經渠 : Jingqu : Channel Gutter

Classifications:

Jing-River and Metal point
Horary point of the Lung channel

Location:

Above the wrist, 1 cun proximal to Taiyuan LU-9, on the line connecting Taiyuan LU-9 with Kongzui LU-6, in the depression at the base of the styloid process of the radius and on the radial side of the artery

Needling:

Oblique proximal or perpendicular insertion 0.3 – 0.5 cun, avoiding the radial artery

Classical Needling:

"The Taiyin usually has much Qi and little Blood" (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 (the needle) is retained for a duration of three exhalations. Moxibustion is prohibited because it may damage a person's Spirit-Brightness" (Shenming 神明)" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Descends Lung Qi and alleviates cough and wheezing

TCM Indications:

• Cough, asthma, wheezing, dyspnoea, distension and pain of the chest and upper back, sore throat, Throat Painful Obstruction (喉痹, Hou Bi), febrile disease with absence of sweating, febrile disease with breathlessness, heat in the palms.
  
• Heart pain with vomiting, wrist pain, Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders, much yawning, pain in the soles of the feet.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷹ Dui 巽 Lake, joyous exchange

Shared with Shangyang LI-1. Balanced by ䷳ (Zusanli St-36 or Taibai Sp-3).

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

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm from C5 - C6

Dermatome Segment: C6

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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).

As the Metal, Jing-River and Horary point the Lung channel, striking causes great Qi drainage, pain and shock, potentially even knock out, but mainly used for setting up other points for attack. Injury to this point will cause disruption of Lung Qi so the Lungs are not functioning at their peak during the 24-hour cycle, gradually getting worse as each day passes until a healing is affected. Sleep will be affected greatly, especially between the hours of 3 am and 5 am with a need to urinate because the Bladder meridian being at the opposite side of the Chinese clock, thus having the least amount of Qi available to it at this time (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Tension of the chest and back with a swollen sensation in the chest:
    Jingqu Lu-8 with Qiuxu GB-40
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Febrile disease with absence of sweating:
    Jingqu Lu-8 with Dadu Sp-2
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).

Notes:

The Su Wen Ch. 20, Discourse on the Three Sections and Nine Indicators, describes "The heaven [indicator] of the central section [is on] the hand major yin... The heaven [indicator] serves to examine the lung". Wang Bing's commentary says this means "This is to say: the lung vessels. Their movement can be felt in the 'inch opening' behind the palm" indicating this point (Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, trans. Unschuld & Tessenow, 2011).

Ling Shu Ch. 6 suggests piercing the Jing points of the Yin channels if a disease is in the Yin of the Yang realm (e.g. the sinews and bones). This would mean using this point to treat disorders of the shoulder, elbow and wrist.

Ch. 7 then suggests using paired needles either side of the tendon to remove a tendon blockage illness, and straight needling to the bone for bone blockage illness. This could be interpreted as using these technique on this point, on either side of the abductor pollicis longus in incidences of injury to this tendon or straight in cases of wrist bone injury, or using them as local techniques while Ch. 6 is a distal point suggestion.

Ling Shu Ch. 22, On Mania and Madness, advises that when Wind invasion and counterflow causes the limbs to become swollen, profuse sweating, a feeling of cold and to be irritated when hungry, then blood is removed from the outer and inner sections of the hand Taiyin and foot Shaoyin and Yangming. If the flesh is cool then it is be done through the Ying-Spring points and if the bones are cold it is to be done through the Jing-Well and Jing-River points.

Ling Shu Ch. 44, On the Qi Moving in Accordance with the Norms, indicates that the Jing-River points should be pierced in late summer or when the disease affects the voice. The seasonal aspect should not be interpreted literally as it describes the voice and musical notes as "controlled by late summer". It also describes the morning, afternoon, evening and night cycle of the day to be like the four seasons of the year although late summer is not included in this comparison but presumably has some correlate (maybe late afternoon).

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