Atlas of Acupuncture

4.8 The Kidney Channel System – Foot shaoyin(zu shao yin jing luo)

4.8 The Kidney Channel

System – Foot shaoyin

(zu shao yin jing luo)

4.8.1 The Kidney Primary Channel

(zu shao yin jing)

navicular tuberosity, continues to the posterior aspect of the

medial malleolus and descends to enter the heel. From here it

ascends the medial aspect of the lower leg, intersecting with

➞SP-6(yinlingquan) and continuing to ascend the postero-

medial aspect of the thigh towards the perineum.

In the perineal region the primary channel divides into two

branches:

➡the deep, internalbranch travels to ➞Du-1(changqiang) and

ascends alongside the spine to connect with its pertaining zang-

Organ, the Kidneys (shen), and its paired fu-Organ, the Bladder

(pangguang). Here it divides into smaller branches which con-

nect with ➞Ren-4(guanyuan) and ➞Ren-3(zhongji), and,

according to some authors, also with ➞Ren-7(yinjiao). From

the Kidney (shen) a branch ascends to the Liver (gan), runs to

and spreads in the Lung (fei), continues to the trachea and termi-

nates at the root of the tongue. From the Lung (fei), an inner

branchtravels to the Heart (xin), where it meets the Peri-

cardium primary channel (deep Yin–Yin connection). It then

disperses in the chest and reaches ➞Ren-17(shanzhong).

➡the externalbranch separates in the perineal region and runs

to the lower abdomen at KID-11(henggu). From the pubic

KID-27

SP-6

7

11

21

KID-1

Ren-4

Ren-3

Du-1

Ren-7*

Du-1

Ren-4

Ren-3

* According to Deadman

et al 1998.

Pathway

The Kidney primary channel begins beneath the little toe, which

is reached by a branchseparating from the Bladder primary

channel at its endpoint at ➞BL-67(zhiyin) (foot Yin–Yang con-

nection of the second great circuit).

The Kidney primary channel diagonally crosses the sole of the

foot to KID-1(yongquan) and to KID-2(rangu) below the

Highest prominence

of the medial malleolus

KID-7

KID-4

KID-6

KID-3

KID-5

KID-2

2 cun

KID-8

Talus

Calcaneus

Achilles tendon

1 cun

KID-6

KID-10

KID-9

KID-8 KID-7

SP-6

cun KID-4

KID-2 KID-5

Junction tibial shaft of

the medial condyle

of the tibia

Highest prominence

of the medial

malleolus

KID-3

1 cun

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

11

12 2 cun

5 cun

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