光明 : Guangming : Bright Light

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Luo-Connecting point
Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Location:

On the lateral aspect of the leg, 5 cun superior to the prominence of the lateral malleolus, at the anterior border of the fibula.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyang is to be pierced 4 fen deep and remain inserted for five exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of six fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Benefits the eyes
Dispels Wind-Damp, activates the channel and alleviates pain

TCM Indications:

• Eye pain, night blindness, itching of the eyes, long sightedness, short sightedness.
  
• One-sided headache, grinding of the teeth, distension and pain of the breast, febrile disease with absence of sweating, sudden mania.
  
• Knee pain, pain of the lower legs with inability to stand for long, atrophy disorder of the legs with difficulty in standing after sitting, atrophy disorder and Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi) of the lower limb with numbness, numbness of the body, heat and pain of the lower leg.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷏ Yu 豫 Enthusiasm

Shared with Taichong Liv-3. Balanced by ䷈ (Neiguan Pc-6 or Yangchi SJ-4).

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

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve (S4 - S1)

Dermatome Segment: L5

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Peroneus brevis

Pain Referral Pattern:
To the lateral malleolus

Indications:
Strain of foot everters ; Ankle sprain

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Pain and itching of the eyes:
    Reduce Guangming GB-37 and Diwuhui GB-42
    (Biao You Fu, 標幽賦, Ode to Elucidate Mysteries. First recoreded in Shi Guitang, 施桂堂. 1241: Zhen Jiu Zhi Nan, 針灸指南, Guide to Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• When Jingming Bl-1 is ineffective in treating disorders of the eye, combine it with Hegu LI-4 and Guangming GB-37
    (Xi-Hong Fu, 席弘賦, Ode of Xi-Hong. First recorded in: Xu Feng, 徐鳳, 1439: Zhen Jiu Da Quan, 針灸大全, Complete Collection of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Grinding of the teeth:
    Guangming GB-37 with Zilinqi GB-41
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Headache, swollen cheeks, difficult defecation, painful urinary dysfunction, susceptibility to anger with a blue-green (青, Qing) colour, painful Shan Disorder and pain of the lateral costal region, hypogastrium and uterus:
    Guangming GB-37 with Taichong Liv-3
    (Wu Qian, 吴谦, 1742: Yi Zong Jin Jian Ci Jiu Xin Fa, 醫宗金鑑刺灸心法, Methods of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from the Golden Mirror of Medicine).
  
  
• Short-sightedness:
    Guangming GB-37 with Taichong LIv-3, Chengqi St-1, Jingming Bl-1, Fengchi GB-20 and Hegu LI-4 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji and Baker, 2001, A Manual of Acupuncture).
  
  
• Problems relating to the Seventh Level of Manifestation of the Soul, equivalent to the Sahasrara Chakra:
    Guangming GB-37 with Yintang Ex-HN-3 and Qichong St-30 or Gongsun Sp-4
    (Yuen, 2005, 3 Spirits & 7 Souls, see notes below).
  
  
• Cathartic release of emotion through the Liver:
    Bleed Ligou Liv-5, tonify Ququan Liv-8, Zhangmen Liv-13 and Qimen Liv-14, disperse Guangming GB-37
    (Chin, 2003, The Luo Vessels, see notes below).

Notes:

Ling Shu Ch. 6 suggests piercing the Luo points if a disease is in the Yang of the Yin realm (e.g. the Fu organs) implying this point for disorders of the Gall Bladder.

Ling Shu Ch. 10, On Channels, describes the diseases relating to the Luo emanating from this point as:
Repletion: Qi recedes in the legs
Depletion: Paralysis and loss of function of the legs
(Unschuld, 2016).

Ling Shu Ch. 19, On the Four Seasonal Qi, advises using the channels and Luo vessels for diseases which occur in spring. They are pierced deeply if severe and more shallow if mild. For the other seasons:
- in summer choose the Yang channels and Luo located in the partings between the skin and flesh
- in autumn choose the Shu-Stream points unless the disease in the Fu organs, then use the He-Sea points
- in winter choose Jing-Well and Ying-Spring opening and retain the needle.

