbyWaiguan (TB5),whichmeansZhubin is involved

withtheSanjiaomeridianactivitiesthoughYangweimai.


15/24

15

Yinguissuchanimportantpointforsomanykidneyinvolvements.Itishardnotto

mention its WATER elemental quality in the WATER of SHAOYIN of LOWER

extremeties.Itisveryworthwhilethinkingaboutthisoverandoveragain.Theutmost

crystallinewaterelementalqicanbecontactedthruonlythispointthroughouttheentirebody.Youcantonifythiselementsoeasilythruthispoint,andyoucanevenaffectthe

liverthruYinqiaomai,becauseYinguconnectsdirectlytolivermeridianbyconnectingQuquan (Liv8).One thing to remember is that,becauseof such fiveelmental relation

betweenYingu andQuquan (water ofwater,water ofwood,waterbeingmother of

wood in themeridian level,and in therelationbetweenelementof thepointand the

elementofmeridian),tonificationofYinguautomaticallytonifiesthelivermeridian,as

well as the kidneymeridian. Sedation is rarely recommended on thispoint,just like

Guanyuan.SedationofsuchelementcanbeachievedatSanyinjiaoatmidlevelofdepth

withoutdamagingJingofkidney.Yingu,also,connectsdowntothecenterofheel.For

thisreason,Yinguhasoftenbeenselectedasanextrapointfor treatingsharpburning

painoftheheels. WeallknowhowfamousYangchi(SJ4)isforprovidingimmediately

usableinstant

Sanjiao

vital

energy.

Yingu

is

the

pairing

point

for

Yangchi.

While

Yangchi

provides true shaoyangminister fire typeofvigour to thebody,Yingu cultivates the

true core of Jing. This is amust point for all types of kidney difficiency. Another

important factof thispoint is thatwe shouldbeextracareful locating itbetween two

tendonsatthemedialborderofpoplitealfossa.Makesurethatitislocatedexactly,and

theneedletipshouldbeintheproperdepthandangle(midkidneylevel,veryshallow

angleofopproximately15degreeupward).Otherwise,wedonotfullybenefitfromthis

miraculouspoint.Avery interestingmeridianconnectionhappensatthispoint.Yingu

directly contactsChangqiang ofDu.Aswe have already described, throughDumai,

YingureachesMingmenandbothkidneys.FromMingmen,YinguextendstoSanjiaoof

Bladdermeridian. Through Changqiang, Yingu contacts Renmai, thanGuanyuan. In

other words, Yingu enters the Tantien in two ways simultaneously thru two very

important part of the body, kidneys and Guanyuan (its nick name is XiaTantien,

meaninglowerTantienpoint;upperTantien,orShangTantienisRentang,middleTantien,

orZhongTantien isShanzhong).FromChangqiang,Yingualsoconnects toChongmai

thruHenggu(K11)andC.V.1(Huiyin).ChongsourcesoutfromTantien.Now,wecan

clearlyseehowYinguissendingwaterelementYinqiupwardinthreecompleteroutestoward thecoreof theTantien.The connectionbetweenYinguandYinlingquan (Sp9)

providesthestronginfluenceofYingutothethreevitalorgansinvolvedinreproduction

(liver,spleen,kidney).

AtHenggu, there aremanymeridians crossing.Chongmai,Ren, Spleen, Stomach

meridiansare

all

communicating

with

kidney

meridian

at

this

point

(along

the

superior

border of symphysis pubis). The most strong connection here , of course, thru

Chongmai,isRenmaimeridianatC.V.1(Huiyin)andQugu.ThismakestheHengguto

connect toDu,also.According to a classic,Jiukonglun,Chongmai rises from qichong(St30) and connects toHenggu, instead of rising from C.V.1 (Huiyin) of Ren. Even

thoughthisisnotaproperallocationofChongmaipath,suchconnectionstillsupports

the strong communicationbetweenHenggu and Stomachmeridian through qichong.Chongmen (Sp12) communicateswith theHenggu to connectwith Spleenmeridian.


16/24

16

Chongmai,fromChongmen,flowsthroughspleenmeridianandreachesGongsun(Sp4),

confluentpoint ofChong.BecauseChong, atYoumen, fades into the chest entering

heartandlung,Hengguisselectedtotreat falsefire typeofyindifficiencysyndroms

involving upperSanjiao heat, including the disorders of reproductive system and

urogenitalorgans.

