Atlas of Acupuncture

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

5.6 Yang wei mai

Synonym: Yang Motility Vessel(Deadman), Yang Heel Vessel

(Maciocia)

Relationships (➞1.7.3)

Yin/Yang:yin wei mai/yang wei mai

Central/peripheral:dai mai/yang wei mai. Regions supported by

this pairing: Lateral eye region, temporal region, ears, cheeks,

neck and shoulders. Opening point: T.B.-5(waiguan), coupled

point: G.B.-41(zulinqi).

Pathway

The extraordinary vessel yang wei maioriginates at ➞BL-63

(jinmen) in the depression posterior to the tuberosity of the 5th

metatarsal bone, runs anterior to the lateral malleolus, passes

➞G.B.-35(yangjiao), ascends the lateral aspect of the leg,

passes the hip, ascends the posterior aspect of the costal region

to the shoulder, passes ➞S.I.-10(naoshu), ➞T.B.-15(tian-

liao), ➞G.B.-21(jianjing) and ascends the neck. The vessel

then ascends anterior to the ear (according to some authors, for

example Solinas et al. (1998), posterior to the ear) to the fore-

head, passing ➞ST-8 (touwei), ➞G.B.-13 (benshen) and

➞G.B.-14(yangbai). It then runs with the G.B. channel from

G.B.-15to G.B.-20on the occiput, passing ➞G.B.-15(toulinqi),

➞G.B.-16(muchuang), ➞G.B.-17(zhengying), ➞G.B.-18

(chengling), ➞G.B.-19(naokong) and ➞G.B.-20(fengchi).

The vessel then continues from G.B.-20to the posterior midline,

passing ➞Du-16(fengfu) and ➞Du-15(yamen), where the

vessel terminates. Meeting points with other channels

G.B.-13

G.B.-14

G.B.-15

Du-16

Du-15

G.B.-21 G.B.-20

S.I.-10

T.B.-15

G.B.-35

BL-63

G.B.19

G.B.-17

G.B.-18

G.B.-16

ST-8

BL-62

BL-63

BL-63(jinmen): In a depression anterior and inferior to ➞ BL-62

between the calcaneus and the cuboid bone, proximal to the

tuberosity of the 5th metatarsal bone

G.B.-35

G.B.-35(yangjiao): 7 cun proximal to the highest prominence

of the lateral malleolus, on the posterior border of the fibula

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