Atlas of Acupuncture

4.10 The Triple Burner Channel System – Hand shaoyang(shou shao yang jing luo)

Location

Anterior to the ear, with the patient’s mouth open in the depres-

sion on the level of the supratragic notch and slightly superior to

the condyloid process of the mandible.

How to find

This point should be both located and needled with the patient’s

mouth open. This allows the condyloid process of the mandible

to slide anteriorly to reveal the depression where T.B.-21is

located. Locate the sulcus between the auricle and the cheek

anterior to the tragus (this can be more or less well defined).

Then locate T.B.-21on the level of the supratragic notch on the

sulcus. If the latter cannot be clearly identified (it becomes more

pronounced with increasing age), the depression can be located

with an (ear) point locator when the patient’s mouth is opened.

T.B.-21is the most superior of three points located anterior to

the ear (➞S.I.-19and ➞G.B.-2are located more distally).

Needling

0.5–1 cun vertically or slightly obliquely in an inferior direction.

Needle with the patient’s mouth open (to avoid intra-articular

insertion). After insertion, patients can close their mouth again.

Caution: Like S.I.-19 and G.B.-2, this point is close to the super-

ficial temporal artery and the auriculotemporal nerve.

Actions/Indications

● Clears Heat, benefits the ears

Special features

Important local point for disorders of the ears

Ear Gate ERMEN T.B.-21

S.I.-19

G.B.-2

T.B.-21

Needle insertion

with the mouth

slightly open

Tragus

Mouth closed*

Mouth open*

Styloid

process

Condyloid process

of the mandible

T.B.-21

T.B.-17

Ex-HN Mastoid process

(anmian)

Ex-HN 14

(yiming)

G.B.-12

Helix root

T.B.-22

T.B.-21

S.I.-19

G.B.-2

Transverse process

of the atlas

Intertragic notch

Tragus

Supratragic notch

* Accoring to Deadman et al 1998.

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