Dahe is not a such popular point in the kidneymeridian, however, there aremany

unusual activitiesgoing on atDahe.Due to twoneighboringpoints of themeridian,

Hengguandqixue, theselectionofDahe isnotsooftenmade.Anotherreason fornotbeing often selected is thatDahe locates very deep, and it is very hard to reach the

effective levelofdepth.Dahe also supportsZhongjiofRen.Avery stronghorizontal

resonancebetweenRen,Kidney, Stomach and Spleenmeridians occurs at this point.

FusheofspleenmeridianandYinweimaievenmorestronglyrelatetoDahe.Dahehas

oftenbeen considered as a part ofYinwei (the nick name ofDahe isYinwei).Dahe

contactsdirectlywithFushe(Sp13),Jimai(Lv12),Zhongji(Ren3)andGuanyuan(Ren4),

andenters

into

the

urinary

bladder.

Dahe

is

usually

selected

as

ahealth

point,

not

a

medicalone.ItisbecauseDaheaffectskidneyanditsrelatedurogenitalorgansthrough

splenic activity and Yinwei connection rather than through powerful Chongmai,

YinqiaomaiandRenmaiactions.Due to strong involvementofTantienandkidneysat

this level, kidneymeridian at this point gets extremely deep upto the organic level

(bladder), and getsmergedback out into Renmaibetween Zhongji and Guanyuan.

Than,with the help of strongChongmai action at the qixue, it appearsback on thecorrectpositionandlevelofdepthofshaoyinmeridiancontinuingitspathupward.

Leftqixueiscalled Baomenmeaning GateofWomb.Rightqixueiscalled Tzehumeaning Home of Fetus. qixue connects Renmai and Chong.While Guanyuan isproperpointtotonifyTantienqi,qixueprovidesChongqiandRenmaiqitotheuterus.And, of couse, kidney qi. qixue hasbeen themost popular selection for all types ofinfertilityforthisreason.Bianque,alegendaryphysician,stronglysuggestedtheuseofqixueforinfertilitywithmoxibustiontonifyingtechniques.qixueisalsoveryfamousforChongqicontrol,andselectedfordysmenorrhea,especiallytocontroltheflowofblood,eitherpositivleyornegatively.Baomenismorerelatedtoperiodcontrolforwomen,and

Zuhu ismorerelated toovulationand fertility.TherearemanypointsconnectingRen

maiandChong.But,qixueisthemostpowerfulRen/Chongconnectingpoint,thereforeitcanevenbecalledLuoofChong.

Zhongzhu is also a strongChong/Renmai connecting point thru Yinjiao of Ren.

Zhongzhucanbeselectedforthesameactionsasqixueswithoutstrongimpactpossibleat qixueoratYinjiaoofRen.SinceYinjiao isaaccumulationpointofRen,ZhongzhunaturallybleedsintoYinjiao,andintoRen.Forthisreason,Zhongzhususeinbreakingtheblocksbetweenmiddleand lowerSanjiaos isveryeffective.CommonlyShenqueof

Renmai(umblicus) isthe landmarkofdividingbetweenmiddleandlowerSanjiao,but

Yinjiao,Huangshu,TianshuofStomachmeridianareactually forming theborder line

betweenthetwoSanjiaos.Naturally,Huangshuhasagreaterinfluencetotheactivityof

YinjiaothanZhongzhu.


17/24

17

BeforeZhongzhu,SimanisonthesamehorizontallevelasShimenofRen.Shimenis

so well known for disconnecting Ren mai qi that feeds into the uterus. Siman is

communicatingwithRenmaithruShimenanditsactioninRen/Chongconnectionisto

stopChong qi flow into theRenmai anduterus.This activity is taken advantage inselecting Siman to control the flow ofmenstrationwithout damaging the ability of

getting pregnant in femalebody. Siman is energetically resonatingwith Xuanzhong(GB39), the influentialpoint formarrow, and Siman is called marrowhouse. In the

samewayXuanzhongpairswithSanyinjiao,Simanretainsmorehorizontalconnection

withspleenand livermeridians.Water is in thecoreof theextreme fire.When fireqireachesitsextreme,itstartscrystalizingintowaterqi.Jingisyinextremewater(withfireinitscore),andmarrowisyinextremeofJing.IfwecallYinguthepointofJing,Siman

is thepointofmarrow that is themostextremeyinnatureofhumanbody.Naturally,

SimancannotbesubstitutedforYingu,norviceversa.However,ifadiseaseisrelated

tothecourseofJingandmarrowtransformation,SimanandYinguhavetobeartificially

resonated by proper acupuncture techniques to contact the two extreme yin

manifestationsof

yin

category

versus

yang.

