青靈 : Qingling : Green Spirit

Location Guides:

Classifications:

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

Location:

3 cun proximal to the medial end of the transverse cubital crease, on the line connecting He-1 with He-3, in the groove medial to the biceps brachii muscle

Needling:

Oblique distal or proximal insertion, 0.5 - 1 cun, avoiding the brachial artery

Warnings:

Many early classics only discuss moxibustion at this point and the Introduction to Medicine specifically contraindicates needling, probably due to potential to damage the brachial artery

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyin usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrive swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"Locate it with the" (patient’s) elbow straightened and arm raised. It is moxaed with seven cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Activates the channel and alleviates pain

TCM Indications:

• Inability to raise the shoulder and arm, swelling, pain and redness of the shoulder, pain of the axilla, headache with cold shivering, yellow eyes, pain of the lateral costal region, scrofula.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Medial cutaneous nerve of the arm from T1 - T2

Dermatome Segment: T1

Deeper Structures: Brachial plexus (nerves from C5 - T1)

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Triceps brachii

Pain Referral Pattern:
To medial epicondyle and down ulnar side of arm to little and ring fingers

Indications:
Pain of posterior shoulder and upper arm

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

A deep cut to this point may sever the brachial artery causing unconsciousness from blood loss in 15 seconds and death in 90 (Kaiser, 2019, The Dangers from Knife and Weapon Slashing).

Slows the heart rate sufficiently to feel really ill as well as sending a shock wave into the upper body which can conceivably cause knock out (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

In seizing martial arts (Qin Na) this point is a cavity pressing point (Dian Xue, 點穴). Pressing this cavity can cause numbness of the arm or even a heart attack (Yang, 2004, Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na, 2nd Edition).

Major Combinations:

• Pain of the shoulder and upper arm:
    Qingling He-2 with Quchi LI-11 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji and Baker, 2001, A Manual of Acupuncture).

Notes:

Approximate location of the brachial pulse, although its name, "Green Spirit" may suggest a blue-green vein that runs along here, which would make better sense for piercing, since the artery would bleed much more heavily. The artery here was perhaps the original location of Tianfu Lu-3, which the Ling Shu ch. 2 describes a moving pulse inside the armpit.

The Su Wen Ch. 20, Discourse on the Three Sections and Nine Indicators, describes "The man [indicator] of the central section: the hand minor yin [locations]... The man [indicator] serves to examine the heart". Wang Bing's commentary says this means "This is to say: the heart vessels. Their movement can be felt at the 'spirit gate' section at the tip of the prominent bone (i.e., the styloid processus) behind the palm" indicating Shenmen He-7 (Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, trans. Unschuld & Tessenow, 2011). However, a pulse can rarely be felt here and, as the original text does not state this point, it could refer to the brachial pulse that can usually be felt in this location.

At the end of a Heart Luo treatment this point is needled, deqi grasped and removed immediately to normalize the circulation of blood (Cecil-Sterman, 2012, Advanced Acupuncture).

Medieval phlebotomy point (Hans von Gersdorff, 1517: Feldtbüch der Wundartzney, www.nlm.nih.gov)

Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda locate a point in the centre of the belly of the biceps brachii, one cun lateral and anterior to Qingling He-2 called Bahu Urvi. They associate it with the doshas: Udana Vayu, Smana Vayu, Vyana Vayu, Pachaka Pitta and Kledaka Kapha.

They give the following functions:
- Promotes normal movement of upper extremities
- Relieves tremor or abnormal movement of upper extremities
- Increases energy and vitality
- Regulates udana vayu
- Promotes stomach and pancreas secretion
- Stimulates solar plexus

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point along the Kalatharee sen line running from the navel Shenque Ren-8 to the hands.
Indicated for asthma, breathing difficulties, lung conditions and respiratory ailments.
(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