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Location Guides: |
Luo-Connecting point
Ma Dan-yang Heavenly Star point
On the radial side of flexor carpi ulnaris, 1 cun proximal to Shenmen He-7
Perpendicular insertion, or oblique proximal or distal insertion 0.5 - 1 cun
"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).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen and moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Calms the Shen
Regulates Heart rhythm
Benefits the tongue
Activates the channel and alleviates pain
Superficial Innervation: Medial cutaneous nerve of the forearm from C8 - T1
Dermatome Segment: C8, T1
Deeper Structures: Ulnar nerve from C8 - T1
One of the 36 vital points of Feng Yiyuan 馮一元 listed in the Wu Bei Zhi 武備志 (Treatise on Armament Technology) by Mao Yuanyi 茅元儀 (1621) (McCarthy, 2016, Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat).
Heart 4, 5, 6 & 7 are all so close together they are usually attacked together with a grab causing great Qi loss and immobilisation, just before a more dangerous attack. A classic Qi Drainage point, a strike here can cause knock out and will weaken the elbow greatly if combined with Xiaoluo SJ-12 (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
Trigrams: Qian (Heaven) below, Li (Fire) above.
Strength within, clarity without — the creative power is made visible by the flame of clarity. This is great possession: abundance that is seen, shared, and illuminated.
Nuclear Trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Qian (Heaven). Lines 3-4-5 form Dui (Lake). Beneath the abundance, there is creative strength (Qian) and openness and joy (Dui). The hidden message: possession is not hoarding. It is joyfully shared.
Judgement:
元亨。
Supreme opening.
The point has access to the Yuan level — the source of original qi. The channel can be opened. The abundance is not static; it flows.
Overall: Great possession is the abundance that comes from aligning with the creative source. It is not about accumulating things. It is about being a conduit for abundance. The fire (Li) makes the heaven (Qian) visible. What is possessed is not owned — it is held in trust and shared.
Lines:
| Line | Yin/Yang | Image | Literal Translation | Clinical Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang | 無交害，匪咎，艱則無咎 | No harmful interactions. Not trouble. Difficulty brings no trouble. | Caught early, Xie Qi cannot cause harm, even if it appears so. The point can easily hold latency, even in difficult times. |
| 2 | Yang | 大車以載，有攸往，無咎 | A great wagon carries. There is somewhere to go. No trouble. | The point is loaded like a wagon causing acute pain. Treatment should be sought to lighten the burden and there will be no trouble. |
| 3 | Yang | 公用亨于天子，小人弗克 | The duke offers tribute to the emperor. The small man cannot do this. | The point is the duke, offering its service to the Heart itself, the Son of Heaven, or the emperor. This must be a bold treatment, worthy of a duke. A timid treatment, worthy of a small man, cannot achieve the result needed. |
| 4 | Yang | 匪其彭，無咎 | Not his abundance. No trouble. | The abundance is not with the Zheng Qi, but the Xie Qi. If this is understood, there is no trouble. |
| 5 | Yin | 厥孚交如，威如，吉 | His captives intermingle. Dignity. Auspicious. | The Xie Qi must be distributed among other channels to prevent its progression beyond this channel and direct to the Heart. |
| 6 | Yang | 自天祐之，吉無不利 | Heaven blesses him. Auspicious. Nothing is unfavourable. | The channel is exhausted and the practitioner has done all that can be done. Now the outcome must be entrusted to Heaven. Hence, it is auspicious and nothing is unfavourable because it is now a matter of faith and acceptance of destiny. |
Image:
火在天上，大有。君子以適惡揚善，順天休命。
Fire above heaven: Da You. Thus the gentleman suppresses evil and promotes good, complying with the favourable will of Heaven.
Fire is above, heaven is below. The fire illuminates everything, and nothing is hidden. The gentleman suppresses evil and promotes good. Great possession is not neutral — it is a force for good. The abundance must be used to illuminate what is right and to restrain what is wrong.