Jing

is

an

end

product,

and

so

is

marrow.

However,marrow is not the final goal of yin qi.Jing ismore of a goal for yin qitransformationinthebody.MarrowistheproductofJing,however,it,inturn,controls

theJingdevelopment.Thisisjustlikethebraincontrolingnervoussystem,eventhough

nervous system bears the brain. Another example is in the relation between 12

meridiansandRen/Du;12meridiansbeartheRen/Du,butRen/Dumaicontrolsover12

meridians.This is the reasonwhyYingu andSimanare sodifferent fromeachother,

whilebotharedealingwithyinofyin.

Lookingat themeridiandistributionon theabdomenandchest,stomachmeridian

ofYangming isclosertoshaoyinkidneymeridianthantheothertwoyinmeridiansof

liver ofJueyin and spleen of Taiyin. The Yangming stomachmeridian, like Taiyang

bladdermeridianontheback,dominatesthefrontofthebodyanditbecomesthemajor

Weiqi(protectiveqi)flowofthefront.SincetheYangmingweiqiratherfloatsovertheskin surface, stomachmeridian flowsvery superficially,whilekidneymeridian flows

quitedeepintheflesh.Inotherwords,thestomachmeridiandoesnotreallytakeover

thespacebetweenspleenandkidneymeridianonthesameanterioryinlevelsurfaceof

body.Itisoverthelayerof3yinmeridiansontheyinsurface(abdominalsurface),and

for thisreason, thestomachmeridiandoesnotreadilycommunicatehorizontallywith

other3yinmeridiansofthelegontheabdominalandchestarea.

AtHuangshu,kidneymeridianentersdirectlyintothekidneys(adrenalglands)thru

bladder.WhichmeansthatChongmaientersintokidneysdirectlythruthispoint.And,

Huangshufurther

connects

to

Shenshu

(UB23),

Zhishi

(UB52),

Huangmen

(UB51),

Sanjiaoshu (UB22) andMingmen (Du4). BecauseHuangshu and Shenshu,Huangshu

andHuangmen form twopairsofpolaritypoints for thekidneys, theusageof these

pairsinregardstokidneyconditionsisverydiverse.Huangshu,astheconnectingpoint

betweenDumaiandChong,thruMingmen,presentsaveryuniqueaction.TheChong

syndroms(conditionscausedbyChongmaiflow)duetonervoussystem,likeasudden

periodduetonervestress,arewellcontrolledatthispoint.Therefore,infertilityduetoqi,notXue,canbeaidedthruthispoint.Ofcourse,allotherChongconditionsduetoDu


18/24

18

mai conditions are applicable (conditions of heart, lung, diaphragm, kidney, uterus,

ovary,genital,andetc.thatareduetomentalstress).Theletter Huang usuallymeans

tip of sternum or diaphragm , however, in the two points like Huangshu and

Huangmen, it indicates the tip of the kidneys (adrenal glands). It is very proper for

Chongmai tobe connectedwithDumai atHuangshu,becauseHuangshu is directly

dealingwithadrenal,insteadofdirectdealingwithkidneys.ThekidneysandadrenalsbothdealwithJing,buttheyare inyin/yangrealation.Theadrenalsdealmorewithqi(especially weiqi) , while kidneys deal more with Xue (and, yingqi). The adrenals

respond toDumai (and nerves) following the six qi rule,while kidneys respond toorganicbalancefollwingfiveelementalrule.Huangshuisalsoadividingpointbetween

lowerandmiddleSanjiaoinconnectionwithYinjiaoofRen.

Shangqu is the pointwhere Chongmai knots and amplifies its flow to add the

strength by induction of Yingqi of Ren mai . In Renmai, through the actions of

Shangwan,Zhongwan,Xiawan,threeRenmaipoints,Yangmingqiofstomachmeridianentering into stomachorgan transforms intoYingqiofRen.And, thisYingqijoins the

Chongstream

at

Shangqu

which

belongs

in

both

Shaoyin

and

Chong.

