璇璣 : Xuanji : Jade Pivot

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Master Tung's Metal Five

Meetings:

Meeting of Conception Vessel with the Broken Line (Duan Xian) 斷線)

Location:

On the midline of the manubrium of the sternum, midway between Huagai Ren-20 and Tiantu Ren-22.

Needling:

Transverse insertion directed inferiorly 0.5 - 1 cun

Classical Needling:

"Locate it with the" (patient’s) head bent back. It is needled to a depth of three fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Descends Stomach Qi and dispels food accumulation
Unbinds the chest and descends Lung Qi
Benefits the throat

TCM Indications:

• Accumulation in the Stomach, difficult ingestion.
  
• Pain and fullness of the chest and lateral costal region, cough, rebellious qi, wheezing, dyspnoea with inability to speak.
  
• Rattling sound in the throat, Throat Painful Obstruction (喉痹, Hou Bi).

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Anterior cutaneous thoracic nerve from T2

Dermatome Segment: T2

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Internal injury by accumulation of food in the Stomach:
    Xuanji Ren-21 with Zusanli St-36
    (Za Bing Xue Fa Ge, 雜病穴法歌, Song of Points for Miscellaneous Diseases. First recoreded in Gao Wu, 高武. 1529: Zhen Jiu Yu Jing, 針灸聚英, Glorious Anthology of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Accumulation in the Stomach:
    Xuanji Ren-21 with Zusanli St-36
    (Xi-Hong Fu, 席弘賦, Ode of Xi-Hong. First recorded in: Xu Feng, 徐鳳, 1439: Zhen Jiu Da Quan, 針灸大全, Complete Collection of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Obstruction of food in the Stomach:
    Xuanji Ren-21 with Zusanli St-36
    (Ma Dan Yang Tian Xing Shi Er Xue Ge, 馬丹陽天星十二穴歌, Song of Ma Danyang's Heavenly Star Points. First recorded in Wang Guorui, 王國瑞, 1329: Bian Que Shen Ying Zhen Jiu, Yu Long Jing, 扁鵲神應針灸玉龍經, Bian Que's Spiritual Guide to Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Classic of the Jade Dragon).
  
  
• Distressed, rapid dyspnoea:
    Xuanji Ren-21 with Qihai Ren-6
    (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).
  
  
• Fullness of the chest with stiffness of the neck:
    Xuanji Ren-21 with Shencang Kid-25
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).

Notes:

The Broken Line (Xiuming Xian 修命線) is an internal line used in inner cultivation arts (Neigong Shu 內功術) that connects Tianting Du-24, located 3 cun above Niwan, with the front genitalia at Qugu Ren-2. It is called the Broken Line because it runs in straight line with two breaks, the first in the nasal cavity underneath the eyebrows and above the palate of the mouth, the second at the throat from Lianquan Ren-23 to this point which is called the Twelve Storied Tower (Wang, 2019, Daoist Internal Mastery ).

In Tung's acupuncture this point is called Jin Yin and forms one of the Metal Five (Jin Wu), a series of five points that start at the upper border of the manubrium and descend at 1 cun intervals, approximately overlapping with Ren-18 to Ren-22. They are all indicated for difficultly breathing as well as their traditional indications for each point (McCann, 2014, Pricking the Vessels).

In Mayan medicine:
Combined with Tiantu Ren-22 for treatment of asthma (Garcia, Sierra, Balam, 1999: Wind in the Blood)

Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda call this point Jatru and associate it with the doshas: Prana Vayu, Udana Vayu, Avalambaka Kapha, Sadhaka Pitta and Tarpaka Kapha.

They give the following functions:
- Maintains immunity and stimulates ojas
- Stimulates dhatu agni and eliminates dhatu ama (toxicity)
- regulates respiration
- Benefits lungs and throat
- Regulates thyroid and parathyroid functions
- Enhances lymphatic circulation in the chest
- Enhances communication
- Benefits spleen
- Releases suppressed emotions

In the Qabalah this point along with Tiantu Ren-22 would be the location of Chesed (Farrow, 2007, The Psychology of the Body). He also relates the other Window of Heaven points Renyin St-9, Futu LI-18, Tianrong SI-17 and Tianfu Lu-3 with Chesed.

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