關衝 : Guanchong : Rushing Pass

Classifications:

Jing-Well and Metal point
Entry point from Laogong Pc-8

Location:

On the dorsal aspect of the ring finger, at the junction of lines drawn along the ulnar border of the nail and the base of the nail, approximately 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail.

Needling:

Perpendicular or oblique insertion directed proximally 0.1 - 0.2 cun, or prick to bleed.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (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 one fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of three 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 Upper Jiao Heat
Benefits the ears and tongue
Activates the channel and alleviates pain

TCM Indications:

• Tinnitus, deafness, earache, stiff tongue, curled tongue, pain at the root of the tongue, cracked tongue, dryness of the mouth, dry lips, bitter taste in the mouth, headache, wind dizziness and headache, redness of the eyes, Superficial Visual Obstruction, Throat Painful Obstruction (喉痹, Hou Bi), pain of the submandibular region, dark complexion.
  
• Febrile disease, congested heat of the Sanjiao, congested heat of the upper jiao, heat in the body like fire, fever, fever with absence of sweating, chills and fever, fever with agitation, oppression of the Heart with absence of sweating, Heart pain.
  
• Sudden Turmoil (霍亂, Huo Luan) Disorder, vomiting of sour fluid, no pleasure in eating.
  
• Pain of the elbow and shoulder, pain of the shoulder and back with inability to turn and look backwards.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷼ Zhong Fu 中孚 Inner Conviction

Shared with Jianshi Pc-5. Balanced by ䷽ (Taichong Liv-3 or Yanglingquan GB-34).

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

Neuroanatomy:

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

Dermatome Segment: C7

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

In seizing martial arts (Qin Na) this point is a cavity pressing point (Dian Xue, 點穴). Both sides of the nail 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).

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

Major Combinations:

• Deafness:
    Needle Guanchong SJ-1 with Zuqiaoyin GB-44 opposite to the afflicted ear
    (Anon, 400BC-260AD: Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, 黃帝內經靈樞, Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic: Spiritual Pivot, Ch. 24, On Counterflow Diseases).
  
  
• Tinnitus and deafness:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Xiaguan St-7, Yangxi LI-5, Yemen SJ-2 and Yanggu SI-5
    (Haungfu Mi, 皇甫謐, 282: Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, 針灸甲乙經, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Ear pain, deafness and tinnitus:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Yemen SJ-2, Zhongzhu SJ-3, Tianchuang SI-16 and Yangxi LI-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).
  
  
• Wind dizziness and headache:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Kunlun Bl-60, Tianyou SJ-16, Fengmen Bl-12 and Guanyuan Ren-4
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Throat Painful Obstruction, curled tongue and dry mouth:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Zuqiaoyin GB-44 and Shaoze SI-1
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Flaccid tongue with inability to speak:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Yamen Du-15
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Wasting and Thirsting Disorder with great desire to drink:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Chengjiang Ren-24, Rangu Kid-2 and Yishe Bl-49
    (Thousand Ducate Formulas).
  
  
• Heat sensation of the shoulder with inability to turn the head:
    Guanchong SJ-1 with Jianzhen SI-9 and Jianyu LI-15
    (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:

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 4^th 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. 23, On Heat Diseases, recommends using this point in the case of throat-blockage with curled tongue, dry mouth, vexed and painful heart and inside of the arms with an inability to lift the head (Unschuld, 2016), or lift the arm to the level of the head (Wu & Wu, 2010).

Cecil-Sterman explains that combining the Shu-Stream and Jing-Well points directed outwards is a method of expelling Pathogens from the Shaoyang.

In Tung acupuncture the point Huan Chao, Restore the Nest, is located near this point, on the ulnar side of the middle segment of the ring finger, at the centre between the second and third creases. It is indicated for various gynaecological disorders (Chu, 2015).

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 未 Wei, the trigram ☷ Kun, Earth and the element of Earth (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)

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