Therefore,

Shangqu is a transformationpointofYingqi toXueqiofChong.At this level,kidney

meridianismorerelatedtoRenmaiactivitiesthanitspertainingorgan,kidney.Sincethe

StomachYangming qiprevails theentireupperabdominalarea,apoint likeShangqucannotpenetratedeepintoorgansorotheryinmeridians.ThestreamofYingqijoinning

Chong(fromRenmaitoShaoyin)ismuchmorepowerful,anditishardforthepointto

root out into organs.Other than the contactwith livermeridian thru Zhangmen, at

Shangqu,notmuch connection ismadewithurogenital organs.Zhangmen (Liv13) is

alsoaspleenmupoint,andthisamplifiesthespleeninfluenceoverstomachdepending

uponliverresponse.SedationatShangquforstomachcrampsisthroughZhangmenand

liver organ, not thru resonance with yangming stomach meridian. It is also thru

releasing condensation (cold)of stomach qi thruChongmaiwhich isacceptingYingqifromZhongwan ofRen.For another instance, the application of Shangqu foruterine

cramps is notdonebydirectly following theChong or kidneymeridianpaths (even

thoughYinDumaiandTongguareresonatedbyZhangmen,Shangqudoesnotdirectly

resonateYinDumaiorTonggu).Inthiscase,Shangqucontrolsovertherejectedspleenqiby liver (which is already liver qi), and inturn, sent to the uterus.Here, Shangquaffects liver through Zhangmen instead ofChong andRenmai directly, and it only

resonatesChongmaiandRenmaiatthelowerSanjiao,notatthehorizontallevel.

ShiguanandYinDumaihaveverysimilaractionsasShangqu,includingthesubtle

contactwith stomach, liver and spleen. The affect towards the entire Chongmai is

almostthe

same

as

what

we

saw

in

the

relationship

of

Shangqu

with

Chongmai.

But,

verydifferentlyfromShangqu,Shiguanhasanabrupt,hardandthinflowofqiwhichisdue to thenormalizingactionofChongmaiafterthestrongsurgeofextraChongqiatShangqu.For thisreason,workingwithShiguanrequiresextraattention,especially in

the cases of pregnant females. It is very easy to disconnect Chong qi at this point.Remindinganotherimportantbasicfacts,Chongqiisalwayscontactedbyneedleatthedeeper level than kidney shaoyin qi, and it isbecause Chongmai (its nick name isXuehai,meaningoceanofXue)hasmoreXuethanqi(DuoXueShaoqi).Theletter Shi


19/24

19

meansstone.Inchinese,stonemeanssterile.Theletter Shi inShimenofRenmaiisthe

samecharacterasinShiguan.

Yindu,beingat the levelofandcontactwithZhongwanwhich isconnnectedwith

lung,isthefirstdirectinvolvementofkidneymeridianwithlungthruthemeridianpath

thru Zhongwan. The only effective use of this point as a Chong point is to treat

infertility that is due to spleeen and stomach related Yingqi deficiency. Yindu, likeShangqu,isoneofthestrongtransformationpointbetweenYingqiandXue.Zhongwan

isapointwhereyinyangorgans(ZhangandFu)arefedwithtransformingYingqi,and

where all meridians pass through. Yindu, also, has the quality of feeding kidney

meridianasZhongwansendsitsYingqi.Thekidneyqithatpassesthruliverandechoesat Zhangmen (Liv13), also, resonates at YinDumai thru Zhongwan. Zhongwan and

Zhangmen form a polarity pair. To connectZhangmen (liver and spleen activity) to

Chongmai,or to feedYingqiofZhongwan toChongmai,butwithout involvingother

meridians,andwithoutdangeringthenormalfunctionofShangquandShiguan,YinDu

mai isaveryproper selection.To leadnourishing (Ying) qiof stomachearthelementtype

kidney

Jing

into

the

liver

or

spleen,

YinDu

mai

is

very

often

selected.

