上脘 : Shangwan : Upper Cavity

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Master Tung's Stomach Hair Seven

Meetings:

Meeting of Conception Vessel with Stomach and Small Intestine

Location:

On the midline of the abdomen, 5 cun above the umbilicus and 3 cun below the sternocostal angle.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.8 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

In thin patients deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity. No perpendicular needling in advanced pregnancy.

Classical Needling:

"It is needled to a depth of eight fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Harmonises the Stomach and regulates Qi
Descends rebellion and alleviates vomiting
Regulates the Heart

TCM Indications:

• Nausea, vomiting, Deficiency Taxation vomiting of blood, difficult ingestion, Stomach reflux, Sudden Turmoil (霍亂, Huo Luan) Disorder, abdominal pain, abdominal distension and fullness, abdominal (Ji Ju) masses, pain of the Spleen, undigested food in the stool, borborgymus.
  
• Sudden Heart pain, sudden of heat and agitation in the Heart, fright palpitations.
  
• Heat in the body with absence of sweating, febrile disease, jaundice.
  
• Wind epilepsy, much phlegm, running piglet, Visual Dizziness.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Anterior cutaneous thoracic nerve from T7

Dermatome Segment: T7

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Vomiting blood and spontaneous external bleeding:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Pishu Bl-20, Ganshu Bl-18 and Yinbai Sp-1
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Vomiting blood:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Burong St-19 and Daling Pc-7
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Vomiting:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Burong St-19 and Daling Pc-7
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• The nine types of Heart pain:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Zhongwan Ren-12
    (Yu Long Fu, 玉龍賦, Ode of the Jade Dragon. First recorded in Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Zhen Jiu Yu Jing, 針灸聚英, Glorious Anthology of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Unbearable Heart pain:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Daling Pc-7
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Distention and fullness of the Heart and abdomen:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Juque Ren-14
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Manic rushing around:
    Shangwan Ren-13 with Shenmen He-7
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).

Notes:

From Yuen's school, this point along with Yaoshu Du-2, relate to the First Level of Manifestation of the Soul (Po).

The first Po is connected to birth and childhood and the Lung - Kidney dynamic, the first breath and the base foundation for life. The first seven years of life are characterised by unconditional love, dependence on others and their acceptance of our weaknesses. People stuck at this level show excessive dependence and inability to be autonomous beyond the first years of life.

Treatment typically involves the Po Activation points Changqiang Du-1 and Jiuwei Ren-15 which are the Luo of the Ren and Du channels, accessing emotion at the level of the Jing, followed by the points associated with the particular level of blockage.

Berardinis & Navarra (2017). The succession of Po in the ladder of life. https://www.acupuncturesida.com/The-succession-of-Po-in-the-ladder-of-life.aspx

The top point of Tung's Stomach Hair Seven (Wei Mao Qi) is located at the tip of the xiphoid process, equivalent to Ren-15, with two below it at 1 cun intervals. Two more are located 1.5 cun lateral to the inferior two on either side. The lower midline point would be at this location. They are treated using Tung's method of pricking for "wool-like furuncles", stomach diseases, stomach bleeding, enteritis, palpitations and various types of sudden turmoil (McCann, 2014, Pricking the Vessels).

In Tibetan medicine:
The tumour point, described as 1 inch below the xiphoid point, can be treated with burnt edelweiss flowers (Tra-wah) on crushed garlic for stomach tumours (Bradley, 2000: Principles of Tibetan Medicine)

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