八邪 : Baxie : Eight Pathogens

Classifications:

One of the "59 piercings" for clearing Heat in Ling Shu Ch. 23

Location:

When the hand is made into a fist, six of these points lie in the depressions between the metacarpal heads, proximal to the web margins. The remaining two points lie equidistant between the thumb and index metacarpals, proximal to the web margins.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion along the line between the shafts of the metacarpal bones 0.5 - 1 cun.

TCM Actions:

Clears Heat and dissipates swelling

TCM Indications:

• Numbness, stiffness, redness, swelling, spasm and pain of the fingers and hand, Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi) of the fingers.
  
• Headache, toothache, pain and swelling of the throat, redness and swelling of the eyes, febrile disease.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial branch of radial nerve (C6 - C8) and ulnar (C8 - T1)

Dermatome Segment: C6, C7, C8

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Notes:

First described for the treatment of malaria. In modern clinical practice they are mainly used for disorders of the fingers and hand (Deadman et al, 2001).

Ling Shu Ch. 23, On Heat Diseases, gives a different list of points for the "59 Piercings" to Su Wen Ch. 61. Four spaces between the fingers are mentioned which would relate to these points.

A medieval phlebotomy point lies at the Baxie point between the second and third metacarpals of the index and middle fingers (Hans von Gersdorff, 1517: Feldtbüch der Wundartzney, www.nlm.nih.gov)

In Thai massage:
Acupressure points (Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here