Tonggu has a good energetical relation with lung and liver. It is not a direct

connection with Zhangmen of Liver meridian like YinDu mai (Tonggu has some

resonancewith Zhangmen),but the indirect involvementwith lung and liverbetter

serves toresonate liverand lungmeridianswithDu.ThissituationofTonggu isoften

taken advantage to treat emotional instability, especially fear turning into angerwith

disharmonybetweenheart and lung.Also,Tonggu canbe resonated in the courseof

liver to lung qi transmission. This characteristics ofTonggu is applied to control thespasticconditions intherespiratorysystem.ThehorizontalconnectionwithShangwan

ofRenmailetsthiskidneypointtoinvolvewithepigastricconditions,ofcoursewiththe

spasticandcontractingliverqiinvolvement.YoumenisthelastpointoftheChongmai,andfromhereChongdispersesintochest

cavity to contact lung,pericardium andheart.Youmen is thegate of qi entering intoearthelemental (center) stomach.Thedirect connectionbetweenYoumenandcardiac

orfice of stomcah lets this point to have a good control over keeping or releasing

(rejecting) food.Theenergeticalsimilaritybetween theactionof thispointreceivingqi(Yingqi),andkeepingit,orloosingit,andtheactionofmemorycausesapolaritypairin

onelocationinthispoint.Inotherwords,toreservememories,Youmenmustbeinthe

receptivemode.The involvement of stomach action andheart action atYoumen can

showvomitifheartshaoyinrushesintokidneyshaoyinthruYoumenleadinginto.Such

conditionsareseenoftenintheemotionalcrisis,likefearoflosing,fearofdetachment.

Insuch

case

Ht.8

(Shaofu)

and

Youmen

can

be

used

as

releasing

points,

and

these

two

pointscanslowtheheartratebygivingfullmovementtoheartbyfreeingtheheartqitolung andpericardium, andmakes thebreathingdeeper.Connection ofHt.8 (Shaofu)

withG.V.20 (Baihui)alsoallows thereleaseofnerve tension,and theconnectionwith

C.V.1 (Huiyin) allows storing qi, and the connection with Kd.1 (Yongquan) allowstransformationofliveranxietyintousefulkidneyvitalqi.Bulang is the firstkidneypointon thechestmovingaway fromRen.Thecauseof

this distance from Renmai is the sternum in the center.And, naturally, shaoyin qi


20/24

20

positionswhereitcanobtaintheproperdepth.Asaresult,theresonanceofRenmaito

kidneymeridianbecomes lesseffective.From thispointon,kidneymeridian involves

more to local organs in the chest, especially, lung, because of the strong yin/yang

polarity relationbetweenkidneyand lung.Due to suchkidney/lungpolarity, internal

flowoflungmeridianandtheshaoyinkidneymeridianflowthroughthesamechannel

fromGuanyuanlevelmovingupwarduptoTiantuofRen,(atTiantu,lungandkidneyqiseparate);kidneymeridian isunder the lungchannel,andChongmai isunderkidney

meridian.ThesixpointshereonarehorizontalyconnectedwithRenmaiandYangming

of stomachmeridian.Theundercurrent ofupper stomachmeridian from qishe (St11)contributestokidneymeridiandownwardtoBulang,andupwardtotherootoftongue.

Shufuconnectstobothqihuandqisheofstomachmeridian,andShufureachesQuepen(St12).Quepen connectsdirectlywith lungmeridian thruZhongfuand connectswith

largeintestinemeridians,also.QuepenextendstoJiquan(H1).Aswehavenotedbefore,

QuepenandSanjiaoxinareindirectcontact.Thesixpointsonthechest,therefore,retain

stronger influenceby stomachmeridian on the chest (St11 to St 18). Ifwe select one

stomachpoint

that

influence

and

resonate

the

strongest

on

these

six

points,

it

is,

of

course,Quepen.Quepenofstomachmeridianwillbecarefullydiscussed inthe future

for these complex involvementwithmany othermeridians.Bulang is a pointwhere

kidneymeridianseparates fromRenmaiandChong,also.Bulanghelps thekidneyqiexitfromyintoyang(moreyangthantheprevious11points).Theelevenpointsfrom

Henggu toYoumen are in the correctposition as shaoyin legmeridian.Theseeleven

points are formingChongmai to supportXue activityofkidneymeridian.Becauseof

RenmaisupportingChong, theactualkidneymeridian is liftedaboveChongmaiflow

transforming intomoreyang typekidney qi.As a result,Chong is flowing indeeperlevel, while kidneymeridian surfaceswithmore heat. Dahe, aswe have discussed

already,howeverpenetratesverydeepuptothebladder.Preciselyspeaking,theeleven

points of kidneymeridian, not of Chongmai, are involvedwith heat in the kidney

shaoyinwater category. This fact is often applied in treating infectious condition of

urogenitalsystem,ear,eye,etc.

