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Jing-Well and Wood point
Mother point of the Pericardium channel
In the centre of the tip of the middle finger. Alternatively this point is sometimes located at the radial side of the middle finger, at the junction of lines drawn along the radial border of the nail and the base of the nail, approximately 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail.
Perpendicular or oblique insertion directed proximally 0.1 - 0.2 cun, or prick to bleed
"The Jueyin usually has much Blood and little Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be bled.
"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 one fen, and (the needle) is retained for a duration of three exhalations. It is moxaed with one cone" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Clears Heat from the Pericardium and revives consciousness
Clears the Heart and benefits the tongue
Clears summer-heat
Shared with Zhongzhu SJ-3. Balanced by ䷟ (Zhongdu Liv-6 or Waiqiu GB-36).
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
Superficial Innervation: Median nerve branches to fingers from C6 - C8
Dermatome Segment: C7
Not struck in martial arts but may be injured by accident and will add Heat to the Heart causing anger and swearing (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
In seizing martial arts (Qin Na) this point is a cavity pressing point (Dian Xue, 點穴). Both sides of the nail bed are pinched to obstruct the Qi and cause serious pain. If the pain is significant it can cause fainting. Sometimes the top of the nail bed is pressed instead. (Yang, 2004, Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na, 2nd Edition).
One of the Shixuan points which are usually pricked to bleed for acute conditions such as loss of consciousness.
In five element acupuncture this point is reinforced to tonify Heart deficiencies.
Ling Shu Ch. 19, on the Four Seasonal Qi, advises selecting the Jing-Well and Ying-Spring openings in winter, piercing deeply and retaining for a while. However, the character for "retain" 留 is a combination of 田 "a field," possibly referring to the idea of waiting for things to grow, and 卯 which is the 4th Earthly Branch (Mao, Rabbit, ䷡, 5-7 am, Large Intestine) and said to derive from a Shang Dynasty glyph, originally referring to a blood sacrifice (a person or animal cut in half) before coming to mean bloodletting and "pouring out" (Smith, 2011). This might suggest it was actually referring to bleeding these points, and maybe even letting the points bleed for a time rather than retaining the needle.
Ling Shu Ch. 24, On Counterflow Diseases, advises using this point on the opposite side for sounds in the ears. It then advises using the equivalent points on the feet.
Ling Shu Ch. 44, On the Qi Moving in Accordance with the Norms, indicates that the Jing-Well points should be pierced in winter or when the disease is in the Zang organs. The seasonal aspect should not be interpreted literally as it describes the nature of winter as the the time of storage and the Zang as "controlled by winter" (i.e. to be storage depots by nature). It also describes the morning, afternoon, evening and night cycle of the day to be like the four seasons of the year with night corresponding to winter. Only five channels are discussed so this point must have served the for the Heart too.
In Tung acupuncture the Mu Huo, Wood Fire, point is located near here, on the dorsal aspect of the hand, at the centre of the distal crease of the middle finger. It is indicated for hemiplegia where it is pricked to bleed, weakness or pain of the lower limbs and impotence (Chu, 2015).
Another two points Er Jiao Ming, Two Corner Bright, are located further down the middle finger, also on the dorsal aspect on the hand but at the proximal segment, the first 1/3 of the distance from the proximal crease and the second 2/3 of the distance from the proximal crease. They are indicated for pain of the lower back or face, especially the face (Chu, 2015).
The name Sword Tip is an ancient name for this point used in Neidan practices referring to the hand position known as the sword hand with the index and middle fingers extended (Wang, 2019, Daoist Internal Mastery). This point is where energy can be projected strongly to break up pathological Qi, as is still sometimes seen in Qi projection practices such as Zhen Fa in Tui Na or in martial practice such as the Narrow Sword where the empty hand is shaped this way to complement the swords movements.
In the Maoshan Daoist tradition, when the 12 earthly branches, I Ching trigrams and elements are mapped onto the hand this fingertip equates to the branch 午 Wu and the element Fire with no trigram (Read, 2020, FB Post; 17QQ.com, 2020, Eight trigrams and twelve Branches of the earth palm).
In Maoshan Daoism the character for Jing 井 is used to trap disease, ghosts and demons. It is drawn in the air invoking the "three mountains" mudra (index, middle and ring finger extended) with the bent line continuing in a circle (usually clockwise), or with ash and sprayed on with water held in the mouth, and sometimes on talismans (Read, 2020, FB Post, 1 Sep 2020). This may explain why the Jing-Well points are so often used to expel pathogens.
In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)
In Siddha medicine some practitioners consider this a "whole body relief spot" (carvanka atankal) able to stimulate all vital spots at once when opened by a jerking sharply (Sieler, 2015, Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets, p.87).
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
Steve Woodley Acupuncture & Traditional Medicine
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