膽俞 : Danshu : Gall Bladder Shu

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Back Shu point of the Gall Bladder
Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual; Melzack, Stillwell & Fox, 1977)

Location:

1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the tenth thoracic vertebra (T10).

Needling:

Oblique insertion towards the spine 0.5 - 1 cun, or transverse-oblique insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

Perpendicular needling or oblique needling away from the spine carries a substantial risk of causing a pneumothorax.

Classical Needling:

"The Taiyang usually has much Blood and little Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be bled.
"The foot Taiyang is to be pierced 5 fen deep and remain inserted for seven exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"Locate it with the" (patient’s) body seated upright. It is needled to a depth of fivefen and moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Clears Damp-heat from the Liver and Gallbladder
Clears pathogenic factors from the shaoyang
Tonifies and regulates Gallbladder Qi
Tonifies deficiency

TCM Indications:

• Jaundice, yellow eyes, bitter taste in the mouth with a dry tongue, distension and pain of the chest and lateral costal region with inability to turn, vomiting, difficult ingestion, dry retching.
  
• Fright palpitations with restless sleep, insomnia.
  
• Steaming bone Taxation Fever, Deficiency Taxation Tidal Fever, dryness and pain of the throat, cold shivering with absence of sweating, swelling of the axilla, headache.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷘ Wu Wang 無妄 Without Folly

Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Posterior cutaneous thoracic nerves from T10

Dermatome Segment: T10

Deeper Structures: Dorsal rami of spinal nerves from T10

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Longissimus thoracis

Pain Referral Pattern:
Inferior to base of buttock

Indications:
Dorso lumbar pain ; Myalgia of long extensors of back

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• "When a person is frequently indecisive the Gallbladder is deficient. The Qi will flow upwards giving rise to a bitter taste in the mouth":
    Danshu Bl-19 with Riyue GB-24
    (Anon, 400BC-260AD: Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, 黃帝內經素問, Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic: Simple Questions, Ch. 47, On Strange Diseases).
  
  
• Yellow eyes:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Yanggang Bl-48
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Yellow eyes:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Naohu Du-17, Yishe Bl-49 and Yanggang Bl-48
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the lateral costal region:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Zhangmen Liv-13
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Difficult ingestion:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Zigong Ren-19 and Zhongting Ren-16
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Dry mouth and tongue with difficult ingestion:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Shangyang LI-1 and Xiaochangshu Bl-27
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• The hundred symptoms of Deficiency Taxation:
    Moxa the four flowers (Danshu Bl-19 and Geshu Bl-17), Gaohuangshu Bl-43 and Huanmen Ex-BW-6
    (Liao Runhong, 廖润鸿, 1874: Zhen Jiu Ji Cheng, 針灸集成, Compilation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Fright palpitations:
    Danshu Bl-19 with Yangxi LI-5
    (Wu Yiding, 吳亦鼎, 1853: Shen Jiu Jing Lun, 神灸經論, Principles of Divine Moxibustion).

Notes:

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)

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