Shenfeng is a placewhere Shen of heart is sealed in. The heart qi extending toShenfengreleases intokidneymeridian,whileYoumen tends toreleasekidneyqi intoheart.QuepenandJiquanareresonatedonthispoint,and it is importantnottoshock

this quiet merge of two shaoyin qi (yin and yang, kidney and heart). Shenfeng,Shencang, Shendao (Du11), Shenmen (Ht7), Shentang (Bl44) are all related to heart

(Shen,spirit),andtheyallpullqioutoflungandinjectitintoheart.Allthesepointsarevitalpoints selected in Dimmak attack in internal kungfu to cause cardiac arrest at

exhalation.

YuzhongandShufuhavegoodcontactswithlung,heart,noseandtongue.Yuzhong,

beingmoreyin,itinvolveswithyinwateroftheseorgansmorecloselythanShufudoes.

Yuzhong is connected tomucusglands (yin),whileShufu is connected to the surface

temperature (yang). For example, Yuzhong can be used to slow down excessive

salivation,andShufucanbeusedtotreatcrackedtongueordrynose.

Shufuisthelastpointofkidneymeridianconnectingtopericardiumandheart.The

direct connectionwith qihu, qishe,Quepen, Zhongfu andJiquan hasbeen discussed


21/24

21

already.Shufu,asitextendstoheart,providesapolaritywithShanzhong(Ren17)which

isaMupointofpericardium.Shufuis,therefore,incontactmorewithheartthanlung.

Since it has a direct contactwithQuepen, Shufu is useful releasing hearttokidney

shaoyinqithruQuepen.The relationship between Quepen, Jianjing (GB21), Jugu (LI16), Renying (St9),

Dazhui(Du14),Naohu(Du17)shouldbefurtherdiscussedinthefuture.Aroundkidneymeridian,Shufu, qihu, qishe,Quepen,Sanjiaoxin,Zhubin,Shenmai,

Zhaohai, Jiquan, Zhongfu, Renying, Dahe, Zhongwan, Shanzhong, Gongsun, Kd.1

(Yongquan),Ht.8(Shaofu),G.V.20(Baihui),C.V.1(Huiyin)andmanyothermajorpoints

areallcommunicatingwitheachotherrelatingtheactivitiesoflung,kidney,heart,liver,

spleenofyinorgansandstomachandallotheryangorgansdirectly thruqipath,andindirectly thrupolarityand resonance.Ren,Chong,Yinqiao,Yinwei,Du,Yangqiaoof

extrachannelsarealsodirectlyconnectedtokidneymerdianandallothermeridiansare

closelycommunicatingwithkidneymeridian.

Kidneymeridian extends itsMu point, through resonance of Zhangmen, in the

Shaoyangleg

meridian

at

Jingmen

(GB25).

Jingmen

forms

apolartiy

pair

with

Shenshu

(UB23).Jingmenisatransformationpointwhereshaoyincanbeturnedintoshaoyang.

One of the profound and unique acupuncture techniques is in converting a type of

perverse qi intomoremanageable qi, or exchanging thedepth ofperverse qi,usuallyfromdeeper level tomoresuperficial level.Jingmen,asakidney transformationpoint

into shaoyang qi, isveryusefulpointconvertingand superficializing fatalperverse qiaction of kidneys, like terminal kidney cancer. To achieve such converting action at

Jingmen,Shenshu is selected as apair, and Shenshu isused to injectpurevital qiofkidneytoreplaceandfillinthevacuum.Guanyuan,Yingu,Yangchi,etc.arenotcapable

offillinginthegapcreatedbytheconvertingactionofJingmen.Energetically,theonly

oppositepolarenergyofShenmenbalancestheJingmen.Allcancerousdiseasesseverely

involvingbonemarrow,likeHodgekinsdisease,canbehelpedbyresonanceofJingmen

toZhangmen,thantoDashu,Xuehai,Xuanzhong,Siman,andGeshu,etc.However,one

shouldnot tryconvertion techniqueunlesshe is sureof themethod,because itcould

disperseperverseqiintohealthyyangorgansinstantly.

PolarityPointsTo organize some important polarity pointsmentioned in this kidneymeridian

study, the following polarity relationshipsbetween a set of points and channels are

addedfor

better

understanding.

ZhaohaiisinpolaritywithLieque,andviceversa.LiequeisinpolaritywithHouxi,

andviceversa.HouxiisinpolaritywithShenmai,andviceversa.Shenmaiisinpolarity

withZhaohai,andviceversa.

