si hai

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Lorraine Arell

Four Sea Points or Si Hai

Origen:

The Four Seas are originally from the Yellow Emperor¶s Canon of Internal Medicine, The Ling

Shu or Spiritual Pivot, Chapter 33 HaiLun (On the Four Seas). This book, also known as the

Huang Di Nei Jing, is believed to be from the Warring States Period of Chinese history,

approximately 475-221 BC. The book was first published in 100 BC. Qi Bo was a famous

physician during the reign of Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor). Huang Di asked Qi Bo to test

various herbs and to study medicine and pharmacy. This chapter is a conversation between these

two about the Four Seas.

General Theory:

Acupuncture compares the channel system to an irrigation system; the channels are like rivers

that flow into the Four Seas. The Four Seas are activated by specific points both upper and

lower:

³The body has Four Seas and 12 River-channels; these flow into the Seas of which there

is an East, West, North and South one.´

³The Stomach is the Sea of Food: its upper point is ST-30 and its lower point is ST-36.

The Penetrating Vessel is the Sea of the 12 channels (Sea of Blood): its upper point is

UB-11 and its lower points are ST-37 and ST-39. The center of the chest is the Sea of Qi:

its upper points are DU-15 and DU14 and it also has a point in the front, ST-9. The Brain

is the Sea of Marrow: its upper point is DU-20 and its lower point is DU-16.

The Spiritual Pivot

The Spiritual Pivot does not name REN-17 but by saying ³the center of the chest´ it makes sense

that this point is the center of the Sea of Qi.

³When the Seas function harmoniously there is life; when they function against the

normal flow there is disease. When the Sea of Qi is in excess, there is a feeling of fullness

in the chest, breathlessness and red face; when the Sea of Qi is deficient, there is

shortness of breath and dislike of speaking. When the Sea of blood is in excess, the

person has the feeling of the body getting bigger and the person is unable to pinpoint the

trouble; when the Sea of Blood is deficient, the person has the feeling of the body getting

smaller and is unable to pinpoint the trouble. When the Sea of Food is in Excess there is

abdominal fullness; when the Sea of Food is deficient, the person is hungry but has no

desire to eat. When the Sea of Marrow is full, the person feels agile with light limbs and

great physical strength; when the Sea of Marrow is deficient, there is dizziness, tinnitus,

blurred vision, weak legs and desire to lie down.

The Spiritual Pivot

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According to this section each Sea can be affected by deficiency or excess in an adverse way.

They can also be adversely affected by rebellious Qi.

Clinical Application:

Name Points SymptomsSea of Qi ST 9 (front)

REN 17DU 15 (upper)

DU 14 (upper)

Excess: fullness of the chest, red face, breathlessness

Deficiency: shortness of breath, dislike of speaking

Rebellious Qi: breathlessness, fullness of the chest and

red face

Sea of Blood UB 11 (upper)

ST 37 (lower)ST 39 (lower)

Excess: feeling of body getting bigger

Deficiency:feeling of body getting smaller

Sea of Food ST 30 (upper)ST 36 (lower)

Excess:abdominal fullnessDeficiency:hungry but no desire to eat

Sea of Marrow DU 20 (upper)

DU 16 (lower)

Excess:light limbs and feeling of strength

Deficiency:dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision, weak legs, desire to lie down

In current clinical usage these points treat many symptoms related to their traditional usage in the

Four Seas theory.

Rebellious Qi is most evident in the Sea of Qi with symptoms of breathlessness, fullness of the

chest and red face in Lung-Qi rebelling upward. The Sea of Qi is related to the Lung and the

Zong Qi. Its symptoms of deficiency are the same as the Lung¶s symptoms.

ST 9- for headache, dizziness, red face, fullness of the chest, shortness of breath, asthma,sudden turmoil disorder, vomiting, pulseless syndrome, hypertension and hypotension

REN 17- shortness of breath with rebellious qi, inability to speak, dyspnea, wheezing,

rattling sound in the throat, cough, asthma, fullness and oppression of the chest and

diaphragm, obstruction of the chest, pain of the chest and Heart, coughing blood, chest

painful obstruction, Difficult ingestion, acid regurgitation, vomiting of foamy (watery)

saliva, insufficient lactation

DU 15 ± loss of voice, all kinds of qi exuberance

DU 14±throat painful obstruction, fullness of the chest and lateral costal region with

dyspnea, deficiency sweating, lack of strength, shortness of breath with inability to speak

As the text says the Sea of Blood is the same as the Penetrating Vessel. Clinically this is

significant, especially in treating gynecological issues. We treat the Penetrating Vessel for Blood

disharmony and Blood stasis.

UB 11 ± headache, head wind, bursting headache, dizziness

ST 37±numbness and painful obstruction of the lower limb

ST 39 ± pus and blood in the stool, manic raving, pallor

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The Stomach is the same as the Sea of Food. The Sea of Food points are on the Stomach

channel. We always treat the Stomach for any food related problems such as poor food

absorption or digestion.

ST 30 ± hypogastric pain, sudden fullness and distention of the abdomen, fullness of the

abdomen with inability to lie down, twisting pain of the abdomen, heat in the abdomen,heat in the body with abdominal pain, hardness below the umbilicus, retention of urine

and feces heat in the Large Intestine, prolapse of the rectum, injury by cold leading to

heat in the Stomach

ST 36±epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, bitter vomiting, vomiting pus and blood,

hiccup, belching, distention and pain of the abdomen, fullness and distention of the Heart

and abdomen, heat in the middle jiao with propensity to hunger, hunger, hunger without

desire to eat, poor appetite, difficult ingestion

The Brain is the same as the Sea of Marrow because the brain is filled up by Marrow. The

deficiency symptoms very clearly point to this fact. The Marrow originates from Kidney-Essence; therefore the symptoms for Kidney deficiency and Marrow deficiency are the same.

The Sea of Marrow is related to the Governing Vessel; this is why the points are on the

Governing Vessel.

DU 20 ± head wind, one-sided headache, pain of the vertex, heaviness of the head,

dizziness, wind dizziness, visual dizziness, tinnitus, protruding eyes, blindness,

hypertension, hypotension

DU 16 ± headache, head wind, the hundred diseases of the head, upward staring eyes,

sudden loss of voice, flaccid tongue with inability to speak, windstroke, mania, incessanttalking

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