陽谷 : Yanggu : Yang Valley

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Jing-River and Fire point
Horary point of the Small Intestine channel
Binding point of the hand Taiyang Sinews

Location:

At the ulnar border of the wrist, in the depression between the head of the ulna and the triquetral bone.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.3 - 0.5 cun

Classical Needling:

"The Taiyang 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 two fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of two exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Clears Heat and reduces swelling
Calms the Shen

TCM Indications:

• Swelling of the neck and submandibular region, lockjaw, stiffness of the tongue in babies preventing suckling, tongue thrusting, toothache in both the upper and lower jaw, tinnitus and deafness, Visual Dizziness, redness, swelling and pain of the eye.
  
• Mania, mad walking, clonic spasm, pain of the chest or lateral costal region with difficulty in breathing, febrile disease with absence of sweating, chills and fever.
  
• Pain of the wrist and hand, pain of the arm, shoulder pain with inability to dress oneself, painful haemorrhoids.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷝ Li 離 Radiance

Shared with Shaofu He-8 and balanced by ䷜ (Yingu Kid-10 or Zutonggu Bl-66).

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

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Ulnar nerve (palmar branch) from C8 and T1

Dermatome Segment: C8

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

A hard strike here has the ability to cause what is known as Yang Madness, a build up of stagnant
Yang Qi in the head. It also increases the lethal potency of other points making it a set up for points like Renying St-9, Tianchuang SI-16, Wuyi St-15, or Juque Ren-14 (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Toothache of the upper jaw:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Zhengying GB-17
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Toothache of the lower jaw:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Yemen SJ-2, Shangyang LI-1, Erjian LI-2 and Sidu SJ-9
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Swelling of the submandibular region with lockjaw:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Xiaxi GB-43
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Tinnitus and deafness:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Xiaguan St-7, Chuanchong SJ-1, Yemen SJ-2 and Yangxi LI-5
    (Haungfu Mi, 皇甫謐, 282: Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, 針灸甲乙經, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Dizziness and eye pain:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Feiyang Bl-58
    (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 laughter:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Shemnen He-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).
  
  
• Madness with vomiting:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Zhubin Kid-9, Houding Du-19, Qiangjian Du-18, Naohu Du-17, Luoque Bl-8 and Yuzhen Bl-9
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Mad walking:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Fengdu Du-16
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the elbow, at times cold:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Quchi LI-11, Guanchong SJ-1, Shousanli LI-10, Zhongzhu SJ-3 and Chize Lu-5
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Inability to raise the shoulder and put on clothes:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Qinglengyuan SJ-11
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Haemorrhoids, swelling of the axilla:
    Yanggu SI-5 with Chengjin Bl-56, Chengfu Bl-36 and Weizhong Bl-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).

Notes:

In ayurvedic medicine:
Kurchashira marma point
Size: 1 angula (cun)
Structure: Tendon
Effect of Injury: Pain (rujakar marma)
(Harish Johari, 1996, Ayurvedic Massage, Sanatan Society; Anupama Bhattacharya, n.d. Marma Shastra)

Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda call this point Kurcha Shira and associate it with the doshas: Prana Vayu, Apana Vayu, Vyana Vayu, Sadhaka Pitta and Shleshaka Kapha.

They give the following functions:
- Benefits the wrist joint
- Influences the reproductive organs

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