Neiquan is inpolaritywithGongsun,andviceversa.Gongsun is inpolaritywith

Linqi (Zulinqi), and vice versa. Linqi is in polarity withWeiguan, and vice versa.

WeiguanisinpolaritywithNeiguan,andviceversa.


22/24

22

ZhaohairepresentsYinqiaomai.LiequerepresentsRenmai.HouxirepresentsDumai.

ShenmairepresentsYangqiaomai.

Neiguan represents Yinweimai. Gongsun represents Chongmai. Linqi represents

Daimai.WeiguanrepresentsYangweimai.

Yinqiaomai is inpolaritywithRenmai, andviceversa.Renmai is inpolaritywith

Dumai, and vice versa. Dumai is in polarity with Yangqiaomai, and vice versa.YangqiaomaiisinpolaritywithYinqiaomai,andviceversa.

Yinweimai is inpolaritywithChongmai, andviceversa.Chongmai is inpolarity

withDaimai, andviceversa.Daimai is inpolaritywithYangweimai, andviceversa.

YangmweimaiisinpolaritywithYinweimai,andviceversa.

YinqiaomaiandYinweimaisupporteachother.RenmaiandChongmaisupporteach

other.Dumai andDaimai support eachother.YangqiaomaiandYangweimai support

eachother.

ZhaohaiandNeiguansupporteachother.LiequeandGongsunsupporteachother.

HouxiandLinqisupporteachother.ShenmaiandWeiguansupporteachother.

Whenone

of

these

eight

points

is

manipulated,

all

other

seven

points

are

simultaneously,anddirectly,aswesee in theFig.5,activated insevendifferentways.

Combininganyoftheseeightpointsrequiresthepropertechniquesofneedling,andone

shouldbeabletopredicttheoutcomeofthebalancebetweentheeightspecialchannels

anditsphysiologicalmanifestationimmediatelyaftertreatment.


23/24

23

YINWEI

YANGWEI

CHONG

DAI

YINQIAO REN

YANGQIAODU

Lieque

Linqi

Gongsun

Zhaohai

Shenmai

Neiguan

Weiguan

Houxi

POLARITY OF J IJ INGBAMAI ( 8 EXTRA CHANNELS)

Simplified J IMENBAFACHINFA

fIG.5fIG6

Theseeightspecialchannelsandtheirpoints,alsoknownaseightconfluentpoints,

are the core of the JIMENBAFA , an acupuncture systembased on Bagua , eight

trigrams, and eight extra channels. Jimenbafa system is one of the old taoistic

acupuncture systems which is not commonly understood or taught in the more

traditional schools of acupuncture. However, the discusssion in this article should

inhencetheunderstandingofsuchinterestingrelationshipsbetweenthesemajorpoints

andmeridians.And, themoreproperuseof thesepointsshouldbeencouraged.After


24/24

thecompleteunderstandingofentiretwentychannels,weshouldsomedaydiscusssuch

intriguing and interesting taoistic systems like Jimenbafa (8), Taichichinfa (2),

Sishangchinfa (4),Wuxingchinfa (5),Baguachinfa (8),Jiukongchinfa (9),Chixingchinfa

(7), Liuqichinfa (6), Tzewuchinfa (12), etc.As amatter of fact, any point formula in

acupuncture has been based on one or more of these Iching systems, not from

experiencesorcollectionsof Ashi points.Naturally,anyalteringofformulasshouldbedonewithoutcontradictingthesystemsimplied.

Thekidneymeridianstudyhereisnotaperfectone,butweshouldstoplookingat

onemeridianthrusuchanarrowanglefromitsownmeridian.Butit,hopefully,should

encourage certain scholars to review some basic studies again to sophisticate their

expertiseevenfurther.Asweallareaware,itisimpossibletoknowonethingperfectly

without knowing the surroungding others, and evenmore impossible to describe it

perfectly.Most of all,we should understand thewholepicture, thanwe get to each

component,thanbacktothewholematter,backandforthattatchingthemissinglinks.

Thisway,wecandeepentheunderstanding.Attheend,thetrueunderstandingwillbe

there,but,

only

in

our

minds.

Sometime,

we

should

have

another

chance

to

discuss

kidneymeridianoveragaintodeepentheunderstandingwehavenow.

kidney meridian by jiang jing

Documents