Atlas of Acupuncture

5 The Eight Extraordinary Vessels (qi jing ba mai) with Points

Location

On the anterior midline, 2 cun superior to the upper border of the

pubic symphysis or 3 cun inferior to the umbilicus.

How to find

The distance between the centre of the umbilicus and the upper

border of the pubic symphysis is divided into 5 cun, which can

vary considerably from the patient’s finger cun. Therefore, only

proportional cun measurements should be used here (helpful

device: elastic tape ➞2.3.1). Ren-4is located on the midline,

either 2 cun superior to the midpoint of the upper border of the

pubic symphysis or 3 cun inferior to the umbilicus.

Located on the same level are ➞KID-13(0.5 cun lateral to the mid-

line), ➞ST-28(2 cun lateral to the midline) and three extra points

➞Ex-CA(yijing: 1 cun lateral to the midline; qimen: 3 cun lateral

to the midline; tituo: 4 cun lateral to the midline). Also located on

approximately this level is ➞G.B.-27(medial to the ASIS).

Needling

Vertically 0.5–1.2 cun. Caution: Peritoneum. Needling con-

traindicated during pregnancy.

Actions/Indications

● Tonifies the Original Qi (yuan qi), benefits the Essence (jing),

strengthens and nourishes the Kidneys as well as the Blood

and Yin

● Eliminates Cold and Dampness from the Lower Burner

(especially with moxibustion)

Special features

Front-mupoint of the Small Intestine, meeting point with the SP,

KID and LIV channels. Important point for tonification. Major

point for urogenital disorders (especially gynaecological disorders).

Ren-4 Gate of the Source GUANYUAN

ST-28

Symphysis

KID-15

Ren-2

Ren- 6

SP-12

Umbilicus

(Ren-8)

ST-30

G.B.-27

Anterior superior

iliac spine

(ASIS)

Ren-2

Ren-4

Ren-8 Umbilicus

Upper border

of the pubic

symphysis

2 cun

3 cun

R0 2

KID-12 Ren-03

KID-13 Ren-04

5 cun

3 cun

1 cun 2 cun

tituo qimen yijing Ren-4

Ren-2

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