Ling Shu Ch. 21, On Cold and Heat Diseases, repeats the advice to use Luo in spring but and adds that they can also treat diseases of the skin. For the other seasons it differs slightly from Ch. 19:
- in summer choose the partings in skin structures which also treat the muscle and flesh
- in autumn Taiyuan Lu-9 is chosen and can treat the sinews and vessels (this may also apply to other Shu-Stream points for this purpose, text is unclear)
- in winter one chooses the main channel points which also treat the bones and marrow.

Although 光明 Guangming literally means "bright light" it is often used to refer to a glorious, hopeful and spiritual light, in terms like the Golden Light Sutra (金光明經 Jin Guang Ming Jing) of Buddhism and several classical references to the Dao and ancient emperors.

When combined with Qichong St-30 or Gongsun Sp-4 and Yintang this point is related to the final Seventh Level of Manifestation of the Soul, equivalent to the Sahasrara crown chakra. It deals with the interconnectedness of all things, collective consciousness and connection with the Divine. The name of this point refers to the glow of light depicted around enlightened beings and all that they see representing their connection to all things (Yuen, 2005, 3 Spirits & 7 Souls).

All of the points in this set have a strong association with the Blood and the region of the eyes and hence the Shen: Gongsun Sp-4 and Qichong St-30 being on the Chong Mai which governs Blood and terminates at the eyes, Guangming GB-37 being a Luo point that spreads across the foot to Chongyang St-42 where it accesses the Chong Mai and is often used for eye disorders, while Yintang is located between the eyes which is often bled.

In Sufism this level would relate to the Valley of Poverty and Annihilation described by Attar in the Conference of the Birds as:

"He who is drowned in the absolute sea of bliss
Forever is lost, forever is in peace;
And if he manages to emerge from the ocean
He will be gifted to see by revelation ..."

Here the mystic is absorbed into the Divine in a state of timeless bliss.

It can also bled in cases of diseases of the retina (ibid.).

The cathartic release of emotion through the Liver is explained as follows:

- Bleed Ligou Liv-5 to clear Cold in the Liver that gives rise to an inability to act.
- Tonify Ququan Liv-8 (Mother of Liver), Zhangmen Liv-13 and Qimen Liv-14 to help the patient cope with the release.
- Disperse Guangming GB-37 to help illuminate one's path in life. When we let go of our emotional fixations we can have a clear vision of the world. (Chin, 2003, The Luo Vessels).

Lieque Lu-7 and Guangming GB-37 have the dual effect of releasing Heat from the palms and feet while directing Blood to Laogong Pc-8 and Chongyang St-42 thus nourishing the Heart and Chong Mai (Yuen, 1995, The Curious Organs, taken from class notes by Avi Magidoff).

It is interesting to speculate on the relationship between this point and Lieque Lu-7, both Luo points that extend over the hands and feet and, if we accept the alternative translation of Lieque as "lightening flash", both have reference to light. It is possible that it reflects an understanding of the Wei Qi being further divided into military divisions with this point representing the intelligence branches "illuminating" the threat but not expelling it, analogous to T-helper cells, while Lieque Lu-7 activates the lightening shock troops, the cavalry, analogous to cytotoxic killer T-cells, to drive out the threat with a rapid strike that the general infantry (innate immunity) is struggling to expel.

In Tung acupuncture the Er Zhong, Second Layer, point is located here. It is often combined with Yi Zhong, First Layer, 2 cun below at Xuanzhong GB-39, and San Zhong Third Layer, 2 cun above this point Waiqu GB-36, all anterior to the fibula. They are all used for symptoms of the Gall Bladder channel, especially those in the neck and throat (goiter, thyroid, soreness or pain), Wind or Yang rising (Bell's Palsy, migraine, Parkinsons) and problems of the liver and spleen (Chu, 2015).

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