Acupuncture Point Connections:
Shared with Wangu SI-4.
Inverted into ䷌ (Xinshu Bl-15 or Xiaochangshu Bl-27).
Opposed by ䷇ (Taixi Kid-3 or Feiyang Bl-58.
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
Translations are my own, assisted by DSeek and compared to Richard Rutt's interpretion (2002).
Ling Shu Ch. 10, On Channels, describes the diseases relating to the Luo emanating from this point as:
Repletion: A feeling of fullness in the diaphragm
Depletion: Inability to speak
(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.
The alchemical text Zhouyi Cantong Qi (周易參同契 attributed to Wei Boyang, 2nd century CE) represents the lunar cycle in sequence of 6 groups of 5 days governed by the waxing and waning trigrams. These correspond to a rotating cycle of the Early Heaven sequence, with Kan in the west and Li in the east governing the whole Yin and Yang parts of the cycle respectively.
These attributions can be mapped onto the body with the inner trigram representing the Early Heaven trigram that rules the period of 5 days and the outer trigram being its Late Heaven pair, corresponding to the Channel that governs that period. This results in a sequence that has relevance to the menstrual cycle which also corresponds to the moon.
䷭ Xun within Kun : Days 1-5 : Danzhong Ren 17
Front Mu of Pericardium, Hui of Qi and Sea of Qi point. Gathers Qi to make Blood.
䷠ Gen within Qian : Days 6-10 : Pishu Bl-20
Back Shu of the Spleen. Raises and holds the Blood by strengthening the Spleen, completing the endometrial lining and holding it in place.
䷇ Kun within Kan: Days 11-15 : Taixi Kid-3
Yuan-Source of Kidney, Kidneys govern fertility and this point in particular tonifies Kidney Yang as well as Yin, initiating the return of Yang from within Yin, representing ovulation and the start of the Yang part of the cycle.
䷚ Zhen within Gen: Days 16-20 : Yinbai Sp-1
Return of Yang. This point has many indications for stopping bleeding, especially uterine bleeding which would indicate a disorder of Yang failing to uphold the Blood. It is also a Ghost Point so has an influence on the Shen.
䷼ Dui within Xun: Days 21-25 : Jianshi Pc-5
Strong regulator of the Shen and menstruation for the pre-menstrual phase.
䷍ Qian within Li: Days 26-30 : Tongli He-5
Luo of the Heart, a strong invigorating Blood point to govern the days of the period.
One notable pattern that emerges is that the points which govern the 5 day periods corresponding to the ordinal directions only involve the Spleen and Pericardium, which are the channels that were chosen to open the Chong Mai and Yin Wei Mai. The cardinal directions of north and south are governed by the Heart and Kidneys that make up the Shaoyin Axis.
Another pattern is that the Yin part of the cycle draws upon the Ren, Du and Kidneys that connect to the Jing, while the Yang half of the cycle comprises of points that affect the Shen. This connects them to the principle of the Curious Organs, where Jing and Shen combine, and includes the uterus.
The two directions that are not part of the waxing and waning trigrams are Kan and Li. These govern the 15 day Yin and Yang halves of the cycle as a whole and correspond to:
䷮ Kan within Dui: Days 1-15 : Chize Lu-5
Water point of Taiyin, which is a term for the moon, thus representing the moon's influence on the tides and its corresponding influence on Yin aspects of the body.
䷶ Li within Zhen: Days 16-30 : Xingjian Liv-2
Fire point of Jueyin, reverting Yin, representing the return of Yang. Clinically this point clears Liver Fire, spread Liver Qi and stops bleeding due to Heat and so is appropriate for any number of issues stemming from overactive Yang in this half of the cycle.
The name 通里 Tongli is almost identical to 通理 and pronounced indentically, which is used in the alchemical work, the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (周易參同契 attributed to Wei Boyang, 2nd century CE), and in the commentary to the Yi Jing in the section on Kun ☷ as meaning either "spreads through the veining" or "comprehend the principles" (Pregradio, 2011).
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
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